indemnización
nounCEFR B1
What does “indemnización” mean in English?
compensation, indemnity
compensation, indemnity (money paid to offset a loss or inconvenience; specifically in consumer/air passenger rights contexts)
Example sentences
Según el reglamento europeo, si el vuelo llega con más de tres horas de retraso y la causa no es una circunstancia extraordinaria, los pasajeros tienen derecho a una indemnización de hasta seiscientos euros.
According to EU regulations, if the flight arrives more than three hours late and the cause is not an extraordinary circumstance, passengers are entitled to compensation of up to six hundred euros.
Presentamos la reclamación por escrito y tres semanas después recibimos la indemnización en nuestra cuenta, aunque la aerolínea nunca reconoció oficialmente que había cometido un error.
We submitted the complaint in writing and three weeks later we received the compensation in our account, although the airline never officially acknowledged that it had made a mistake.
How to use it
Indemnización (feminine, la) means 'compensation' or 'indemnity' in the legal/consumer sense — money paid to compensate for a loss or inconvenience. The key phrase is 'tener derecho a una indemnización de + amount'. It is more formal and specific than compensación (which is broader). In EU air passenger rights contexts (Reglamento CE 261/2004), indemnización is the standard term. Learners need to know: cobrar una indemnización (to receive compensation), reclamar una indemnización (to claim compensation), and solicitar una indemnización (to apply for compensation).
Common mistake
English speakers may reach for compensación, which exists in Spanish but is broader (compensation of any type, including non-monetary). In air passenger disputes, indemnización is the precise term. Also note: the verb form is indemnizar, not *indemnifizar.