caso
/ˈkaso/masculine
In Spanish, the English phrase 'case' is translated as caso.
The noun refers to an actual event, situation or fact. For example, casos médicos means medical cases and casos legales means legal cases. You can also use the phrase en caso de to mean 'in case of' or 'in the event of'.
Meaning: actual event, situation, or fact (noun)
Which one should you use?
While caso refers to a case or event, do not confuse it with the verb casar, which means to marry. Although they sound similar, they have entirely different meanings.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun caso is masculine and is used with the masculine article el, as in el caso.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkaso/
Did you know?
- While caso means 'case' as in an event, Spanish uses a completely different word, estuche or maleta, for a physical case like a suitcase or a jewelry box.
- The phrase hacer caso means to pay attention or obey, rather than to create a 'case'. If someone tells you no me haces caso, they are complaining that you are ignoring them.
- The phrase el caso es que is a common way to say 'the point is' or 'the thing is' when introducing a clarification.
Examples in context
- No es el caso.That's not the case.This example shows how to negate a statement using caso.Tatoeba #1292112 by Shishir, translation #42351 by CM
- Es un caso extremo.It's an extreme case.This example shows how to describe an extreme caso.Tatoeba #1721201 by marcelostockle, translation #1721051 by Spamster
- El caso es complejo.The case is complex.This example shows how to describe a complex caso.Tatoeba #7996314 by Seael, translation #5754356 by CM
- El proceso judicial está en cursoThe legal case is in progress
- El abogado presentó un caso sólido en el juicioThe lawyer presented a solid case in court
- 182 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are discussing a project problem.
- DanielTenemos un problema en este caso.We have a problem in this case.
- Sofía¿Cuál es el caso exactamente, Daniel?What is the case exactly, Daniel?
- DanielEl caso es que falta el presupuesto.The case is that the budget is missing.
- SofíaEntiendo, buscaremos una solución pronto.I understand, we will look for a solution soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “case” translations and entries caso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
