How to Say "illicit" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “illicit” is “ilegal” — use 'ilegal' when referring to activities or goods that are forbidden by law or official rules..
ilegal
ee-leh-GAHL/i.leˈɣal/
Examples
Fumar en este edificio es completamente ilegal.
Smoking in this building is completely illegal.
La venta de ese producto se declaró ilegal.
The sale of that product was declared unlawful.
Cometió un acto ilegal al robar el coche.
He committed an illegal act by stealing the car.
Agreement is Key
Like many Spanish adjectives, 'ilegal' must match the number of the noun it describes (e.g., 'prácticas ilegales'). Luckily, it stays the same for masculine and feminine nouns because it ends in '-l' (e.g., 'el acto ilegal,' 'la acción ilegal').
Always Appears After the Noun
In Spanish, descriptive adjectives like 'ilegal' almost always come after the noun they modify: 'una práctica ilegal', not 'una ilegal práctica'.
Forgetting the Plural
Mistake: “Muchos actos ilegal.”
Correction: Muchos actos ilegales. (The adjective must end in '-es' when describing plural nouns.)
piratas
pee-RAH-tas/piˈɾatas/
Examples
Las películas piratas se venden en la calle a un precio muy bajo.
Pirated movies are sold on the street at a very low price.
Debemos evitar descargar software piratas, ya que pueden contener virus.
We must avoid downloading pirated software, as it might contain viruses.
Adjective Agreement
As an adjective, 'piratas' must match the gender and number of the noun it describes. For example, 'juegos piratas' (masculine plural) or 'canciones piratas' (feminine plural).
Ilegal vs. Piratas
Related Translations
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