quirófano
/kiˈɾofano/masculine
The English phrase "operating room" is quirófano in Spanish.
quirófano is a noun used to refer to a room in a hospital where surgical operations are performed.
Meaning: room in a hospital used for performing surgical operations (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
quirófano is a masculine noun. When referring to "the operating room", use the masculine definite article el, as in el quirófano. To form the plural "operating rooms", add -s to the end to get quirófanos.
How do you pronounce it?
/kiˈɾofano/
Did you know?
- The term quirófano is closely related to the word quiromancia, which is the practice of reading palms to tell fortunes.
- The prefix quiro- in quirófano makes it a linguistic relative of the English word 'chiropractor', as both derive from the Greek word for 'hand'.
- Because quirófano is a masculine noun, using the feminine article la is a common mistake for English speakers who associate the 'room' part of 'operating room' with the feminine la habitación.
Examples in context
- ¿Sigue la paciente en el quirófano?Is the patient still in the operating room?This sentence is useful for asking if a patient is still in the quirófano.Tatoeba #13471799 by Seael, translation #11507048 by carlosalberto
- Llévala al quirófano.Take her to the operating room.This sentence is useful for giving an instruction to take someone to the quirófano.Tatoeba #10560712 by Seael, translation #13561474 by CK
- ¿Qué occurre dentro del quirófano?What happens inside the operating room?This sentence is useful for asking about what occurs inside the quirófano.Tatoeba #1346147 by marco87, translation #1346151 by marco87
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are two nurses talking in a hospital hallway.
- ElenaEl quirófano está listo para la cirugía.The operating room is ready for the surgery.
- DanielPerfecto, ¿ya limpiaron el quirófano?Perfect, have they already cleaned the operating room?
- ElenaSí, todo está impecable.Yes, everything is spotless.
- DanielMuy bien, voy hacia allá.Very well, I am going there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “operating room” translations and entries quirófano, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quirófano, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
