Aprender las profesiones en español con Pepito

What does “de mayor” mean in Spanish?

De mayor means “when I grow up” or “as an adult.” It is the phrase Spanish uses to ask a child about the future. The most common question is ¿qué quieres ser de mayor? (“what do you want to be when you grow up?”). Word for word it is something like “as a grown-up,” but you should learn it as one fixed phrase about your future self.

In the clip Pepito says no sé qué quiero ser de mayor (“I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up”) before they go through jobs like médico, bombero, and cocinero. You can answer with de mayor quiero ser… and then a job. This phrase is mostly used in Spain.