hacer responsable
/aθeɾ ɾesponsable/from spelling rules
To hold accountable in Spanish is to say hacer responsable.
The phrase is used to express the requirement for someone to take responsibility for their actions or mistakes.
Which one should you use?
While hacer responsable focuses on the act of making someone take responsibility, the phrase rendir cuentas is a common idiomatic way to express the act of being accountable or reporting one's actions to a higher authority.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you hold a specific person accountable, you must include the preposition a before the person being held responsible, such as in hacer responsable a alguien. If the people being held accountable are plural, the adjective must change to the plural form responsables, as in hacer responsables a ellos.
How do you pronounce it?
/aθeɾ ɾesponsable/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking business environments, being held accountable is often described using the concept of 'dar la cara', which literally means 'to give the face'.
- The Spanish word responsable can be used as a noun to mean 'the person in charge' or 'the culprit', whereas in English 'responsible' is almost always an adjective.
- While hacer responsable is a direct translation, Spanish speakers often use the reflexive hacerse responsable to say someone is voluntarily taking the blame.
Examples in context
- Es importante responsabilizar a los empleados por su trabajo.It is important to hold employees accountable for their work.
- La empresa debe responsabilizar al gerente por las decisiones equivocadas.The company should hold the manager accountable for the wrong decisions.
- El gobierno debe exigir responsabilidades a los corruptos.The government must hold the corrupt accountable.
- La justicia debe exigir responsabilidades a los criminales.Justice must demand accountability from criminals.
- Es hora de pedirle cuentas por su comportamiento inapropiado.It's time to hold him/her accountable for their inappropriate behavior.
- ¿Quién va a pedirme cuentas si no cumplo con mi parte?Who is going to hold me accountable if I don't do my part?
- Es momento de que el presidente rinda cuentas al pueblo.It's time for the president to be accountable to the people.
- Los políticos deben rendirnos cuentas por sus acciones.Politicians must be accountable to us for their actions.
- Debemos hacer responsable al gerente de los errores.We must hold the manager accountable for the mistakes.
- Debemos hacer responsable al director por el error.We must hold the director accountable for the error.
- El juez lo va a hacer responsable de sus actos.The judge is going to hold him accountable for his actions.
- No voy a hacer responsable a nadie de mi fracaso.I am not going to hold anyone accountable for my failure.
Example conversation
María and Javier are discussing a failed project at work.
- MaríaEl proyecto falló y alguien debe responder.The project failed and someone must answer for it.
- Javier¿A quién quieres hacer responsable, María?Who do you want to hold accountable, María?
- MaríaCreo que el supervisor fue negligente.I think the supervisor was negligent.
- JavierTienes razón, Javier está de acuerdo contigo.You are right, Javier agrees with you.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
