Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| daño | /ˈdaɲo/ | masculine |
| damno | /damno/ (from spelling rules) | historic, masculine |
daño refers to an abstract measure of something not being intact or to harm. It can be used to describe physical damage to an object or both emotional and physical pain caused to a person. To express the action of causing damage or inflicting pain, the common collocation is hacer daño.
Which one should you use?
While daño is the general term, perjuicio is a formal alternative used specifically to convey harm or injury. If you are discussing the gradual damage of something occurring over time, the formal term deterioro is more appropriate. In a colloquial context, if the damage has resulted in a mess or a mishap, you might use estropicio.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form daños is used when referring to multiple instances of damage or various physical harms.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdaɲo/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the phrase daños y perjuicios is a fixed legal term where daños refers to the actual loss and perjuicios refers to the money the person stopped earning because of that loss.
- While it means 'harm' in English, the ancestor of daño originally referred to an 'investment' or 'expense' in Proto-Indo-European.
- In legal contexts, daños y perjuicios is a standard formula used to claim compensation for both direct losses and lost profits.
Examples in context
- ¿Le he hecho daño?Did I do any damage to it?This sentence uses daño to ask about causing damage.Tatoeba #874985 by Shishir, translation #10031944 by shekitten
- El daño está hecho.The damage is done.This sentence uses daño to state that the damage has occurred.Tatoeba #1407361 by marcelostockle, translation #31341 by Zifre
- Hubo daños a las tuberías.There was damage to the pipe.This sentence uses the plural daños to refer to damage to pipes.Tatoeba #1386293 by marcelostockle, translation #680624 by Source_VOA
- El daño en el automóvil fue extensoThe damage to the car was extensive
- El tiempo ha causado un deterioro en la pintura de la casaTime has caused damage to the house's paint
- Mi computadora tuvo una averíaMy computer had some damage
- El vaso cayó y causó un estropicioThe glass fell and caused a mess
- Durante el accidente, mi bicicleta sufrió graves desperfectos en la rueda.During the accident, my bike suffered significant damage to the wheel.
- 31 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are discussing a difficult situation at work.
- Alejandro¿Crees que el daño al proyecto es permanente?Do you think the damage to the project is permanent?
- LucíaNo lo creo, Alejandro.I don't think so, Alejandro.
- AlejandroEspero que podamos arreglarlo pronto.I hope we can fix it soon.
- LucíaSí, confío en que todo saldrá bien.Yes, I trust that everything will turn out fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “damage” translations and entries daño, 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 daño, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
