In the middle of nowhere

Question

Hi. I'm hoping someone can clarify the expression for "in the middle of nowhere".

I thought that it was "en (el) medio de la nada" but a native Spanish speaker corrected me saying that it should be "en la media de la nada". But I just looked it up on a translation site and it said "el medio".

I thought that "medio" was the middle like the position relative to other things or parts of a whole, and "media" was what we would call the average in English, though we should really call it the mean. This was the key I used to remember it originally.

Is this a case of either being correct? it varying by country/area? or are there two different expressions?

Thanks as always.

Answer 1

Also "en medio de ninguna parte."

A humorous one. "donde el diablo perdió el poncho" --y la diabla la chancleta.

Acabo de recordar que una amiga mía boricua me dijo que vivía en "las quinambambas." - Daniela2041, Sep 15, 2016

"las quimbambas," ¿no? - jtaniel, Sep 15, 2016

"Quimbambas es la palabra correcta. Mi amiga siempre agregaba una sílaba extra, para dar más énfasis, creo. Además era una chica de unos 13 años. - Daniela2041, Sep 15, 2016

Thank you for your prompt answer. I did see it shortly after you posted but couldn't respond with thanks then as I am still having problems opening this site on my mobile device. - ErikainAndalusia, Sep 16, 2016

I love the two above! I have also used "en el quinto pino" but now I am going to have to look up "Quimbambas". What a great sounding word. I'm never going to get my work done! Ha ha. - ErikainAndalusia, Sep 16, 2016

Okay. I understand now. But it is a great word. I don't knnow that we have an official word like this in English. All the ones I know would be considered to be slang. - ErikainAndalusia, Sep 16, 2016

Sorry. I made a typographical error. Should be "I don't know that ...." - ErikainAndalusia, Sep 16, 2016

UK live in or out in the sticks or back of beyond. US - boondocks - Mardle, Sep 16, 2016

Answer 2

Media has multiple meanings, including average (as you say) and stocking.

The issue is, in the phrase In the middle of nowhere, middle is a noun, and for this we use medio: en el medio de la nada. En la media de la nada means in the stocking of nothing, or on the average of nothing, or some other senseless things.

Medio/media is also an adjective that means half, and when used this way it must match the noun: medio litro, media hora, medio aguacate, media naranja. I suspect that en la media de la nada was a wrongheaded attempt to make medio agree with nada.

Diste en el clavo, amigo. - Daniela2041, Sep 15, 2016

Mil gracias, profesora. - jtaniel, Sep 15, 2016

Thank you for your prompt answer. I did see it shortly after you posted but couldn't respond with thanks then as I am still having problems opening this site on my mobile device. - ErikainAndalusia, Sep 16, 2016

Answer 3

This is probably something regional.
To my ears, en la media de la nada sounds terrifying.

I'd just use en el medio de la nada.