presidente
/pɾesiˈdente/masculine
The Spanish word for chairman is presidente.
The term presidente is used to mean both 'president' and 'chairman' depending on the context. To be more specific about a 'chairman of the board', you can use the phrase presidente de la junta.
Meaning: head of a corporate or governmental board (noun)
Which one should you use?
For a chairman of a board or council, use Presidente del Consejo. For an executive chairman or CEO, use Presidente Ejecutivo. In some formal corporate environments, one might use Presidente Ejecutivo de la Junta Directiva to refer to the chairman of the board.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, presidente is a common term for chairman. In Argentina, both presidente and presidente del directorio are commonly employed for chairman.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form is presidente, and the feminine form for 'chairwoman' is presidenta.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾesiˈdente/
Did you know?
- The word presidente comes from the Latin praesideō, which literally means 'to sit in front of'.
- While presidenta is the standard feminine form, some traditional legal documents in Spanish still use el presidente for women to emphasize the neutrality of the office.
- In some Latin American business cultures, the presidente is often a figurehead or founder, while the actual daily operations are run by a gerente general.
Examples in context
- Ella habló con el presidente.She talked to the chairman.This sentence shows how to use the word presidente when talking to someone.Tatoeba #1441596 by Shishir, translation #1315813 by CK
- Fue acreditado como presidente.He was accredited to the chairman.This sentence illustrates the use of presidente regarding accreditation.Tatoeba #11967835 by Eremon, translation #4127726 by allasobirova
- Tom ha sido nombrado presidente.Tom has been appointed chairman.This sentence demonstrates the use of presidente for an appointment.Tatoeba #5714082 by arh, translation #5701200 by CK
- el presidente de la compañíaThe chairman of the company
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are discussing news at a cafe.
- MateoEl nuevo presidente es muy joven.The new chairman is very young.
- María¿Es Mateo el presidente de la junta?Is Mateo the chairman of the board?
- MateoNo, él es solo un miembro.No, he is just a member.
- MaríaEntiendo, espero que el presidente sea capaz.I see, I hope the chairman is capable.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chairman” translations and entries presidente, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries presidente, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
