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adjudicar

ad-hoo-dee-KAR/aðxuðiˈkaɾ/

“adjudicar” means “to award” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to award, to assign

Also: to allocate
VerbB2spelling change (c to qu) ar
A smiling official handing a large gold trophy to a person on a stage.
gerundadjudicando
past Participleadjudicado
infinitiveadjudicar

📝 In Action

El jurado va a adjudicar el premio esta tarde.

B1

The jury is going to award the prize this afternoon.

Le adjudicaron la obra a una empresa constructora local.

B2

They awarded the construction project to a local company.

Es injusto adjudicarle toda la responsabilidad a ella.

C1

It is unfair to assign all the responsibility to her.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • adjudicar un contrato – to award a contract
  • adjudicar una plaza – to assign a spot/job position
  • adjudicar culpas – to assign blame

to win/claim for oneself, to take credit for

A young athlete holding a shiny gold medal tightly against their chest with a proud expression.

📝 In Action

El tenista se adjudicó la victoria tras tres horas de juego.

B2

The tennis player claimed the victory after three hours of play.

No puedes adjudicarte el mérito de un trabajo que hicimos todos.

C1

You can't take credit for work that we all did.

El equipo local se adjudicó los tres puntos.

B2

The local team took the three points (won the match).

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • ganar (to win)
  • apropiarse (to take for oneself)

Idioms & Expressions

  • adjudicarse el tanto – To take the credit for something

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesadjudicaran
yoadjudicara
túadjudicaras
vosotrosadjudicarais
nosotrosadjudicáramos
él/ella/ustedadjudicara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesadjudiquen
yoadjudique
túadjudiques
vosotrosadjudiquéis
nosotrosadjudiquemos
él/ella/ustedadjudique

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesadjudicaron
yoadjudiqué
túadjudicaste
vosotrosadjudicasteis
nosotrosadjudicamos
él/ella/ustedadjudicó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesadjudicaban
yoadjudicaba
túadjudicabas
vosotrosadjudicabais
nosotrosadjudicábamos
él/ella/ustedadjudicaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesadjudican
yoadjudico
túadjudicas
vosotrosadjudicáis
nosotrosadjudicamos
él/ella/ustedadjudica
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "adjudicar" in Spanish:

to allocate→to assign→to award→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: adjudicar

Question 1 of 3

Which form is correct for 'I awarded' in the past?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
adjudicación(award/allocation) — Noun
adjudicatario(successful bidder/recipient) — Noun
adjudicado(awarded) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin 'adjudicare,' where 'ad-' means 'to' and 'judicare' means 'to judge.' It literally means to give a judgment in favor of someone.

First recorded: 15th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: adjudicateFrench: adjuger

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'adjudicar' always formal?

Mostly, yes. It's the standard word for official assignments (prizes, contracts, blame). However, in sports, it's used more naturally to describe winning.

How is it different from 'asignar'?

'Asignar' is more general (like assigning homework), while 'adjudicar' implies a final decision or an official choice between competitors.

Does it have a spelling change in all tenses?

No, only when the ending starts with 'e'. This happens in the 'Yo' form of the past (Preterite) and all forms of the Present Subjunctive.