Afectades

Afectades is the feminine plural form of the past participle of the Catalan verb afectar, used as an adjective or as a nominal group meaning the affected people. It agrees in gender and number with the nouns it modifies; the masculine plural form is afectats and the feminine singular form is afectada. In standard usage, affected is typically expressed in phrases such as les afectades (the affected women) or les persones afectades (the affected people).

The term is common in journalism, public administration, and social discourse to refer to individuals or groups who have been harmed, influenced, or otherwise impacted by an event, policy, illness, or disaster. It does not designate a distinct legal category; rather, it describes a state or condition. In news reporting, affected individuals may be named explicitly or described with modifiers, for example, les afectades pel temporal or les persones afectades per la crisi econòmica.

Usage tips and notes: because afectarse is used to convey impact or harm, its application can be broad, ranging from health and safety to social and economic effects. When used as a standalone noun form in headlines or concise notes, afectades can appear without a preceding article, though in full prose it typically appears with a definite article (les afectades) or as part of a larger noun phrase.

Etymology: afecte in Catalan derives from the verb afectar, itself from Latin afficere, with the participle ending -at/-ada/-ats/-ades forming gendered and number-inflected forms.