citación
/θitaˈθjon/
In Spanish, the word for a legal citation or an official order to appear in a court of law is citación.
The term citación is used specifically to refer to a legal summons. When you are citing information in a text, you can use the phrase según to mean 'according to' or the phrase de acuerdo con to mean 'as stated by'. To introduce what a source says, you can use signal verbs such as afirma (states), demuestra (demonstrates) or explica (explains).
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between citación and cita. While citación refers to a legal summons to appear, cita refers to a social appointment or a date.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of citación is citaciones.
How do you pronounce it?
/θitaˈθjon/
Did you know?
- Spanish uses the word cita to refer to a literary quote, meaning the language uses the same root for a romantic date and a scholarly reference.
- In some Spanish-speaking legal systems, if a person cannot be found, a citación is delivered via an edicto, which is a public notice posted in a newspaper.
- The verb citar is a linguistic bridge in Spanish, used both to summon someone to a courtroom and to cite a source in a bibliography.
Examples in context
- En mi investigación, encontré una cita relevante sobre el tema.In my research, I found a relevant citation on the subject.
- Para apoyar mi argumento, agregaré una referencia bibliográfica al final del artículo.To support my argument, I will add a bibliographic reference at the end of the article.
- El profesor hizo una mención sobre el autor sin citarlo directamente.The professor made a mention of the author without citing him directly.
- La cita bibliográfica es fundamental para respaldar nuestros argumentos.The bibliographic citation is fundamental to support our arguments.
- Recibí una citación para el lunes.I received a summons for Monday.
- La citación judicial llegó por correo.The court summons arrived by mail.
- Debes presentar la citación en la oficina.You must present the summons at the office.
Example conversation
Lucía is telling Mateo about a legal document she received.
- LucíaMateo, me llegó una citación judicial.Mateo, I received a court summons.
- Mateo¿Es algo muy grave?Is it something very serious?
- LucíaNo lo sé, tengo que ir al juzgado.I don't know, I have to go to the courthouse.
- MateoEspero que no sea problema para ti.I hope it is not a problem for you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry citación, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
