guardias

Guardias is the plural of guardia in Spanish. The word has several related senses. It can refer to a person who guards or protects, such as a security guard, a member of a police or military guard, or an official guard force (for example, la Guardia Civil or la Guardia Nacional, depending on the country). It can also denote a period of duty or on-call service, that is, a shift during which someone is on duty, as used in hospitals, fire brigades, or emergency services; phrases like guardias médicas or guardias nocturnas are common in everyday speech.

In institutional usage, guardia appears in the names of security or law enforcement bodies and in historical or geographic contexts. The term may describe a guard post, a fortress, or a similar place associated with protection or surveillance. When referring to multiple people, shifts, or units, the plural guardias is used, with the exact meaning clarified by context.

The word is widely used in Spanish-speaking countries to talk about work schedules and protective roles. In formal contexts, it helps name organized services maintained by the state or local authorities, while in casual speech it can simply mean “guards” or “duty shifts” without implying a particular institution.