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Dictionary of Spanish Words and Phrases

This list contains Spanish words with their English translations.  The words included here are only those that one is likely to find in a genealogical or historical document or record.  If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Spanish-English dictionary.

Spanish is a Romance language derived from Latin with its foundations being laid during the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula between 200 and 100 B.C.E. (B.C.).  Like all languages its' spelling was not standardized until the mid-1700s.  Clerks, in their written records, spelled words based upon the way a word sounded and also in accordance with the level of their own understanding of language as gained through their education.  Variations between the old-style and modern-style of spelling words should not cause too much trouble for a researcher.

Spanish is spoken throughout Spain, Cuba and in some Central and South American countries.  It can also be heard in various regions of the United States of America that are heavily populated by Hispanic immigrants, such as southern California and south Florida.  Spanish is also one of the two official languages of Puerto Rico.  There are slight differences between the Spanish spoken in Spain and that spoken in the Americas.

Many English words come from Spanish. For instance, cargo, cork, mosquito, potato, ranch, rodeo, tornado and vanilla.

abril Abbreviated as: abl	April
abstracto	abstract
abuela	grandmother
abuelo	grandfather
abuelos	grandparents
accidente	accident
acre, terrenos	acre
acreedor hipotecario	mortgagee
acto	deed
administración	administration
administrador	administrator/rix
adolescente	adolescent
adulto	adult
agosto Abbreviated as: ago, agto	August
agricultura	husbandry
ahijada, ahijado	goddaughter, godson as well as godchild
albacea	executor/rix
amonestaciones	banns
año	year
anteriormente	formerly
antes, en la presencia de	before, in the presence of
antiguo/viejo	ancient/old
apellido	surname
apellido inaugural	maiden surname
arando a	ploughing
Archivo Municipal	Municipal Archive
arrendador	lessor
arrendamiento	lease
arrendatario	tenant
arrendatario	crofter
arrendatario	lessee
asignan a	assign
asignatario	legatee
aterrizan	land
atestiguar, deponer	attest
ayer	yesterday
bautismo, bautizan, bautizara	baptism, baptize, christening
beneficiario	beneficiary
bienes muebles	personal property
bienes muebles	chattels
bienes raíces	real property
caen	fall
camino	road
campesina	peasant
campo, campaña	field
capellanías	land records
capilla	chapel
casita	cottage
censo	census
certificado	certificate
ciudadanía	citizenship
ciudadano	citizen
codicilo	codicil
colonizador	settler, colonist
completado, hecho, ejecutó a	completed, made, executed
confirmación	confirmation
confiscación de una propiedad	escheat
copia de	copy of
cosechan	harvest
cosechas	crops
cuñado, cuñada or hermana politica	brother-in-law, sister-in-law
dan a luz a a	birth
de abuela gran, bisabuelo	great-grandmothe, /great grandfather
de dos años de edad	two years-old
de la edad	of age
declaración	affidavit
declaraciones de renta	tax return
desgracia	misfortune
desposado	groom/bridegroom
deudor hipotecario	mortgagor
día	day
día después de mañana	day after tomorrow
diario o cada día dependencias	daily or every day
diccionario geográfico	gazetteer
diciembre Abbreviated as: dice, 10bre	December
diez segundos	ten seconds
dinero	money
diócesis	diocese
Dios	god
domingo	Sunday
Don	esquire
donante	grantee
dos años	two years
dos veces por	two times per year
dueño de casa	householder
edad	age
él, ella	he, she
ellos	they
en casarse o casarse a	to marry or get married
en caución	escrow
en registrar	to register
enero Abbreviated as: enro, eno and 1ero	January
entierran	bury
esposa	wife
estado civil	marital status
expediente	transcript
expedientes	petitions
extracto	extract
febrero Abbreviated as: febo	February
fecha del nacimiento	date of birth
femenino	female
funerales	funeral
ganado	livestock
ganancia	profit
gastos	expenses
grande-tía	grand-aunt
grande-tío	grand-uncle
granja	farm
granjero	farmer
grave o la tumba	grave or tomb
guardián	guardian
Guia de la Inglesia en España	Guide to the parishes of Spain
habitante	inhabitant
hacendado, labrador rico	yeoman
heredan	inherit
heredero/heredera	heir/heiress
hereditaria	hereditary
herencia	inheritance
hermana	sister
hermano	brother
hermano del paso/hermana de paso	step-brother/step-sister
hermanos	siblings
hija	daughter
hijo	son
hipotecan	mortgage
hogar	home
Hojas de Servicio	military records
hora	hour
hoy	day
huérfano	orphan
idean	devise
iglesia	church
iglesia Católica	Catholic church
ilegítimo	illegitimate
indexan	index
indigente	pauper
instrumentos	tools
intestado	intestate
inventario	inventory
inversión	investment
invierno	winter
jornalero	daylabourer
jueves	Thursday
julio	July
junio	June
Juzgado de Primera Instancia	Court of the First Instance
la confirmación	sponsors
lápida	tombstone
le liberan a	release
le otorgan a	grant
legado	legacy or bequest
legalizan	probate
liberación	release
Listas de Pasajeros	passenger lists
lunes	Monday
madrastra	stepmother
madre	mother
mañana	tomorrow
marido	husband
martes	Tuesday
marzo Abbreviated as: mzo	March
masculino	male
matrícula	registration
mayo	May
mercader	merchant
mes	month
miércoles	Wednesday
militar	military
minuto	minute
morir	die
mortinato	stillborn
mueren	marry
nacido	born
Navidad	christmas
necrológico	obituary
nieta	granddaughter
nieto	grandchild or grandson
niño	infant or child
notaría	registry office
notario	lawyer
novia	bride
noviembre Abbreviated as: novbre, 9bre	November
nuera, hija politica	daughter-in-law
octubre Abbreviated as: ote, otue, octue, 8bre	October
ocupación de la tierra	land tenure
otorgante	grantor
padrastro	stepfather
padre	father
padres	parents
padrinos	godparents
Padrones Civiles	civil census
pago	payment
para la vida	for life
parientes más cercanos	next of kin
parroquia	parish
Pascua	Easter
pasto	pasture
patrimonio familiar	homestead
pescador	fisherman
peticionan	petition
pobre	poor
prado, pradero	meadow
prestan	lent
primo	cousin
propiedad	estate
propiedad movible	moveable property
propietario	landholder
proprietario, terrateniente	landowner
proto colos	notarial records
Registro Civil	civil registry
registro de parroquia	parish register
renuncia	quitclaim
rinden a	surrender
rollo del impuesto	tax roll
sábado	Saturday
sacerdote/vicario	priest/vicar
saltan	spring
secundario (bajo la edad)	minor (under age)
semana	week
septiembre Abbreviated as: septe, 7bre	September
sirviente	servant
su	their or his/her
subarrendador	sub-tenant
sucesión	succession
sucesor	successor
suegra	mother-in-law
suegro	father-in-law
tasan	tax
testa	testate
testador/testadora	testator/testatrix
Testamento	Testament, Will
testigo, declarante	witnesses
testimonio/evidencia	testimony/evidence
tía	aunt
tiempo	time
tío	uncle
transmiten	convey
trazan a	map
tribunal	court
trigal	wheatfield
valoración	valuation
verano	summer
viernes	Friday
vinculan	bond
vivienda	tenement
yerno	son-in-law