How to Say "to disqualify" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to disqualify” is “descalificar” — B1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
El árbitro decidió descalificar al corredor por una salida en falso.
The referee decided to disqualify the runner for a false start.
Si no entregas los documentos a tiempo, te pueden descalificar del proceso.
If you don't turn in the documents on time, they can disqualify you from the process.
Tres atletas fueron descalificados tras la prueba de dopaje.
Three athletes were disqualified after the drug test.
The 'C' to 'QU' Switch
To keep the 'k' sound, the 'c' changes to 'qu' whenever an 'e' follows it (like in the first-person past tense 'descalifiqué').
Using 'a' with People
When you disqualify a specific person, you must use the 'personal a': 'Descalificaron a Juan'.
Spelling in the Past
Mistake: “Yo descalificé.”
Correction: Yo descalifiqué. You need the 'qu' to keep the hard 'k' sound; otherwise, 'ce' sounds like 'se'.
Related Translations
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