conservador
adjectiveCEFR B2
What does “conservador” mean in English?
conservative — resistant to change
conservative — resistant to change (political/social); also: prudent/cautious in estimates or financial decisions (estimación conservadora)
Example sentences
La estimación más conservadora sitúa el coste total de la reforma en unos tres millones de euros.
The most conservative estimate puts the total cost of the reform at around three million euros.
El partido conservador perdió terreno en las últimas elecciones frente a la nueva formación de centro-derecha.
The conservative party lost ground in the last elections to the new centre-right formation.
En un entorno tan inestable, los gestores de fondos adoptan posturas más conservadoras para proteger el capital.
In such an unstable environment, fund managers adopt more conservative positions to protect capital.
How to use it
Conservador/a means 'conservative' — in two main senses at B2: (1) politically or socially conservative (cautious, resistant to change); (2) prudent/cautious in financial or professional judgement: un enfoque conservador (conservative approach), una estimación conservadora (conservative estimate). Takes ser. Collocations: un partido conservador, un inversor conservador, una política conservadora, en el lado más conservador del espectro. Note: when describing an estimate or approach, conservative/cautious are both translations.
Common mistake
The financial/professional sense of conservador (a conservative estimate, a conservative investment approach) is as important as the political one at B2. An estimación conservadora assumes the worst-case/lowest number — it is prudent, not necessarily politically motivated. Don't translate 'conservative' as precavido or cuidadoso in these contexts — conservador is the technical term in journalism and economics.