condena
nounCEFR B2
What does “condena” mean in English?
condemnation/sentence —
condemnation/sentence — (1) a criminal sentence imposed by a court; (2) strong moral or public condemnation (la condena del tribunal, la condena internacional, una condena al estancamiento)
Example sentences
El tribunal impuso una condena de ocho años de prisión, considerada excesiva por los organismos de derechos humanos.
The court imposed a sentence of eight years in prison, considered excessive by human rights bodies.
La condena internacional de la masacre no ha ido acompañada de ninguna medida concreta para detenerla.
The international condemnation of the massacre has not been accompanied by any concrete measures to stop it.
Para muchos economistas, la política de austeridad fue una condena al estancamiento que tardará décadas en superarse.
For many economists, the austerity policy was a condemnation to stagnation that will take decades to overcome.
How to use it
La condena means (1) a criminal sentence (the punishment imposed by a court); (2) condemnation — strong public or moral disapproval. At B2 both senses appear in journalistic and ethical discourse. Key collocations: la condena del tribunal (court sentence), una condena de diez años, la condena moral/internacional, expresar/emitir una condena, condenar al ostracismo. The verb condenar covers both: condenar a alguien (to sentence) and condenar una práctica (to condemn). As anchor for 'doom': la condena carries the sense of an inescapable fate or judgement.
Common mistake
Condena (legal sentence OR moral condemnation) vs sentencia (verdict/sentence — in Spanish, la sentencia is the judicial ruling/verdict and la condena is the penalty imposed: 'la sentencia declaró culpable; la condena fue de cinco años') vs censura (censure — formal institutional disapproval, also censorship). 'To condemn a building' = declarar en ruina (not *condenar). 'A condemned man' = un condenado a muerte.