Spanish Conversation · Level 11
90 words
Spanish word
teniente
Pronunciation
IPA/teˈnjente/
Meaning
- noun (m./f.)lieutenant
Example
El teniente inspeccionó las tropas.
The lieutenant inspected the troops.
More examples
El teniente de policía llegó al lugar del accidente.
The police lieutenant arrived at the scene of the accident.
Core concept
Second-in-command officer immediately below a captain.
Common phrases
teniente de policía
police lieutenant
teniente de infantería
infantry lieutenant
Similar words
oficial: Commissioned officer who carries out leadership and formal duties within military or police.
capitán: Senior field officer who commands a unit of troops and holds primary tactical responsibility.
sargento: Non-commissioned officer who directly leads and supervises soldiers during daily operations.
comandante: Officer entrusted with command of a unit or department and responsibility for overall decisions.
Definition in Spanish
Grado militar de oficial intermedio, inmediatamente inferior al capitán; por extensión, quien reemplaza a otra autoridad en funciones civiles.
Word origin
From Latin tenēns 'holding', introduced into Spanish as 'one who holds a post', so it names an officer or official who takes another's duties.
Usage tips
- In civic titles the role is usually specified with de (for example teniente de alcalde for deputy mayor), and the word is not related to English tenant.
Other meanings
- deputynoun