How to Say "guards" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “guards” is “guardias” — use 'guardias' when referring to the people who are employed to protect a place or person, like security guards..
guardias
/gwar-dyahs//ˈɡwaɾðjas/
Examples
Los guardias revisaron todas las bolsas antes de entrar al estadio.
The guards checked all the bags before entering the stadium.
Las guardias de seguridad se turnaron para vigilar la entrada.
The female security personnel took turns watching the entrance.
Gender Note: People
The singular form for a male guard is 'el guardia'. For a female guard, it's 'la guardia'. 'Guardias' is the plural for both.
Confusing Singular/Plural
Mistake: “Using 'un guardia' when referring to multiple people.”
Correction: Use 'los guardias' for multiple people, which is the word we are defining here.
vigila
vee-HEE-lah/biˈxila/
Examples
El perro vigila la casa de noche.
The dog guards the house at night.
Ella siempre vigila que todo esté en orden antes de irse.
She always checks (monitors) that everything is in order before leaving.
¡Vigila que nadie entre al almacén!
Watch (make sure) that no one enters the warehouse!
Two Uses of 'Vigila'
'Vigila' can be a statement about someone else ('Ella vigila' = She watches) OR a command to a friend ('¡Vigila!' = Watch!). Context tells you which one is being used.
Regular -AR Verb
This verb follows the most common Spanish pattern. If you learn 'vigilar,' you can easily conjugate hundreds of other verbs like 'hablar' (to talk) and 'caminar' (to walk).
Confusing the Command Forms
Mistake: “Using 'vigile' when telling a friend what to do.”
Correction: For friendly, informal commands, use the 'tú' form: '¡Vigila el perro!'. The 'vigile' form is reserved for formal commands (Usted).
Noun vs. Verb Confusion
Related Translations
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