árbitro
/ˈaɾbitɾo/masculine
The English word 'referee' is translated into Spanish as árbitro. It is also spelled referí or referee. Wiktionary also lists réferi.
Meaning: sport: umpire, judge of a game (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| árbitro | /ˈaɾbitɾo/ | masculine |
| réferi | /ˈrefeɾi/ | feminine, masculine |
| referí | /refeɾi/ (from spelling rules) | feminine, masculine, alternative form |
| referee | /refeˈɾi/ /ˈrefeɾi/ |
feminine, masculine, alternative form |
This noun refers to a sports official, such as an umpire or a judge of a game. The related verb arbitrar means to act as a judge of a game or contest.
Which one should you use?
árbitro is the standard, most widely used term for a sports official across the Spanish-speaking world. In many Latin American countries, particularly in sports like baseball, you may encounter the anglicism réferi, which can also be spelled referí or referee.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, the term Referí is commonly used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form is árbitro and the feminine form is árbitra. The anglicisms réferi, referí and referee can be either masculine or feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈaɾbitɾo/
Did you know?
- The word árbitro is a cognate of the English 'arbitrator', though in English, 'referee' is used for sports and 'arbitrator' is used for law.
- The Latin root of árbitro, 'arbiter', originally referred to a person who has the power to decide a matter, which shares a distant ancestry with the English word 'arbitrary'.
- Beyond sports, árbitro is used in legal contexts to describe a private judge or mediator who settles a dispute outside of a traditional court.
Examples in context
- No es fácil ser árbitro.It isn't easy to be a referee.This sentence is useful for expressing the difficulty of the role with respect to árbitro.Tatoeba #10158279 by Shishir, translation #6687568 by CK
- Tom llamó idiota al árbitro.Tom called the referee an idiot.This sentence shows how someone might react toward an árbitro.Tatoeba #10158246 by Shishir, translation #3736717 by CK
- El árbitro detuvo el combate.The referee stopped the fight.This sentence illustrates the action of an árbitro during a fight.Tatoeba #9980544 by manufrutos, translation #6212661 by Hybrid
- El árbitro expulsó a dos jugadores del equipoThe referee ejected two players from the team
- El juez levantó el brazo del ganadorThe referee raised the winner's arm
- El colegiado sancionó al jugador con una tarjeta amarillaThe referee sanctioned the player with a yellow card
- El referí mostró la tarjeta rojaThe ref showed the red card
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are watching a soccer match on TV.
- AlejandroEse árbitro es muy estricto, ¿no crees?That referee is very strict, don't you think?
- ElenaSí, Alejandro, no permite ningún contacto.Yes, Alejandro, he doesn't allow any contact.
- AlejandroVa a expulsar a muchos jugadores hoy.He is going to send many players off today.
- ElenaEspero que sea justo con ambos equipos.I hope he is fair to both teams.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “referee” translations and entries árbitro, réferi, referí, referee, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries referee, réferi, árbitro, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
