Inklingo

How to Say "injured person" in Spanish

English → Spanish

herido

eh-REE-doh/eˈri.ðo/

nounB1general
Use 'herido' when referring to a casualty or a group of casualties, especially in official contexts like emergency reports or news about accidents and disasters.
A simple illustration of a small, sad cartoon person sitting on the ground with a bandaged ankle, being comforted by a friendly adult character.

Examples

Los servicios de emergencia atendieron a los heridos del accidente.

The emergency services attended to the injured people from the accident.

Solo hubo un herido leve en el choque de coches.

There was only one lightly injured person in the car crash.

Using the Adjective as a Noun

In Spanish, you can often turn an adjective describing a state into a noun referring to the person who is in that state. 'El herido' is 'the injured man'; 'la herida' is 'the injured woman'.

lastimado

/las-tee-MAH-doh//lastiˈmaðo/

nounB1general
Use 'lastimado' when referring to an individual who has been hurt or injured, often in a more personal or less formal context than 'herido'.
A simple illustration showing an adult sitting on the ground with a sprained ankle, being gently helped up by another person.

Examples

Los paramédicos atendieron al lastimado en la calle.

The paramedics attended to the injured person in the street.

La lastimada fue llevada al hospital de inmediato.

The injured woman was taken to the hospital immediately.

Using Adjectives as Nouns

You can turn many adjectives into nouns by placing an article ('el', 'la', 'los', 'las') in front of them. This is common when referring to a group or individual with that specific characteristic, like 'the injured one' or 'the poor ones'.

Herido vs. Lastimado

Learners often confuse 'herido' and 'lastimado'. While both mean injured, 'herido' is more commonly used for casualties in accidents or disasters, and can refer to multiple people. 'Lastimado' tends to be used for an individual injury, sometimes with a slightly less severe connotation.

Related Translations

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