How to Say "survivors" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “survivors” is “sobrevivientes” — use 'sobrevivientes' when referring to people who have managed to stay alive after a specific, often dangerous, event like an accident, disaster, or conflict..
sobrevivientes
/so-bre-bee-BYEN-tes//soβreβiˈβjentes/
Examples
Los sobrevivientes del accidente aéreo fueron trasladados al hospital.
The survivors of the plane crash were taken to the hospital.
Los sobrevivientes del naufragio fueron rescatados esta mañana.
The survivors of the shipwreck were rescued this morning.
No hubo sobrevivientes en el accidente de avión.
There were no survivors in the plane crash.
Las sobrevivientes compartieron sus valientes historias.
The female survivors shared their brave stories.
Group Gender
Use 'los' for a group of men or a mixed group, and 'las' only if the entire group is female.
One vs. Many
To talk about just one person, remove the 's' at the end to get 'sobreviviente'.
Don't confuse with 'vivos'
Mistake: “Using 'sobrevivientes' just to say people are alive.”
Correction: Use 'sobrevivientes' specifically when people have escaped a danger or a disaster.
vivos
/BEE-vohs//ˈbiβos/
Examples
Los vivos deben recordar siempre a quienes ya no están.
The living must always remember those who are no longer here.
Los vivos deben honrar la memoria de los caídos.
The living must honor the memory of the fallen.
Hay que preocuparse por el bienestar de los vivos.
One must worry about the well-being of the living.
Adjective as Noun
In Spanish, you can add 'el', 'la', 'los', or 'las' before an adjective (like 'vivo') to turn it into a noun referring to a group of people: 'los vivos' means 'the alive people'.
Direct vs. General 'Living'
Related Translations
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