Can you explain a bit more about how to express ''both'' in Spanish please?

Question

I was wondering if you could give some examples of when it would be appropriate to use the word ''ambos'' to express ''both'' rather than ''Using tanto... como'' for "both". I translated the phrase ''The lessons of this year have been personal and professional'' as  ''Las lecciones de este año han sido ambos personal y profesional.'' Many thanks

Inma Sánchez · Accepted Answer

Hola Aarti
Interesting question and it's something lots of people get confused with, actually.
The answer is "ambos" is an adjective and it needs to be followed by a noun, not another adjective. So you can't use "ambos, ambas" in 'Las lecciones de este año han sido ambos personal y profesional.'', here you need "... tanto personales como profesionales".
Tanto... como... meaning "both" is more flexible because it is a conjunction, so you can use nouns, adjectives, infinitives, adverbs...:

Me gusta tanto el pescado como la carne.
I like both fish and meat.
Todavía tengo que pintar algunas habitaciones, tanto arriba como abajo.
I still have to paint some rooms, both upstairs and downstairs.
La película fue tanto aburrida como absurda.
The movie was both boring and absurd.
En mi trabajo aprendí tanto a tratar con clientes como a trabajar en equipo. 
In my job, I learned both how to deal with customers and how to work in a team.

I think the doubt comes when you know you can use "both" with adjectives, but it doesn't work with "ambos" in Spanish.
Saludos
Inma

Aarti Thapar · Answer

Thanks Inma, this explanation was very helpful.