conmoción cerebral
/kommoˌθjon θeɾeˈbɾal/feminine
In Spanish, concussion is conmoción cerebral. Wiktionary also lists concusión.
Meaning: injury (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| conmoción cerebral | /kommoˌθjon θeɾeˈbɾal/ /kommoˌsjon seɾeˈbɾal/ |
feminine |
| concusión | /konkuˈsjon/ | feminine |
This term is used to describe a brain injury or a medical concussion.
What does it mean word for word?
The term conmoción cerebral is composed of conmoción (commotion/shock) and cerebral (brain/cerebral).
Which one should you use?
Conmoción cerebral is the standard and most common way to refer to a medical concussion in Spanish. While concusión is a technical term, it is much less common in everyday speech.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you may sometimes hear the phrase contusión cerebral to refer to a concussion.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both conmoción cerebral and concusión are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/kommoˌθjon θeɾeˈbɾal/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may mistakenly use concusión thinking it is a direct cognate, but conmoción cerebral is the more natural medical term in Spanish.
Did you know?
- In legal Spanish, the word concusión does not mean a head injury but refers to the crime of a public official demanding a bribe or extortion.
- While conmoción cerebral refers to a medical injury, the word conmoción alone is often used to describe a state of deep emotional shock or a sudden social disturbance.
- The word conmoción is a direct linguistic relative of the English word 'commotion', though it is used much more frequently in clinical settings in Spanish.
Examples in context
- Mi hija tuvo una concusión.My daughter had a concussion.This sentence shows how to use concusión.Tatoeba #1070827 by qweruiop, translation #1048937 by ondo
- El doctor descubrió que Mennad tenía una conmoción cerebral.The doctor found out that Mennad had a concussion.This sentence shows how to use conmoción cerebral.Tatoeba #13160721 by frpzzd, translation #8058457 by OsoHombre
- El paciente sufrió una conmoción cerebral después del accidente.The patient suffered a concussion after the accident.
- Los deportistas deben tomar precauciones para evitar traumatismos craneoencefálicos y posibles conmociones cerebrales.Athletes should take precautions to prevent traumatic brain injuries and potential concussions.
- Después del golpe en la cabeza, mi amigo tuvo una conmoción cerebral.After the hit on the head, my friend had a concussion.
- El jugador sufrió una conmoción cerebral en el partido.The player suffered a concussion during the match.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking about a recent accident at a soccer game.
- Daniel¿Está bien el jugador después de la caída?Is the player okay after the fall?
- LucíaNo, parece que tiene una conmoción cerebral.No, it looks like he has a concussion.
- DanielQué mala suerte, espero que se recupere pronto.What bad luck, I hope he recovers soon.
- LucíaSí, debe descansar mucho este tiempo.Yes, he must rest a lot during this time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “concussion” translations and entries conmoción cerebral, concusión, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
