postularse para presidente
/postulaɾse paɾa pɾesidente/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'run for president' is translated as postularse para presidente.
This phrase is used to describe the act of officially entering a political election as a candidate for the office of president. While you may use the title presidente, it is also very common to use the noun phrase la presidencia (the presidency) instead, as in postularse para la presidencia.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb postularse is a reflexive verb that literally means 'to nominate oneself' or 'to propose oneself'.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between the action and the state of being: postularse refers to the action of entering the race, whereas ser candidato means 'to be a candidate' and describes the state of being in the race.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you may hear competir por la presidencia to express this idea. In Argentina, an alternative is aspirar a la presidencia nacional.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone 'ran' (in the past tense) for president, use the preterite form of the reflexive verb, such as se postuló.
How do you pronounce it?
/postulaɾse paɾa pɾesidente/
Did you know?
- The word presidente comes from the Latin praesidentem, which literally describes someone who is 'sitting in front' of others.
- In some Spanish-speaking countries, a candidate might be described as aspirar to the presidency, which evokes a sense of deep longing or ambition rather than a mere formal application.
Examples in context
- ¿Sabías que Pedro se lanzó como candidato a presidente? No puedo creer que quiera entrar en la arena política.Did you know that Pedro has run for president? I can't believe he wants to enter the political arena.
- Él quiere postularse para presidente.He wants to run for president.
- ¿Va a postularse para presidente el próximo año?Is he going to run for president next year?
- Muchos políticos decidieron postularse para presidente.Many politicians decided to run for president.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are discussing politics.
- SofíaMateo, ¿crees que deberías postularse para presidente?Mateo, do you think you should run for president?
- MateoNo estoy seguro si es el momento.I am not sure if it is the right time.
- SofíaTienes el apoyo de mucha gente.You have the support of many people.
- MateoQuizás lo considere el próximo año.Maybe I will consider it next year.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries para, presidente, CC BY-SA 4.0.
