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retén

checkpoint

noun rreh-TEN Rare

Also means

reserve unit

Usage Note

Retén has two main meanings: a police or military checkpoint (un retén de policía) and a reserve unit or standby squad kept ready for deployment. In Latin American countries the first sense — a roadside checkpoint — is very common. The plural is retenes. The accent on the e shifts the stress to the final syllable, which is regular for words ending in a consonant other than n/s.

Examples

"El coche fue detenido en un retén policial."

Natural Translation

The car was stopped at a police checkpoint.

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