How to Say "documentary" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “documentary” is “documental” — use 'documental' when referring to a full-length movie or television program that presents factual information about real people or events.
documental
doh-koo-men-TAHLdoku-menˈtal
Examples
Vi un documental muy interesante sobre la historia de México.
I saw a very interesting documentary about the history of Mexico.
Prefiero ver documentales que películas de ficción.
I prefer watching documentaries over fiction movies.
El abogado presentó una prueba documental.
The lawyer presented documentary evidence.
Hicimos una investigación documental antes de escribir el libro.
We did some documentary research before writing the book.
Using the word as a person thing
When you use this word to mean a movie, it is always masculine (el documental). To make it plural, just add -es (los documentales).
One size fits all
This adjective ends in -l, which means it doesn't change for boys or girls! You use 'documental' for both masculine and feminine things.
Documentary vs. Document
Mistake: “Using 'un documental' when you mean 'a paper document'.”
Correction: Use 'documental' for the film, but use 'documento' for the piece of paper.
reportaje
rreh-por-TAH-hehrepoɾˈtaxe
Examples
Vi un reportaje muy interesante sobre los pingüinos en la Antártida.
I saw an interesting report about penguins in Antarctica.
El periodista ganó un premio por su reportaje de investigación.
The journalist won an award for his investigative feature story.
Mañana publicarán un reportaje especial sobre la historia del barrio.
Tomorrow they will publish a special feature on the history of the neighborhood.
The '-aje' Rule
Most Spanish words ending in '-aje' are masculine (like 'el viaje' or 'el garaje'). This makes it easy to remember that it's 'el reportaje'.
Pairing with Verbs
To say you are 'doing' or 'filming' a report, use the verb 'hacer' (to make/do) or 'realizar' (to carry out/perform).
Reportaje vs. Informe
Mistake: “Using 'reportaje' for a business report.”
Correction: Use 'informe' for data-heavy or official business reports, and 'reportaje' for journalistic stories or creative features.
Gender confusion
Mistake: “La reportaje.”
Correction: El reportaje. Even though many words ending in 'e' can be tricky, the '-aje' ending is a reliable indicator that the word is masculine.
documental
doh-koo-men-TAHLdoku-menˈtal
Examples
El abogado presentó una prueba documental.
The lawyer presented documentary evidence.
Vi un documental muy interesante sobre la historia de México.
I saw a very interesting documentary about the history of Mexico.
Prefiero ver documentales que películas de ficción.
I prefer watching documentaries over fiction movies.
Hicimos una investigación documental antes de escribir el libro.
We did some documentary research before writing the book.
Using the word as a person thing
When you use this word to mean a movie, it is always masculine (el documental). To make it plural, just add -es (los documentales).
One size fits all
This adjective ends in -l, which means it doesn't change for boys or girls! You use 'documental' for both masculine and feminine things.
Documentary vs. Document
Mistake: “Using 'un documental' when you mean 'a paper document'.”
Correction: Use 'documental' for the film, but use 'documento' for the piece of paper.
Documental vs. Reportaje
Related Translations
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