tutelado por el estado
/tutelado poɾ el estado/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'ward of the state' is expressed as tutelado por el estado.
The phrase refers to a person, typically a child, who is under the legal care and protection of the government.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase tutelado por el estado is composed of tutelado (placed under guardianship or tutelage), por (by) and el estado (the state).
Which one should you use?
You can also use the phrase bajo la tutela del Estado to express that someone is 'under the guardianship of the State'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, the term Pupilo del gobierno may be used.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the ward is a female, change tutelado to the feminine form tutelada (e.g., tutelada por el estado). To refer to multiple wards, use the plural form tutelados (e.g., tutelados por el estado).
How do you pronounce it?
/tutelado poɾ el estado/
Did you know?
- Long before it referred to a government, the word estado was used as a unit of length. It represented the approximate height of a grown man.
- In some Latin American legal contexts, a person under state care is called a pupilo. This term implies a teacher-student relationship, as it comes from the same root as 'pupil' in a classroom.
- While tutelado sounds very formal, the root tutela is also used in everyday Spanish to describe the 'tutelage' or guidance provided by a mentor or teacher.
Examples in context
- El niño fue declarado pupilo del estado debido a la ausencia de sus padres.The child was declared a ward of the state due to the absence of his parents.
- La corte decidió que mi hermana sería una persona bajo tutela estatal debido a su incapacidad para manejar sus asuntos.The court decided that my sister would be a person under state guardianship due to her inability to manage her affairs.
- Luis es un protegido del estado desde que quedó huérfano a temprana edad.Luis has been a ward of the state since he became an orphan at a young age.
- Javier es un chico amparado por el Estado después de quedar sin hogar.Javier is a boy protected by the State after becoming homeless.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are discussing a legal case.
- DanielDaniel, ¿quién cuida a ese niño?Daniel, who is taking care of that child?
- SofíaÉl es tutelado por el estado actualmente.He is currently a ward of the state.
- DanielQué triste, ¿no tiene familia?How sad, does he have no family?
- SofíaNo, Sofía, no tiene ningún pariente.No, Sofía, he doesn't have any relatives.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries el, estado, por, CC BY-SA 4.0.
