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How to Say "umpire" in Spanish

English → Spanish

árbitro

nounA2general
Use 'árbitro' for the general term for a sports official, especially in team sports like soccer or basketball, who enforces the rules of the game.

Examples

El árbitro señaló una falta y sacó una tarjeta amarilla.

The referee signaled a foul and showed a yellow card.

juez

hwehs/xweθ/ (Spain) or /xwɛs/ (Americas)

nounB1specific sports
Use 'juez' for officials in specific sports that might involve scoring or subjective judgment, such as figure skating, gymnastics, or tennis.
A person in everyday clothes sitting at a table, holding a clipboard and a pen, intently watching an unseen event to score it, representing a competition judge.

Examples

Los jueces de gimnasia calificaron su rutina con un diez.

The gymnastics judges scored her routine a ten.

Los jueces de patinaje le dieron una puntuación perfecta.

The skating judges gave him a perfect score.

Faltó un juez y la competencia se retrasó.

One judge was missing and the competition was delayed.

Using the Plural

To talk about more than one judge, you just add '-ces' to the end: 'jueces'. The stress stays on the 'e'.

Árbitro vs. Juez

Learners often confuse 'árbitro' and 'juez' because both can refer to sports officials. Remember that 'árbitro' is the more common, general term for most sports, while 'juez' is typically used for sports where scoring or technical judgment is key.

Related Translations

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