oficial militar
/ofiθjal militaɾ/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "military officer" is oficial militar.
The phrase refers to a person who holds a position of command in the armed forces.
Which one should you use?
You can use oficial del ejército specifically when referring to an army officer. For an even more formal description, you may use oficial de las fuerzas armadas, which translates to "officer of the armed forces".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase oficial militar is in the masculine form. To refer to a female military officer, use the feminine article la before the phrase (e.g., la oficial militar). The plural form of the phrase is oficiales militares.
How do you pronounce it?
/ofiθjal militaɾ/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the verb militar does not only mean serving in the army, but also describes the act of being an active and committed member of a political party.
- The Spanish word militar shares a root with the Latin mīles, which originally meant 'soldier' but was derived from a word for 'thousand', referring to the size of a Roman legion.
- The word oficial can also refer to a 'journeyman' in a skilled trade, such as a worker who has finished an apprenticeship but is not yet a master.
Examples in context
- El coronel Martínez es un oficial militar destacado.Colonel Martínez is an outstanding military officer.
- Los oficiales del servicio militar son responsables de mantener la disciplina y el orden.Military service officers are responsible for maintaining discipline and order.
- Mi tío es militar y ha sido oficial durante más de veinte años.My uncle is in the military and has been an officer for over twenty years.
- Juan es oficial del ejército, pero prefiero llamarlo simplemente militar.Juan is an army officer, but I prefer to just call him a "military" guy.
- El general Gómez es un destacado oficial castrense en el ejército español.General Gómez is an outstanding military officer in the Spanish army.
- Los altos mandos están evaluando la situación de seguridad actual.The top brass is assessing the current security situation.
- El oficial militar dio la orden.The military officer gave the order.
- Él es un oficial militar con mucha experiencia.He is a military officer with much experience.
- Mi hermano es un oficial militar en el ejército.My brother is a military officer in the army.
- El oficial militar dio las órdenes rápidamente.The military officer gave the orders quickly.
Example conversation
Maria and Daniel are talking about their family backgrounds.
- MaríaTu padre era oficial militar, ¿verdad?Your father was a military officer, right?
- DanielSí, estuvo en el ejército por años.Yes, he was in the army for years.
- MaríaDebe ser un trabajo muy difícil.It must be a very difficult job.
- DanielSí, ser oficial militar requiere mucha disciplina.Yes, being a military officer requires a lot of discipline.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries militar, oficial, CC BY-SA 4.0.
