oficial del ejército
/ofiθjal del exeɾθito/from spelling rules
In Spanish, army officer is translated as oficial del ejército.
The phrase refers to a person who holds a position of authority and command in the land forces of a country.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of oficial (officer), del (of the) and ejército (army).
Which one should you use?
While oficial del ejército refers specifically to the army, you should use oficial de la marina when referring to a naval officer.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is masculine. To refer to a female army officer, the noun oficial remains the same, though the article or context would change (such as using la oficial). To make the phrase plural, change oficial to oficiales to get oficiales del ejército.
How do you pronounce it?
/ofiθjal del exeɾθito/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the word oficial can also refer to a 'journeyman' or a skilled tradesperson who has completed an apprenticeship.
- The Latin root of ejército, exercitus, originally referred to the act of 'training' or 'exercise' rather than just a military force.
- While English uses 'officer' for both police and military, oficial in a military context specifically refers to commissioned ranks, whereas police are called policías.
Examples in context
- Él es un oficial del ejército muy respetado.He is a very respected army officer.
- Mi hermano quiere ser oficial del ejército.My brother wants to be an army officer.
- El oficial del ejército dio las órdenes.The army officer gave the orders.
Example conversation
Daniel is telling María about his brother's new career.
- María¿Qué hace tu hermano ahora?What is your brother doing now?
- DanielÉl es un oficial del ejército.He is an army officer.
- María¡Qué bien! Es una carrera difícil.That's great! It is a difficult career.
- DanielSí, pero él es muy valiente.Yes, but he is very brave.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
