Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| apoderado | /apodeˈɾado/ | masculine |
| tutor | /tuˈtoɾ/ | masculine |
| custodio | /kusˈtodjo/ | masculine |
In a legal context, a guardian is a person responsible for a minor. tutor is the most common way to refer to someone legally appointed to care for a minor or someone unable to care for themselves.
Which one should you use?
The terms in the pack differ based on the type of authority held. tutor refers to the person with parental-like responsibility. In contrast, apoderado is often used for a proxy or someone who has been granted power of attorney for a specific matter. Finally, custodio focuses more on the physical care and custody of a person rather than the broad legal authority implied by tutor.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, the terms tutor or tutor legal are commonly used to refer to a guardian in both formal and informal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine forms change to feminine when referring to a woman: apoderado becomes apoderada and tutor becomes tutora. Additionally, while custodio refers to the person, the noun custodia is used to refer to the state of having legal custody.
How do you pronounce it?
/apodeˈɾado/
Did you know?
- While tutor sounds like the English 'tutor', a person who provides academic help in Spanish is called a profesor particular.
- The word apoderado is built from the Spanish verb poder, meaning 'to be able' or 'to have power'.
- In some contexts, custodio is used to describe a person guarding a physical object or a building rather than a human being.
Examples in context
- padre, madre o tutor legalParent or legal guardianThis sentence is useful for expressing the phrase 'parent or legal guardian' using the form tutor.
- El tutor legal del niño es su tío.The child's legal guardian is his uncle.
- El custodio del menor debe velar por su bienestar.The custodian of the child must ensure their well-being.
- El perro se ha convertido en su fiel protector.The dog has become her loyal guardian.
Example conversation
Mateo is talking to Lucía at a school office.
- MateoHola, soy el apoderado de Mateo.Hello, I am Mateo's guardian.
- LucíaMucho gusto. ¿Es usted el padre?Nice to meet you. Are you the father?
- MateoNo, soy su tío y apoderado legal.No, I am his uncle and legal guardian.
- LucíaEntiendo, por favor firme aquí.I understand, please sign here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guardian” translations and entries apoderado, tutor, custodio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries apoderado, custodio, tutor, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
