Spanish
Vocab Builder for commonly used words in Spanish.
despedir
The Spanish term 'despedir' translates to 'say goodbye' in English. It's a verb usually used in the formal or informal departure context. It's also utilized to denote letting someone go from their job. In English contexts, we might use it like 'despedirse de alguien' (to say goodbye to someone) or 'despedir a alguien del trabajo' (to fire someone from his or her job).
despedirse afectuosamente
The Spanish phrase 'despedirse afectuosamente' translates to 'to say goodbye affectionately' in English. This phrase is used when someone wants to express a warm and loving farewell to another person. Often used among close friends and family or between romantic partners, 'despedirse afectuosamente' carries a connotation of care, love, and sincerity. It is more personal than the typical 'adios' or 'hasta luego', denoting a deeper emotional connection between the individuals involved.
despedirse calurosamente
The Spanish phrase 'despedirse calurosamente' translates to 'say goodbye warmly' in English. This phrase often signifies an affectionate or hearty farewell. In general use, it implies expressing warm emotions, like love or fondness, while departing from someone.
despedirse cariñosamente
The Spanish phrase 'despedirse cariñosamente' translates to 'say goodbye affectionately' in English. It's used when parting from someone in a loving or fond manner. The verb 'despedirse' is a reflexive verb, denoting the action of saying goodbye, while 'cariñosamente' is an adverb adding the notion of affection to the action.
despedirse oficialmente
The phrase 'despedirse oficialmente' in Spanish translates to 'officially dismissed' in English. It consists of 'despedirse', which means to say goodbye or bid farewell, and 'oficialmente', which means officially. In a broader context, this can be used when someone is formally released from their duties or responsibilities.
despegar
The Spanish word 'despegar' is translated to English as 'take off'. It is a verb often used in terms of aviation to indicate a situation where an aircraft leaves the ground and start its flight. Similarly, it can be a metaphorical term to explain the action of starting or initiating a particular task or activity. However, it can also apply to other situations, such as removing an adhesive. Therefore, 'despegar' might not indicate a literal 'take off' in some contexts. It is always important to pay close attention to the context in which the word is used.
Example sentences with despegar →despido
The Spanish term 'despido' translates to 'dismissal' in English. In a workplace context, it refers to the act of an employer terminating an employee's contract. This could be due to many factors like the employee's misconduct, company's financial situation, or restructuring. It can also denote the act of rejecting or putting aside something or someone. Thus, it is a noun that represents an action related with the end or termination of something.
despido ilegal
'Despido ilegal' is a Spanish term that translates into English as 'unlawful dismissal'. This term is often used in the context of labor law, where it refers to the act of terminating an employee's contract of employment without a valid or legal reason. In more general terms, 'unlawful dismissal' refers to any act of dismissing or terminating something or someone in a manner that is not permitted by the law.
después
The Spanish word 'después' means 'after' in English and is most commonly used to indicate that something happens or is done later than something else or it refers to the time that follows an event. For example, 'Después de la fiesta, tenemos que limpiar' means 'After the party, we have to clean'. It can also be used to talk about position in location or order.
Example sentences with después →destinatario
The Spanish word 'destinatario' translates to 'recipient' in English. It is primarily used in contexts such as mail services, electronic communications, banking and similar, where there is a sender and a receiver or 'recipient' of an item or service. A 'destinatario' could be the recipient of a letter, email, package, or even the beneficiary of a monetary transaction.
destinatario ausente
The Spanish phrase 'destinatario ausente' is translated into English as 'recipient absent'. In a formal setup, this term is often used in mail or package delivery to indicate that the intended recipient of the goods or services was not present at the time of delivery. It is an indication that the delivery could not be completed as the party meant to receive the item was not available. In email communications, this could be used metaphorically to communicate that the intended receiver of the message is not paying attention or not responding.
destino
'Destino', meaning 'destination', is a place to which someone is going or an endpoint of a trip.
Example sentences with destino →destituir
The word 'destituir' in Spanish translates to 'remove' in English. It is often used to refer to the action of taking away someone’s job or position, particularly in a formal or official manner. It can also be used to describe the process of removing someone from a task or responsibility, or relieving them of their duties. Just like the word 'remove' in English, 'destituir' is quite a versatile word and its specific meaning can change depending on the context it is being used in.
destornillador
The Spanish word 'destornillador' translates to 'screwdriver' in English. It is a tool used to turn (drive or remove) screws, which usually has a thin wedge-shaped tip that can fit into a slot or groove in the screw head. In implementation, it involves using the hand to rotate it in the screw’s head and, therefore, drive the screw into place. It is a common and widely used tool in many industries like construction, carpentry, and more.
desvelar una información
The Spanish phrase 'desvelar una información' is an action phrase that is commonly used in conversational and formal Spanish. In English, this phrase translates to 'reveal information'. It is used when someone uncovers, discloses or makes some information known to others that was previously unknown or concealed. This phrase can pertain to a wide variety of contexts, including conversations about news, secrets, discoveries, research findings, etc. The phrase itself fosters an element of dramatic revelation or unveiling.
desviar una llamada
The Spanish phrase 'desviar una llamada' translates to 'divert a call' in English. This is typically used in the context of telecommunications. It refers to the action of rerouting a phone call from one telephone number to another. This phrase can be used in a variety of situations. For example, you might need to 'desviar una llamada' to another department at work, or to your home phone if your mobile is out of battery.
desvío
The Spanish word 'desvío' translates to 'deviation' in English. It can be used in various contexts. In a literal sense, it is often used to refer to a route that deviates or departs from a main path or direction. In a more abstract sense, 'desvío' could also connotate diverging from a rule, standard, or expected behavior. Therefore, the term has both concrete and abstract uses in the Spanish language.
Example sentences with desvío →desvío de llamadas
The Spanish term 'desvío de llamadas' directly translates to 'call forwarding' in English. Call forwarding is a telephone feature that enables an incoming call to be redirected to another destination, such as an office, home, or mobile phone, if the initial line is busy or if no one answers. This feature is particularly useful in professional settings, where it ensures that no calls are missed even if the primary line is unavailable.
detalle
The word 'detalle' in Spanish is similar to 'detail' in English. It could refer to a specific or minute element of something or a fact that is small or less important. It is also used to refer to a small act of kindness or a gift. Depending the sentence where it is used, 'detalle' can also have the meaning of paying attention to or noting small things with care and concern.
Example sentences with detalle →detectar un (artefacto) explosivo
The Spanish phrase 'detectar un (artefacto) explosivo' translates to 'detect an explosive (artifact)' in English. This could typically be used in contexts such as security, law enforcement, or military operations. The phrase contains the verb 'detectar' which means 'to detect'; the indefinite article 'un' which means 'an'; the noun '(artefacto) explosivo' where 'artefacto' means 'artifact' and 'explosivo' means 'explosive'. Together, they refer to the detection of an explosive object or artifact.
detectar una bomba
The Spanish phrase 'detectar una bomba' translates to 'detect a bomb' in English. This phrase is often used in the context of safety and security, particularly by police or military professionals. The verb 'detectar' mirrors the English 'detect', meaning to discover or identify the presence or existence of something. 'Una bomba', translated to 'a bomb', specifies what is being detected. This phrase signifies the action of discovering or identifying the presence of a bomb.
detención
The Spanish word 'detención' translates to 'detention' in English. It is a noun used to describe the act of detaining someone or the state of being detained. This might be in the context of law, where a person is kept in custody, generally by the police, due to their suspected participation in a crime or illegal activity. Alternatively, in the schooling system, it signifies a disciplinary measure where a student is required to remain in school at a time when they would usually be allowed to leave, as a consequence of misbehaviour.
detener a un delincuente
The Spanish phrase 'detener a un delincuente' translates to 'stop a criminal' in English. It is commonly used in law enforcement or in situations where someone is being asked to halt an unlawful activity. 'Detener' means 'to stop' and 'un delincuente' means 'a criminal'. Therefore, the full phrase conveys a feeling of either an imperative order or an ongoing action to stop a person who is committing a crime.
detener a un sospechoso
The Spanish phrase 'detener a un sospechoso' translates to 'arrest a suspect' in English. It is used in contexts relating to law enforcement or criminal investigation. 'Detener' means to stop or halt, 'a' signifies direction towards someone/something, 'un' is an indefinite article which means 'a', and 'sospechoso' is a noun that translates to 'suspect'. Together, they form a phrase used when law enforcement officials apprehend a person who is suspected of having committed a crime.
detener por un delito de agresión
The Spanish phrase 'detener por un delito de agresión' translates to 'arrest for an offence of aggression' in English. It describes the act of law enforcement apprehending an individual due to allegations of violent behavior or assault. In a sentence, it can be used to describe scenarios across a variety of legal and law enforcement situations where aggressive conduct has purportedly occurred.
Example sentences with detener por un delito de agresión →detener por un delito de malos tratos
The Spanish phrase 'detener por un delito de malos tratos' translates to 'arrest for an offence of ill-treatment' in English. This phrase might be used in a legal or law enforcement setting, where an individual is being arrested for the act of ill-treatment. The ill-treatment could refer any form of abuse or wrongful treatment inflicted upon another individual. Getting familiar with such phrases could be beneficial in understanding news reports or legal documents in Spanish.
Example sentences with detener por un delito de malos tratos →detener por un delito de tráfico de drogas
The Spanish phrase 'detener por un delito de tráfico de drogas' translates to 'arrest for a drug trafficking offence' in English. In this phrase, 'detener' means 'to arrest', 'por un' means 'for a', 'delito' means 'offence', 'de tráfico de drogas' means 'of drug trafficking'. This phrase is generally used in legal or law enforcement contexts, particularly in reports or discussions pertaining to drug crime.
Example sentences with detener por un delito de tráfico de drogas →detergente
The Spanish word 'detergente' translates to 'detergent' in English. Detergent is a water-soluble cleaning agent which combines with impurities and dirt to make them more soluble, and differs from soap in not forming a scum with the salts in hard water.
determinar
The Spanish word 'determinar' mirrors the English counterpart 'determine', used in the context of causing (something) to occur in a particular way or to have a particular nature. It can also refer to ascertain or establish exactly, typically as a result of research or calculation. Just like in English, 'determinar' is also used in scientific or technical conversations in Spanish.
Example sentences with determinar →detestar
The Spanish word 'detestar' translates to 'detest' in English. It is a verb that is used to express a strong dislike or hate for someone or something. Similar to its English equivalent, 'detestar' is usually used in more extreme situations, where a simple dislike is not strong enough to convey the feeling, and a stronger term is needed.