How to Say "clerk" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “clerk” is “oficial” — use 'oficial' when referring to a clerk working in an office, especially in a governmental or administrative setting, or for a police officer..
oficial
/o-fee-SYAL//o.fiˈsjal/
Examples
El oficial de la tienda me ayudó a encontrar lo que buscaba.
The shop clerk helped me find what I was looking for.
Un oficial de policía me pidió la documentación.
A police officer asked me for my documents.
El presidente se reunió con altos oficiales del ejército.
The president met with high-ranking army officers.
Un oficial del gobierno visitó nuestra ciudad.
A government official visited our city.
Talking About Women
To talk about a female officer or official, you can often just use 'la oficial'. For example, 'La oficial me ayudó'. The feminine form 'oficiala' exists but is much less common.
escriba
/es-KREE-bah//esˈkɾi.βa/
Examples
Los antiguos egipcios utilizaban escribas para registrar eventos importantes.
Ancient Egyptians used scribes to record important events.
Antes de la imprenta, el escriba era esencial para preservar los textos.
Before the printing press, the scribe was essential for preserving texts.
El escriba real registraba todas las decisiones del rey.
The royal scribe recorded all the king's decisions.
Gender Note
Although the profession of scribe (escriba) was often historically male, the word itself is usually treated as grammatically masculine (el escriba), even when referring to a woman, though la escriba is also accepted.
Confusing 'oficial' and 'escriba'
Related Translations
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