servicio militar obligatorio
/seɾbiθjo militaɾ obliɡatoɾjo/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'military draft' is translated into Spanish as servicio militar obligatorio.
This phrase refers to a system where a government requires people to serve in the armed forces.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase servicio militar obligatorio literally translates to 'compulsory military service'.
Which one should you use?
To express the opposite of a draft, you can use servicio militar voluntario, which means 'voluntary military service'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because servicio is a masculine noun, the phrase must be preceded by the masculine article el when referring to the system: el servicio militar obligatorio.
How do you pronounce it?
/seɾbiθjo militaɾ obliɡatoɾjo/
Did you know?
- The word servicio is a relative of the English word 'servitude' and the Latin servitium, which originally referred to the state of being a slave.
- In some Latin American contexts, avoiding el servicio militar is colloquially referred to as saltarse la mili, which literally means 'jumping over the military'.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the phrase servicio militar is often shortened to la mili in casual conversation.
Examples in context
- Durante la guerra, muchos jóvenes fueron llamados a filasDuring the war, many young people were called up.
- Fui seleccionado por sorteo para el servicio militarI was selected by the draft for military service.
- El servicio militar obligatorio fue abolido hace años.The military draft was abolished years ago.
- Muchos jóvenes temían el servicio militar obligatorio.Many young people feared the military draft.
- ¿Existe todavía el servicio militar obligatorio en ese país?Is there still a military draft in that country?
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are discussing history in a cafe.
- JavierSofía, ¿sabías que existía el servicio militar obligatorio aquí?Sofía, did you know that there used to be a military draft here?
- SofíaSí, Javier, mi padre me lo contó.Yes, Javier, my father told me about it.
- JavierParece muy difícil cumplir con el servicio militar obligatorio.It seems very difficult to comply with the military draft.
- SofíaFue una época muy complicada para muchos.It was a very complicated time for many.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries militar, obligatorio, servicio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
