What does “súbdito” mean in Spanish?
Daenerys castiga a los grandes amos crucificados
B1 Spanish listening practice · Spanish · Picked for people who know some
A súbdito is a subject of a crown or state — a person under a sovereign’s rule. Don’t let it collide with English “subject”: a school subject is una asignatura or materia, and the subject of a sentence or conversation is el tema or el sujeto. Súbdito is specifically about political allegiance, which is why you meet it in news (“súbditos británicos”) and in anything royal, historical, or imperial.
The line “Estas personas son sus súbditos” — “These people are your subjects” — uses it in its pure sense: a newly conquered population now owing loyalty to a ruler. It pairs naturally with corona (“crown”), reino (“kingdom”), and lealtad (“loyalty”). A handy contrast: ciudadano stresses rights and citizenship, while súbdito stresses being ruled — the older, more vertical relationship.
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-ESP 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.