estado civil
/esˌtado θiˈbil/masculine
The English phrase 'marital status' is translated into Spanish as estado civil.
Estado civil is the standard term used on official documents, forms and legal applications to ask for one's marital status.
Meaning: term describing relationship (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally translated as 'civil status'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun estado is masculine, so any accompanying adjectives must also be in the masculine form. When responding to a question about estado civil, a person would use the adjective soltero (for a man) or soltera (for a woman) to mean single and casado (for a man) or casada (for a woman) to mean married.
How do you pronounce it?
/esˌtado θiˈbil/
Did you know?
- The word estado shares a root with the English word 'state' and originally referred to the distance approximating the height of a grown man.
- While estado civil is the formal term, people in casual conversation often use the verb estar to describe their status, such as estoy soltero, which implies a temporary state rather than a permanent quality.
- In Spain and Latin America, the term estado civil covers a legal reality that can differ from 'relationship status', as a person can be legally casado while being socially separated for years.
Examples in context
- Estoy casado/a.I am married.
- Soy soltero/a.I am single.
- Debes indicar tu estado civil en el formulario.You must indicate your marital status on the form.
- Su estado civil es soltero.His marital status is single.
- El sistema pide tu estado civil actual.The system asks for your current marital status.
Example conversation
Alejandro is helping Sofía fill out a government form.
- AlejandroSofía, ¿qué ponemos en estado civil?Sofía, what do we put for marital status?
- SofíaPon que soy soltera, Alejandro.Put that I am single, Alejandro.
- AlejandroVale, ya marqué el estado civil correcto.Okay, I already marked the correct marital status.
- SofíaMuchas gracias por tu ayuda.Thank you very much for your help.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “marital status” translations and entries estado civil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries civil, estado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
