servicio comunitario
/seɾbiθjo komunitaɾjo/from spelling rulesmasculine
The English phrase "community service" is translated into Spanish as servicio comunitario.
The term servicio comunitario is used to describe both voluntary work performed for the benefit of a group and legal penalties, such as court-ordered service.
Meaning: voluntary service (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
This phrase is a literal translation where servicio means "service" and comunitario is the adjective for "community".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, you may also hear trabajo comunitario or servicio a la comunidad to refer to community service.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural "community services", both the noun and the adjective must be pluralized to form servicios comunitarios.
How do you pronounce it?
/seɾbiθjo komunitaɾjo/
Did you know?
- In several Latin American countries, performing servicio comunitario is a mandatory requirement to graduate from university, even if the student has committed no crime.
- While 'servicio comunitario' is understood globally, in many Spanish-speaking countries, the term voluntariado is much more common for non-legal activities. Using servicio for non-mandatory work can sometimes sound overly formal or even imply a sense of duty or servitude.
- The word servicio is a linguistic relative of the English word 'servitude', a connection that stems from its Latin ancestor servitium.
Examples in context
- La condena de Tom fue de 25 horas de servicio comunitario.Tom's sentence was 25 hours of community service.This sentence shows how to use servicio comunitario when discussing a legal sentence.Tatoeba #1349419 by marcelostockle, translation #681997 by Source_VOA
- El estudiante realizó servicio comunitario durante las vacaciones de verano.The student performed community service during the summer break.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are discussing volunteer opportunities at a local center.
- Mateo¿Quieres hacer servicio comunitario conmigo este sábado?Do you want to do community service with me this Saturday?
- SofíaSí, me encantaría ayudar en la escuela local.Yes, I would love to help at the local school.
- MateoPerfecto, yo me encargo de la inscripción.Perfect, I will take care of the registration.
- SofíaGracias, Mateo, eres muy amable.Thanks, Mateo, you are very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “community service” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comunitario, servicio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
