católico romano
/kaˌtoliko roˈmano/
The Spanish term for Roman Catholic is católico romano.
In most everyday contexts, Spanish speakers will simply use católico rather than the full católico romano to specify the denomination.
Meaning: person (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender with the person being described, using the feminine form católica romana for women. The phrase uses the masculine plural form católicos romanos when referring to a group of Roman Catholics or a mixed-gender group. The phrase uses the feminine plural form católicas romanas when referring exclusively to a group of women who are Roman Catholic.
How do you pronounce it?
/kaˌtoliko roˈmano/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Unlike English, where religious denominations are capitalized, the Spanish terms católico and romano are generally not capitalized unless they start a sentence.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, romano and rumano are doublets, meaning they both descend from the same Latin root but now refer to different things: 'Roman' and 'Romanian'.
- In some Latin American countries, the phrase católico romano is rarely used in conversation because the cultural assumption is that any católico is automatically Roman.
- While English speakers often say 'Catholic' to describe both the faith and the church, Spanish uses catolicismo specifically for the system of beliefs and la Iglesia Católica for the institution.
Examples in context
- El fue un Católico Romano.He was a Roman Catholic.This sentence is useful for describing a person who was a católico romano.Tatoeba #13933011 by BenjaBesings_14, translation #802929 by Source_VOA
- Asisto a misa todos los domingos en la Iglesia Católica Romana cerca de mi casa.I attend Mass every Sunday at the Roman Catholic Church near my house.
- Él es un católico romano muy practicante.He is a very practicing Roman Catholic.
- ¿Es usted un católico romano?Are you a Roman Catholic?
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are discussing their family backgrounds.
- ElenaMateo, ¿cuál es la religión de tu familia?Mateo, what is your family's religion?
- MateoMi padre es católico romano, pero yo no.My father is a Roman Catholic, but I am not.
- ElenaEntiendo, ¿y tu madre también lo es?I see, and is your mother one too?
- MateoSí, ella también es católico romano.Yes, she is also a Roman Catholic.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry católico romano, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries católico, romano, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
