rehén

In a sentence

• El ladrón tomó a un rehén para escapar.

  The thief took a hostage in order to escape.

  In this sentence, 'rehén' is used to denote a person captured by someone to secure the fulfillment of a condition by others, commonly used in contexts involving criminal acts or negotiations.

• Los negociadores intentaban liberar al rehén sin violencia.

  The negotiators tried to free the hostage without violence.

  Here, 'rehén' continues to represent the individual being held captive, but the focus of the sentence is on the efforts to resolve the situation peacefully.

• Me siento como un rehén de mis propias decisiones.

  I feel like a hostage of my own decisions.

  In this example, 'rehén' is used metaphorically to express being constrained or at the mercy of one's own choices, showcasing its figurative application in language.