QUICK ANSWER
"Cómo eras de niño" is a form of "cómo eras de niño", a phrase which is often translated as "what were you like as a child". "A" is a preposition which is often translated as "to". Learn more about the difference between "cómo eras de niño" and "a" below.
cómo eras de niño(
koh
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moh
eh
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rahs
deh
nee
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nyoh
)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
1. (informal) (in questions; second person singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person informal “tú” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., How are you?).
a. what were you like as a child
¿Cómo eras de niño, y cuáles eran tus hobbies?What were you like as a child, and what were your hobbies?
b. what were you like when you were a kid (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Antonio, ¿cómo eras de niño? ¿Eras alegre?Antonio, what were you like when you were a kid? Were you cheerful?
c. what did you look like as a child (related to physical appearance)
¿Cómo eras de niño? - Era bajito y regordete.What did you look like as a child? - I was short and chubby.
2. (informal) (in statements; second person singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person informal “tú” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., How are you?).
a. what you were like as a child
Quiero saber cómo eras de niño. ¿Eras tímido?I want to know what you were like as a child. Were you shy?
b. what you were like when you were a kid (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Tu madre me contó cómo eras de niño.Your mother told me what you were like when you were a kid.
c. what you looked like as a child (related to physical appearance)
Me gustaría ver cómo eras de niño. ¿Tienes una foto?I'd like to see what you looked like as a child. Do you have a picture?
a, la a(
ah
)A preposition is a word that indicates the relationship between a noun and another word (e.g., He ran through the door.).
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Podía respirar a duras penas.He was hardly able to breathe.
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
¡A fregar los platos!Go do the dishes!
¡A la cama!Off to bed!
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Me encantaría ganar dinero a espuertas.I would love to earn lots of money.
Llovía a cántaros.It was pouring.
A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
An abbreviation is the shortened form of a word or group of words (e.g., "UFO" = "unidentified flying object"; "p." = "page").
a. A
El circuito transporta una corriente de 1 A.The circuit carries a current of 1 A.
La intensidad de la corriente eléctrica se mide en A.The intensity of an electric current is measured in A.
