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adjudicar

ad-hoo-dee-KARaðxuðiˈkaɾ

“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

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

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

Present Subjunctive

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

Indicative

Preterite

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

Imperfect

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

Present

yoadjudico
túadjudicas
él/ella/ustedadjudica
nosotrosadjudicamos
vosotrosadjudicáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesadjudican
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.