víctima
/ˈbiɡtima/feminine
The Spanish word for victim is víctima.
víctima is used to describe one who is harmed. In colloquial speech, people may use pobre to refer to someone who is seen as a victim of a specific situation.
Meaning: one who is harmed (noun)
Which one should you use?
While víctima is the standard term, you might use Afectado/a to formally refer to someone affected by an event or Perjudicado/a to formally describe someone harmed or disadvantaged by the actions of another.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun víctima is always feminine. This means it must be preceded by the feminine article la even if the victim is male. The plural form is víctimas.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbiɡtima/
Did you know?
- The Latin root of víctima is related to the word for 'sacrificial animal'. In ancient Roman rituals, the 'victim' was specifically the animal chosen for sacrifice to the gods.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, calling someone hacerse la víctima (playing the victim) is a common idiom used to describe someone who manipulates others by pretending to be oppressed.
- In legal Spanish, víctima is used broadly, but the term víctima indirecta is specifically used to describe the family members of a deceased person who suffered loss.
Examples in context
- La víctima fui yo.I was the victim.This sentence shows how to use víctima to identify oneself as the victim.Tatoeba #7843315 by arh, translation #9525053 by DJ_Saidez
- Ella no es la víctima.She is not the victim.This sentence uses víctima to negate someone's status as the victim.Tatoeba #1907854 by marcelostockle, translation #1159733 by tinytina
- Tom no fue la única víctima.Tom wasn't the only victim.This sentence uses víctima to indicate that someone was not the sole victim.Tatoeba #2169380 by marcelostockle, translation #1884412 by CK
- La víctima del crimenThe victim of the crime
- Los afectados por el accidenteThe victims of the accident
- Los perjudicados por el fraudeThe victims of the fraud
- ¡Pobre chico, siempre es víctima de las circunstancias!Poor boy, he's always a victim of circumstances!
- ¡Estoy en una situación jodida! Soy la víctima aquíI'm in a screwed situation! I'm the victim here
- Los desgraciados que me robaron, me convirtieron en una víctimaThe unfortunate ones who robbed me turned me into a victim
- Juan fue el chivo expiatorio, siempre es la víctima en el grupoJuan was the scapegoat, he's always the victim in the group
- Él es la víctima de un engañoHe is the victim of a deception
- Los damnificados del terremoto necesitan nuestra ayudaThe earthquake victims need our help
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are discussing a news report about a robbery.
- María¿Sabe algo de la víctima?Do you know anything about the victim?
- DanielNo, la policía aún no tiene información.No, the police don't have information yet.
- MaríaEspero que la víctima esté bien.I hope the victim is okay.
- DanielYo también, es una situación terrible.Me too, it is a terrible situation.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “victim” translations and entries víctima, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries víctima, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
