respetuoso
/respeˈtwoso/
The English word "respectful" is translated into Spanish as respetuoso.
The word is an adjective used to describe someone or something characterized by respect. When you want to say that someone is respectful "to" or "towards" someone or something, you use the preposition con (with) instead of a. For example, you would say respetuoso con.
Meaning: characterized by respect (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, the word must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Use the feminine form respetuosa for feminine nouns. For a group of males or a mixed-gender group, use the masculine plural respetuosos. If the group consists only of females, use the feminine plural respetuosas.
How do you pronounce it?
/respeˈtwoso/
Did you know?
- The word respetuoso shares a root with the English word 'respect', both coming from the Latin 'respectus', which literally means 'looking back' or 'looking again'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, being respetuoso requires specific non-verbal cues, such as avoiding direct eye contact when speaking with certain authority figures.
- In certain Latin American contexts, a command to be respetuoso is not just a request for politeness but a stern warning to avoid being insolente, or talking back to authority.
Examples in context
- Sé respetuoso con tus superiores, si tienes alguno.Be respectful to your superiors, if you have any.This sentence shows how to use respetuoso when addressing superiors.Tatoeba #672133 by Shishir, translation #667891 by CK
- Sé respetuoso.Be respectful.This is a simple command to be respetuoso.Tatoeba #2117430 by Shishir, translation #2111958 by CK
- Debes ser respetuoso con tus padres.You should be respectful to your parents.This sentence demonstrates being respetuoso towards parents.Tatoeba #865764 by Hohen, translation #269729 by CK
- Es un estudiante muy respetuosoHe/She is a very respectful student
- El abogado se comportó de manera cortés durante el juicioThe lawyer behaved in a respectful manner during the trial
- El director es una persona educada y siempre habla con respetoThe principal is an educated person and always speaks with respect
- Siempre has sido muy respetuoso con tus mayoresYou have always been very respectful towards your elders
- Gracias por ser tan considerado conmigoThank you for being so respectful towards me
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are discussing a new coworker at the office.
- Javier¿Cómo es el nuevo empleado?How is the new employee?
- SofíaÉl es muy respetuoso con todos.He is very respectful to everyone.
- JavierQué bueno que sea un hombre tan respetuoso.It is good that he is such a respectful man.
- SofíaSí, es un excelente profesional.Yes, he is an excellent professional.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “respectful” translations and entries respetuoso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries respetuoso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
