Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| fiscal | /fisˈkal/ | feminine, masculine |
| procurador | /pɾokuɾaˈdoɾ/ | masculine |
A district attorney is the title of a local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of alleged criminals. In many Spanish-speaking countries, the term fiscal de distrito is used specifically to indicate this jurisdictional level.
Which one should you use?
While fiscal is a common term for a prosecutor or district attorney, procurador often refers to a higher-level attorney or a specific legal representative in certain legal systems. Additionally, Ministerio Público is used in some places to refer to the entity responsible for prosecution rather than the individual person.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico, the term procurador is used to refer to a district attorney. In some countries, including Spain and Argentina, the term Ministerio Público is used to refer to the entity responsible for prosecution instead of the individual district attorney.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun fiscal is used for both masculine and feminine genders. The word itself does not change, but the article does (e.g., el fiscal for a male or la fiscal for a female).
How do you pronounce it?
/fisˈkal/
Did you know?
- While fiscal refers to a prosecutor, the word is also used in Spanish to describe any 'tax' related matter, such as política fiscal for 'fiscal policy'.
- The term procurador can lead to confusion because in Spain it refers to a court representative who handles paperwork, but in Mexico it describes the top prosecutor.
- The word fiscal shares a root with the English word 'fisc', which refers to a public treasury. This is because, historically, the official responsible for the 'fisc' or the public purse was a key figure in state administration.
Examples in context
- El Fiscal de Distrito será el encargado de llevar este caso ante el tribunal.The district attorney will be in charge of bringing this case to court.
- Hablé con el fiscal sobre el caso que hemos estado investigando.I spoke with the district attorney about the case we've been investigating.
- El abogado del estado presentó las pruebas contra el acusado.The district attorney presented the evidence against the defendant.
- La procuradora presentó cargos contra el sospechoso.The district attorney filed charges against the suspect.
- El Ministerio Público está llevando a cabo una investigación exhaustiva sobre el caso.The district attorney's office is conducting a thorough investigation of the case.
- El fiscal presentó las pruebas hoy.The district attorney presented the evidence today.
- La fiscal decidió no presentar cargos.The district attorney decided not to file charges.
- Necesitamos hablar con el fiscal local.We need to speak with the local district attorney.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are discussing a news report about a trial.
- Sofía¿Quién es el fiscal en este juicio?Who is the district attorney in this trial?
- DanielNo lo sé, Sofía, no lo mencionaron.I don't know, Sofía, they didn't mention him.
- SofíaEspero que el fiscal gane el caso.I hope the district attorney wins the case.
- DanielYo también, Daniel cree que es justo.Me too, Daniel thinks it is fair.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “district attorney” translations and entries fiscal, procurador, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fiscal, procurador, CC BY-SA 4.0.
