monitor
/moniˈtoɾ/masculine
In Spanish, the phrase "monitor" is translated as monitor when referring to a computer display.
The noun monitor refers specifically to the computer hardware or display. If you wish to express the action of watching over or guarding something, you should use the verbs monitorear or monitorizar.
Meaning: computer display (noun)
Which one should you use?
While monitor is the specific noun for the hardware, many Spanish speakers use the word pantalla (screen) to refer to the display in general contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, the term pantalla may be preferred over monitor.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is masculine, so it is used with the masculine article el to say el monitor.
How do you pronounce it?
/moniˈtoɾ/
Did you know?
- The term monitor shares a deep ancestral root with the English word 'mind' through the Proto-Indo-European root *men-.
- While you might use monitor for your computer, a person who supervises a group, such as in a school or a camp, is also called a monitor in Spanish.
- The Spanish verb monitorizar is more common in Spain, whereas monitorear is the preferred term across most of Latin America.
Examples in context
- Me cuesta leer las letras en el monitor.It's hard for me, reading letters on the monitor.Tatoeba #1508600 by marcelostockle, translation #1122383 by cntrational
- Tom estornudó sobre el monitor y teclado de Mary.Tom sneezed all over Mary's monitor and keyboard.Tatoeba #7015298 by Eremon, translation #6681857 by Eccles17
- El señor Peter Blake fue trágicamente asesinado por piratas en el río Amazonas en el 2001 cuando estaba en una misión para monitorear los cambios del medio ambiente.Sir Peter Blake was tragically killed by pirates on the Amazon river in 2001 as he was on a mission to monitor environment change.This sentence uses the verb form monitorear to describe a mission.Tatoeba #2166777 by hayastan, translation #825043 by Scott
- El monitor de la computadora es de alta resolución.The computer monitor is high-resolution.
- Vamos a ver la película en la pantallita de mi tablet.Let's watch the movie on the small screen of my tablet.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are in an office setting.
- JavierEl monitor no enciende.The monitor won't turn on.
- SofíaRevisa si el cable del monitor está bien conectado.Check if the monitor cable is properly connected.
- JavierYa lo revisé, pero sigue sin funcionar.I already checked it, but it's still not working.
- SofíaLlamaré al técnico para que lo arregle.I will call the technician to fix it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “monitor” translations and entries monitor, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries monitor, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
