responsable
/responˈsable/
The English word "responsible" is translated into Spanish as responsable.
Responsable is an adjective used to describe someone who is answerable for an act performed or for its consequences. In Spanish, when you want to say you are "responsible for" something, you use the preposition de instead of the English "for". For example, you would say responsable de.
Meaning: answerable for an act performed or for its consequences (adj)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, responsable is gender-neutral, meaning it remains the same whether referring to a male or female. However, it must agree in number with the noun it modifies. For instance, it becomes responsables in the plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/responˈsable/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, responsable describes both being 'accountable' for a mistake and being 'dependable' in character. A child who cleans their room without being asked is described as un niño responsable.
- In many Spanish-speaking business environments, instead of asking 'who is responsible?', people may ask ¿quién se hace cargo?, which literally means 'who makes themselves in charge?'
- While responsable is used for people, Spanish often uses the word culpable when the 'responsibility' is specifically a blame or a crime, even if the English speaker would use 'responsible' in both cases.
Examples in context
- Tú eres el responsable.You're the one responsible.This sentence shows how to identify someone as the person in charge using responsable.Tatoeba #9974162 by arh, translation #9973960 by AlanF_US
- Él es responsable de eso.He is responsible for it.This sentence demonstrates the use of the phrase responsable de to express responsibility for a specific thing.Tatoeba #2781028 by marcelostockle, translation #700339 by Alois
- No puedo ser responsable.I can't be held responsible.This sentence shows how to express the inability to be held accountable using responsable.Tatoeba #3120518 by cueyayotl, translation #2301882 by CK
- Mi compañero de trabajo es muy responsable y siempre cumple con sus tareas a tiempo.My coworker is very responsible and always completes his tasks on time.
- Tenemos que ocuparnos de los preparativos para la reunión de mañana.We need to take care of the preparations for tomorrow's meeting.
- Si quieres tener éxito en tu trabajo, debes actuar con seriedad y responsabilidad.If you want to succeed in your job, you must act with seriousness and responsibility.
- Si quieres ser exitoso en la vida, debes actuar responsablemente en cada situación.If you want to be successful in life, you must act responsibly in every situation.
- María es una persona cumplida. Siempre realiza sus responsabilidades a tiempo y con dedicación.María is a responsible person, she always fulfills her responsibilities on time and with dedication.
- 85 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are discussing a project at the office.
- JavierMaría, ¿eres responsable de este informe?María, are you responsible for this report?
- MaríaSí, Javier, yo lo terminé ayer.Yes, Javier, I finished it yesterday.
- JavierEres muy responsable y te lo agradezco.You are very responsible and I appreciate it.
- MaríaGracias, siempre trato de hacer un buen trabajo.Thanks, I always try to do a good job.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “responsible” translations and entries responsable, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
