privado
/pɾiˈbado/
The English word "private" is privado in Spanish.
privado is an adjective used to describe something belonging to, concerning or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group. In formal contexts, you may use Confidencial to refer to something as confidential or private. Among friends and young people, the slang term Privi is sometimes used.
Meaning: belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group (adj)
Which one should you use?
When used as an adjective meaning 'private', privado agrees with the noun, whereas the noun meaning 'soldier' is a fixed masculine form regardless of the gender of the person being referred to in a general sense.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the noun it modifies, so use privada for feminine nouns. The adjective must agree in number with the noun it modifies, so use privados for masculine plural nouns and privadas for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾiˈbado/
Did you know?
- The Latin ancestor of privado, prīvātus, originally meant someone who had been 'bereaved' or 'deprived' of something, rather than simply someone who was alone.
- When talking about a 'private party' or 'private event', Spanish speakers often use the word íntimo to convey a sense of intimacy or closeness instead of just 'private'.
- In Spanish, the word privado can describe a 'private' sector of the economy, but a 'private' school is often called colegio concertado if it receives some government funding.
Examples in context
- Posee un jet privado.He owns a private jet.This sentence shows how to use privado to describe a jet.Tatoeba #10463194 by Seael, translation #2718430 by Hybrid
- Tom tiene un jet privado.Tom has a private jet.Tatoeba #1395336 by marcelostockle, translation #1395323 by Spamster
- Sami es detective privado.Sami is a private detective.This sentence uses privado to describe a detective.Tatoeba #9993644 by manufrutos, translation #7160690 by OsoHombre
- habitación privadaPrivate room
- Una cena íntimaA private dinner
- un salón particularA private room
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are talking in a quiet cafe.
- Sofía¿Puedes hablar más bajo?Can you speak more quietly?
- MateoPerdón, no sabía que era un momento privado.Sorry, I didn't know it was a private moment.
- SofíaGracias, Mateo. Es algo muy personal.Thank you, Mateo. It is something very personal.
- MateoNo te preocupes, guardaré silencio.Don't worry, I will stay quiet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “private” translations and entries privado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries privado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
