How to Say "to judge" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to judge” is “juzgar” — use 'juzgar' when you mean to form an opinion about someone or something, or to make a decision in a legal context.
juzgar
hooz-GARxuzˈɣaɾ
Examples
No debes juzgar un libro por su portada.
You shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
¿Quién eres tú para juzgar mi decisión?
Who are you to judge my decision?
Ella juzga a los demás con mucha dureza.
She judges others very harshly.
El tribunal juzgará el caso la próxima semana.
The court will judge the case next week.
The '-gar' Spelling Change
When conjugating 'juzgar,' the 'g' changes to 'gu' before an 'e' sound. This happens in the 'yo' form of the past tense (juzgué) and across the entire present subjunctive (juzgue, juzgues, etc.).
The Passive Voice
In legal contexts, 'juzgar' is often used in the passive voice to describe the defendant: 'El acusado fue juzgado' (The defendant was judged/tried).
Missing the 'u'
Mistake: “Using *juzge* instead of *juzgue* in the subjunctive.”
Correction: Always remember the 'u' after the 'g' in the subjunctive and preterite 'yo' form to keep the hard 'g' sound: *juzgue*.
criticar
cree-tee-CARkɾitiˈkaɾ
Examples
No es bueno criticar a tus amigos a sus espaldas.
It's not good to criticize your friends behind their backs.
Mi jefe siempre critica mi forma de trabajar.
My boss always criticizes my way of working.
Mucha gente criticó la decisión del gobierno.
Many people criticized the government's decision.
The Personal 'A'
When you criticize a specific person or group, you must put 'a' before them. For example: 'Critico a Juan' (I criticize Juan).
Spelling Change Alert
Because the letter 'c' sounds like 's' before 'e', the 'c' changes to 'qu' whenever the ending starts with 'e' (like in 'yo critiqué') to keep that hard 'k' sound.
Missing the 'a' for people
Mistake: “Critico mi hermano.”
Correction: Critico a mi hermano. Use 'a' when the object of your criticism is a person.
evaluar
eh-bah-loo-AHReβaluˈaɾ
Examples
El profesor va a evaluar nuestro progreso mañana.
The teacher is going to evaluate our progress tomorrow.
Es difícil evaluar esta situación sin toda la información.
It is difficult to assess this situation without all the information.
Debemos evaluar los resultados del experimento con cuidado.
We must evaluate the results of the experiment carefully.
The 'Hidden' Accent
In most versions of the present tense, the 'u' gets a little accent mark (evalúo, evalúa). This tells you to emphasize that 'u' sound instead of sliding past it.
Using 'que' with Evaluar
When you want to say you are evaluating 'if' or 'that' something is true, just add 'que' after the verb: 'Evalúo que es necesario' (I evaluate that it is necessary).
Forget the 'u' accent
Mistake: “Yo evaluo el examen.”
Correction: Yo evalúo el examen. The accent is needed in the 'I', 'you', and 'they' forms to sound natural.
Examples
Estimo que el viaje durará unas cinco horas.
I estimate that the trip will last about five hours.
oír
Examples
El tribunal oirá el caso la próxima semana.
The court will hear the case next week.
Judging vs. Evaluating
Related Translations
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