ilegal
“ilegal” means “illegal” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
illegal
Also: unlawful, illicit
📝 In Action
Fumar en este edificio es completamente ilegal.
A2Smoking in this building is completely illegal.
La venta de ese producto se declaró ilegal.
B1The sale of that product was declared unlawful.
Cometió un acto ilegal al robar el coche.
B1He committed an illegal act by stealing the car.
undocumented person
Also: illegal immigrant
📝 In Action
Hay un debate sobre cómo ayudar a los ilegales a obtener sus papeles.
B2There is a debate about how to help undocumented people obtain their papers.
La policía detuvo a varios ilegales en la frontera.
B2The police detained several undocumented people at the border.
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "ilegal" in Spanish:
illegal→illegal immigrant→illicit→undocumented person→unlawful→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: ilegal
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'ilegal' as an adjective?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
The word comes from the Latin prefix 'in-' (meaning 'not') combined with the root 'legalis' (meaning 'lawful' or 'related to the law'). It literally means 'not lawful.'
First recorded: 15th century (via French/Latin)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'ilegal' change gender?
No, not like 'rojo' (roja). 'Ilegal' ends in '-l,' which means it stays the same for both masculine and feminine nouns (e.g., 'el coche ilegal' and 'la acción ilegal'). However, it does change to 'ilegales' when describing plural things.
What is the difference between 'ilegal' and 'prohibido'?
'Ilegal' is used for actions that break serious laws enforced by the government (like drug trafficking). 'Prohibido' (forbidden) is generally used for rules or regulations set by an authority (like 'No parking' or 'No smoking').