Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| adjudicatario | /adxudikaˈtaɾjo/ | formal, masculine |
| recipiente | /reθiˈpjente/ /resiˈpjente/ |
feminine, masculine |
The term for recipient in Spanish depends heavily on the context of what is being received. You might use adjudicatario for someone officially awarded a contract or prize. Other formal terms include destinatario/a for letters or documents, receptor/a for scientific or technical contexts and beneficiario/a for someone receiving a benefit like a scholarship or grant.
Which one should you use?
There is a significant difference between the forms provided. Use adjudicatario specifically for a person or entity that has been officially awarded a contract, prize or government tender. In contrast, recipiente refers to a physical container or vessel that receives something rather than a person receiving an award.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
adjudicatario is a formal term. Other formal options include destinatario/a, receptor/a and beneficiario/a depending on the specific type of recipient.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Southern Cone region, including Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, the terms consignatario/a are used as synonyms for recipient within the fields of shipping or logistics.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is adjudicatario and the feminine form is adjudicataria. For a group of masculine or mixed-gender recipients, use the plural adjudicatarios.
How do you pronounce it?
/adxudikaˈtaɾjo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use recipiente to mean a person who receives something. In Spanish, recipiente almost always refers to a physical container.
Did you know?
- The word recipiente is a 'false friend' for English speakers. While it looks like 'recipient', using it to describe a person in Spanish would mistakenly imply they are a physical bucket or bowl.
- The word recipiente traces its roots directly back to the Latin 'recipientem', which means 'that which receives'.
- The term adjudicatario is specifically tied to the act of 'adjudicating', meaning the recipient didn't just receive something, but was formally awarded it through a legal or official process.
Examples in context
- Estimado DestinatarioDear Recipient
- El receptor del premioThe recipient of the award
- El beneficiario de la becaThe recipient of the scholarship
- El adjudicatario recibirá el contrato mañana.The recipient will receive the contract tomorrow.
- Se debe notificar al adjudicatario de la decisión.The recipient must be notified of the decision.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are discussing a government tender result.
- JavierLucía, ¿ya sabemos quién es el adjudicatario?Lucía, do we already know who the recipient is?
- LucíaSí, Javier, el adjudicatario es una empresa local.Yes, Javier, the recipient is a local company.
- JavierPerfecto, entonces debemos contactar al adjudicatario ahora.Perfect, then we must contact the recipient now.
- LucíaEstoy enviando el correo electrónico en este momento.I am sending the email right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “recipient” translations and entries adjudicatario, recipiente, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries recipiente, CC BY-SA 4.0.
