vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Quinceañera" is a form of "quinceañera", a noun which is often translated as "fifteenth birthday celebration". "Quinceañero" is a noun which is often translated as "fifteen-year-old". Learn more about the difference between "quinceañera" and "quinceañero" below.
la quinceañera(
keen
-
seh
-
ah
-
nyeh
-
rah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
1. (ball) (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
a. fifteenth birthday celebration
Todavía tengo que elegir un vestido y una tiara para mi quinceañera.I still need to pick a dress and a tiara for my fifteenth birthday celebration.
b. quinceañera (United States)
Regionalism used in the United States
No puedo creer que Marta no me invitara a su quinceañera.I can't believe Marta's didn't invite me to her quinceañera.
2. (girl turning fifteen) (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
a. birthday girl
¿Cómo conoces a la quinceañera? - Es mi prima.How do you know the birthday girl? - She's my cousin.
el quinceañero, la quinceañera(
keen
-
seh
-
ah
-
nyeh
-
roh
)This means that the noun can be masculine or feminine, depending on the gender of the noun it refers to (e.g., el doctor, la doctora).
a. fifteen-year-old
A veces lo trato como a un adulto, olvidando que es un quinceañero.Sometimes I treat him as an adult, forgetting that he's a fifteen-year-old.
2. (adolescent)
a. teenager
A la mayoría de los quinceañeros les gusta Justin Beiber.Most teenagers love Justin Beiber.
An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
a. fifteen-year-old
¿El bebé es su único hijo? - No, también tiene una hija quinceañera.Is the baby her only child? - No, she also has a fifteen-year-old girl.
4. (adolescent)
a. teenage
En la entrada de la discoteca había un montón de chicos y chicas quinceañeros.There were a lot of teenage boys and girls at the entrance to the club.
