cobro de deudas
/kobɾo de deudas/from spelling rulesmasculine
The English phrase 'debt collection' can be translated into Spanish as cobro de deudas. If unsure, use cobro de deudas. Wiktionary also lists cobranza de débitos.
Meaning: the process of pursuing payments of debts owed by individuals or businesses (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cobro de deudas | /kobɾo de deudas/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| cobranza de débitos | /kobɾanθa de debitos/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /kobɾansa de debitos/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine |
The term refers to the process of pursuing payments of debts owed by individuals or businesses.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase cobro de deudas is composed of cobro (the act of collecting or collection) and de deudas (of debts).
Which one should you use?
While cobro de deudas is the standard term used across most Spanish-speaking countries, other specific terms exist for formal contexts. For instance, cobranza de deudas, recuperación de deudas and gestión de cobros are all used as formal ways to refer to the same process.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to the collection of one specific debt, you can use the singular form cobro de la deuda.
How do you pronounce it?
/kobɾo de deudas/
Did you know?
- The term recuperación de deudas literally means 'debt recovery', and is used specifically when a debt is considered 'lost' or very old.
- In some Latin American banking contexts, you might hear the term gestión de cobro instead of cobro de deudas to sound more professional and less confrontational.
- The word cobro comes from the verb cobrar, which is also the common way to say 'to charge' or 'to bill' for a service in a restaurant or shop.
Examples in context
- Nuestra empresa cuenta con un departamento especializado en la cobranza de deudas.Our company has a department specialized in debt collection.
- Para llevar a cabo la gestión de cobros, es importante contar con profesionales capacitados.To carry out debt collection, it's important to have trained professionals.
- El cobro de deudas es un proceso lento.Debt collection is a slow process.
- La empresa se especializa en el cobro de deudas.The company specializes in debt collection.
- Necesitamos mejorar el sistema de cobro de deudas.We need to improve the debt collection system.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing company finances in an office.
- LucíaMateo, ¿cómo va el cobro de deudas este mes?Mateo, how is the debt collection going this month?
- MateoTodavía tenemos algunos pagos pendientes, Lucía.We still have some pending payments, Lucía.
- LucíaDebemos ser más estrictos con el cobro de deudas.We must be stricter with debt collection.
- MateoTienes razón, enviaré los recordatorios hoy mismo.You are right, I will send the reminders today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “debt collection” 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.
