Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cirugía | /θiɾuˈxia/ /siɾuˈxia/ |
|
| operación | /opeɾaˈθjon/ /opeɾaˈsjon/ |
feminine |
Both terms refer to a medical procedure involving major incisions. You can use cirugía to refer to the medical field or the specific act of a surgical intervention. For example, you can specify the type of surgery by adding a descriptor, such as cirugía cardíaca (heart surgery), cirugía estética (cosmetic surgery), cirugía dental (dental surgery) or cirugía ortopédica (orthopedic surgery).
Which one should you use?
While both words can mean surgery, cirugía refers more to the medical field or the specific act of a surgical intervention. In contrast, operación is more commonly used in daily speech to refer to a specific surgical procedure.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The expression operación quirúrgica is a common way to refer to a surgical procedure in Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express more than one procedure, the plural form of cirugía is cirugías and the plural form of the feminine noun operación is operaciones.
How do you pronounce it?
/θiɾuˈxia/
Did you know?
- The term operación is highly versatile and can describe a medical procedure, a complex military mission, or even a mathematical calculation. The English word 'surgery' is much more specialized and cannot be used in these other contexts.
- The word operación is a linguistic relative of the English word 'opera', as both originate from the Latin 'opus' meaning 'work'.
- In British English, 'surgery' can refer to the doctor's office, but in Spanish, cirugía refers only to the medical act or field and never to a building.
Examples in context
- Tom va a tener cirugía.Tom is going to have surgery.This sentence is useful for describing someone who is going to undergo cirugía.Tatoeba #9458737 by ignacio, translation #9458732 by CK
- Murió durante la cirugía.He died during surgery.This sentence is useful for describing an event that occurred during cirugía.Tatoeba #3773786 by cueyayotl, translation #2721979 by Hybrid
- La operación fue un éxito.The surgery was a success.This sentence is useful for describing the outcome of an operación.Tatoeba #4503029 by rsarias, translation #4502397 by CK
- El paciente se sometió a una cirugía de corazónThe patient underwent heart surgery
- La operación fue un éxitoThe surgery was a success
- La intervención quirúrgica requerirá anestesia generalThe surgical intervention will require general anesthesia
- Mi abuela se hizo una operación en la caderaMy grandmother had surgery on her hip
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are talking at a hospital.
- Alejandro¿Cómo está su padre después de la cirugía?How is your father after the surgery?
- ElenaÉl está bien, pero la cirugía fue complicada.He is fine, but the surgery was complicated.
- AlejandroMe alegra que la cirugía haya terminado.I am glad the surgery is over.
- ElenaGracias, Alejandro, ahora solo falta descansar.Thanks, Alejandro, now he just needs to rest.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “surgery” translations and entries cirugía, operación, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cirugía, operación, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
