How to Say "self-respect" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “self-respect” is “dignidad” — B1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Todos los seres humanos nacen libres y con igual dignidad.
All human beings are born free and with equal dignity.
Ella mantuvo su dignidad a pesar de la situación difícil.
She maintained her dignity despite the difficult situation.
Perder el empleo fue un golpe a su dignidad.
Losing the job was a blow to his self-respect.
Gender Check
Remember that 'dignidad' is a feminine noun, so you must use 'la' before it (la dignidad) and feminine adjectives after it (dignidad absoluta).
Abstract Nouns
Like many abstract concepts in Spanish, 'dignidad' often appears with the definite article 'la' even when English might omit 'the' (e.g., 'La dignidad es importante' - Dignity is important).
False Cognate Alert
Mistake: “Using 'dignidad' when you mean 'dignitary' (a high-ranking person).”
Correction: The word for a dignitary is 'dignatario' (masculine) or 'dignataria' (feminine). 'Dignidad' only refers to the quality of worthiness.
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