Inklingo

How to Say "patrol" in Spanish

English → Spanish

patrulla

pah-TROO-yah/paˈtɾuʝa/

nounA2general
Use 'patrulla' when referring to a specific group of people or vehicles conducting a patrol, such as a police or military unit.
Three uniformed security guards walking together in a line across a path, suggesting a group tasked with surveillance.

Examples

Una patrulla de policía llegó rápidamente al lugar del accidente.

A police patrol arrived quickly at the scene of the accident.

La patrulla de rescate encontró al excursionista perdido.

The rescue squad found the lost hiker.

Gender Reminder

Even though it refers to a group of people, 'patrulla' is always a feminine noun, so use 'la' or 'una' before it.

ronda

/RRON-dah//ˈron.da/

nounA2general
Use 'ronda' when referring to the act of making a round or performing security check duty, often by a single person like a guard.
Four distinct, colorful geometric shapes (a red star, a blue heart, a yellow square, and a green triangle) arranged in a perfect closed circle, symbolizing a complete cycle or sequence.

Examples

El guardia de seguridad hace una ronda cada hora.

The security guard does a patrol every hour.

Esta es la última ronda de negociaciones antes del acuerdo final.

This is the last round of negotiations before the final agreement.

Pasamos a la segunda ronda del torneo.

We moved on to the second round of the tournament.

Patrulla vs. Ronda

Learners often confuse 'patrulla' and 'ronda' because both relate to patrolling. Remember that 'patrulla' usually refers to the group doing the patrolling, while 'ronda' refers to the act of patrolling itself, especially for security purposes.

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