Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Judge in Spanish: Juez
Juez · noun · hweth (Spain) / hwes (Latin America)
Juez means judge in Spanish, covering both the legal authority who presides over court and anyone who evaluates or passes judgment. The verb form is juzgar (to judge).
hweth in Castilian Spanish; hwes in Latin American Spanish (one syllable).
El juez dictó la sentencia esta mañana.
The judge delivered the sentence this morning.
judge in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for judge, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| juez | judge | hweth (Spain) / hwes (Latin America) | Default, widely understood |
| jueza | judge | feminine form, increasingly common | |
| juzgar | judge | verb form (to judge) |
How Native Speakers Use Juez
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
In court
La jueza revisó todas las pruebas antes de decidir.
The judge reviewed all the evidence before deciding.
Jueza is the increasingly preferred feminine form in modern legal Spanish.
Using the verb
No me juzgues sin conocer mi historia.
Don't judge me without knowing my story.
Juzgar is the verb form, conjugated here as a negative tú command.
Sports context
Los jueces le dieron una puntuación perfecta a la gimnasta.
The judges gave the gymnast a perfect score.
Juez also applies to judges in competitions, sports, and contests.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Juez
Verb conjugation error
Incorrect: No me juzges.
Correct: No me juzgues.
Juzgar undergoes a spelling change in the subjunctive: the g becomes gu before e to preserve the hard g sound.
Confusing juez with juicio
Incorrect: El juez será mañana a las diez.
Correct: El juicio será mañana a las diez.
Juez is the person (judge), while juicio is the event (trial or judgment). They are related but not interchangeable.
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Common Questions About judge in Spanish
- Should I say la juez or la jueza for a female judge?
- Either form is accepted in standard Spanish. La juez is the traditional invariable form, while la jueza is endorsed by the Real Academia Española and has become increasingly common in everyday and legal language.
- How do I conjugate juzgar in the present tense?
- Yo juzgo, tú juzgas, él juzga, nosotros juzgamos, vosotros juzgáis, ellos juzgan. Note the standard -ar conjugation pattern with no stem change.
- What is the difference between juez and árbitro?
- A juez presides in court or serves as a formal evaluator, while an árbitro is a referee or umpire in sports. In some competition contexts, both terms may apply.