How to Say "investigators" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “investigators” is “detectives” — use 'detectives' when referring to police officers or private individuals who investigate crimes..
detectives
deh-tehk-TEE-vehs/de.tekˈti.βes/
Examples
Los detectives llegaron a la escena del crimen muy rápido.
The detectives arrived at the crime scene very quickly.
Esta serie de televisión trata sobre un grupo de detectives que resuelven casos difíciles.
This TV series is about a group of detectives who solve difficult cases.
Contrataron detectives privados para seguir la pista del dinero perdido.
They hired private investigators to follow the trail of the lost money.
Gender and Plural
Even though the singular form ('detective') can refer to both a man or a woman, 'detectives' is the standard plural form used for groups of men or mixed groups. If you need to specify a group of only women, you might hear 'las detectives' or 'las detectivas' (less common).
Using the wrong article
Mistake: “La detectives están aquí.”
Correction: Los detectives están aquí. Since 'detectives' is a masculine plural noun, it needs the masculine plural article 'los'.
investigadores
/een-bes-tee-gah-DOR-es//imbestigaˈðoɾes/
Examples
Los investigadores están analizando los resultados del experimento.
The researchers are analyzing the results of the experiment.
Dos investigadores privados llegaron a la escena.
Two private investigators arrived at the scene.
Los investigadores de la universidad publicaron un nuevo libro.
The university researchers published a new book.
Making it plural
This is the plural form of 'investigador'. Because the word ends in a consonant, we add '-es' to make it plural.
Gender in groups
In Spanish, if a group of researchers has at least one man, or is mixed, we use the masculine plural 'investigadores'. If the group is only women, use 'investigadoras'.
Not just for science
Mistake: “Only using it for laboratory work.”
Correction: Use it for anyone who searches for facts, including police and journalists.
Detectives vs. Investigadores
Related Translations
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