Día de los caídos
/dia de los kaidos/from spelling rulesmasculine
The English phrase "memorial day" is translated into Spanish as Día de los caídos.
Día de los caídos is the standard way to translate the concept of a day to honor fallen soldiers into Spanish.
Meaning: American federal holiday (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'Day of the fallen' (referring to those who fell in battle).
How does it change in a sentence?
Día de los caídos is a masculine noun phrase.
Did you know?
- If you were to use the word caídos in a different context, such as in a grocery store, it could simply mean 'the ones that fell', such as apples from a fruit crate.
- The word día shares a common root with the Proto-Indo-European word for 'sky' or 'heaven', *dyḗws. This connects the concept of a 'day' to the brightness of the heavens.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, a similar concept of a day to honor the dead is called Día de difuntos. This uses a different adjective rooted in the idea of 'departed' rather than 'fallen'.
Examples in context
- El Día de los caídos es en mayo.Memorial Day is in May.
Example conversation
María and Daniel are talking about their plans for the long weekend.
- MaríaMañana es el Día de los caídos.Tomorrow is Memorial Day.
- DanielCierto, ¿tienes planes para el lunes?True, do you have plans for Monday?
- MaríaVoy a visitar el cementerio el Día de los caídos.I am going to visit the cemetery on Memorial Day.
- DanielEs una idea muy respetuosa, María.That is a very respectful idea, María.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “memorial day” 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, día, los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
