How to Say "to oversee" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to oversee” is “supervisar” — use 'supervisar' when you are in charge of watching over a project, process, or the work of others to ensure it is done correctly.
supervisar
soo-pehr-bee-SAHRsupeɾβiˈsaɾ
Examples
El gerente supervisa el progreso del equipo en el nuevo proyecto.
The manager oversees the team's progress on the new project.
Mi jefe supervisa mi trabajo todos los días.
My boss supervises my work every day.
Es importante supervisar a los niños cuando están en la piscina.
It is important to supervise the children when they are in the pool.
Ella fue contratada para supervisar la construcción del nuevo puente.
She was hired to oversee the construction of the new bridge.
The 'People A' Rule
When you supervise a person or a pet, you must use the 'personal a' before them. For example: 'Superviso a los estudiantes'.
Pronunciation Tip
In Spanish, the letter 'v' is pronounced exactly like the 'b' in English. This word sounds like 'soo-pehr-bee-SAHR'.
Confusing with 'Survive'
Mistake: “Thinking 'supervisar' means 'to survive'.”
Correction: Use 'sobrevivir' for surviving. 'Supervisar' is strictly for watching over work or people.
Missing the 'a'
Mistake: “Yo superviso los empleados.”
Correction: Say 'Yo superviso a los empleados' because you are talking about people.
monitorear
mo-nee-toh-reh-ahrmonitoɾeˈaɾ
Examples
Los científicos monitorean los niveles de contaminación del aire diariamente.
The scientists monitor the air pollution levels daily.
El equipo médico va a monitorear al paciente toda la noche.
The medical team is going to monitor the patient all night.
Estamos monitoreando las ventas para ver si la campaña funciona.
We are monitoring sales to see if the campaign is working.
Es necesario monitorear el uso del agua durante la sequía.
It is necessary to track water usage during the drought.
It's a Regular Verb
Monitorear follows the normal pattern for verbs ending in -ar. This means once you know the pattern for a word like 'hablar,' you can conjugate this word too!
The 'Personal a'
When you are monitoring a person (like a patient or a student), you must put the word 'a' before them: 'Monitoreo a mi hijo' (I monitor my son).
Monitorear vs. Monitorizar
Mistake: “Thinking one is 'wrong' and the other is 'right.'”
Correction: Both are correct! 'Monitorear' is the standard in Latin America, while 'monitorizar' is preferred in Spain. Use whichever fits your region.
vigilar
vee-hee-LAHRbi.xiˈlaɾ
Examples
La policía vigila las fronteras para evitar la entrada ilegal.
The police watch over the borders to prevent illegal entry.
La agencia está vigilando de cerca la calidad del agua.
The agency is closely monitoring the water quality.
El director tiene que vigilar que todos los empleados cumplan las normas.
The director has to supervise that all employees follow the rules.
Using 'Que'
When 'vigilar' refers to making sure something happens, it often uses 'que' followed by the verb that describes the action being checked: 'vigilar que + verb'.
Supervisar vs. Monitorear
Related Translations
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