católico romano
/kaˌtoliko roˈmano/
The English phrase 'catholic' in Spanish is católico romano.
católico romano is an adjective specifically describing something or someone pertaining to the Roman Catholic Church.
Meaning: of the Roman Catholic church (adj)
Which one should you use?
While católico romano specifically denotes the Roman Catholic Church, the single word católico can be used as both an adjective and a noun to mean 'a Catholic'.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/kaˌtoliko roˈmano/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word romano is a doublet of rumano, meaning they share the same root but evolved differently to distinguish between 'Roman' and 'Romanian'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, identifying as católico often describes a shared cultural identity or heritage rather than active religious practice.
- The term católico romano explicitly distinguishes the Western liturgy from Eastern Catholic traditions, a nuance not always present in English usage.
Examples in context
- El fue un Católico Romano.He was a Roman Catholic.This sentence is useful for demonstrating the use of católico romano.Tatoeba #13933011 by BenjaBesings_14, translation #802929 by Source_VOA
- Soy católicoI am Catholic
- ¿Eres católico/a?Are you Catholic?
- María es católica y va a misa todos los domingos.María is Catholic and goes to church every Sunday.
- Mis abuelos son católicos practicantes desde hace décadas.My grandparents have been practicing Catholics for decades.
- La iglesia católicaThe Catholic Church
- El ritual es de origen católico romano.The ritual is of Roman Catholic origin.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “catholic” translations and entries católico romano, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries católico, romano, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
