principal sospechoso
/pɾinθipal sospet͡ʃoso/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'prime suspect' is translated into Spanish as principal sospechoso.
principal sospechoso is used to refer to the most likely suspect.
Meaning: most likely suspect (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation where principal means main/chief and sospechoso means suspect.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes to the feminine form principal sospechosa if the suspect is a woman. To refer to multiple prime suspects, both the adjective and the noun must be pluralized as principales sospechosos.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾinθipal sospetʃoso/
Did you know?
- The root of sospechoso traces back to the Latin 'suspectare', which means 'to look up at' or 'to look at with suspicion'.
- In some Latin American dialects, the word sospechoso can be used as a slang adjective to describe a person or place that seems 'shady' or 'sketchy'.
- While principal means 'main' here, it is also the word for a school 'principal' in many Spanish-speaking countries.
Examples in context
- La policía lo considera el principal sospechoso.He is considered the prime suspect by the police.This sentence shows how the police might view someone as the principal sospechoso.Tatoeba #1611201 by Alba, translation #1611190 by Spamster
- El principal sospechoso del robo es Juan Rodríguez.The prime suspect in the robbery is Juan Rodríguez.
- Juan Rodríguez es el sospechoso principal en el robo.Juan Rodríguez is the prime suspect in the robbery.
- Él sigue siendo el principal sospechoso del robo.He remains the prime suspect in the robbery.
- La detective identificó al principal sospechoso rápidamente.The detective quickly identified the prime suspect.
Example conversation
Two people are discussing a crime news report.
- MaríaViste que arrestaron al principal sospechoso?Did you see that they arrested the prime suspect?
- MateoSí, pero dicen que no confesó nada.Yes, but they say he didn't confess anything.
- MaríaParece que Mateo es culpable.It seems that Mateo is guilty.
- MateoAún es pronto para juzgarlo.It is still too early to judge him.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries principal, sospechoso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
