enfrentarse, afrontar and hacer frente Flashcards
Enfrentar(se)
In Spain, the pronominal (reflexive) form is by far the most common option when meaning
1. ‘tener ante sí una dificultad o verla como inminente’ or 2. ‘ponerse frente a frente con algo en actitud de oposición o provocación’ .
In the present and past imperfect, enfrentarse tends to take on the first interpretation, i.e. the state of facing something undesirable; whereas, in the preterite and other contexts implying a conscious action, it may refer to the second option, i.e. the act of confronting.
The non-pronominal form, enfrentar, is more common in Latin America instead of enfrentarse or afrontar
Enfrentarse may also have a reciprocal meaning.
They face/are facing a serious crisis
-Se enfrentan a (hacen frente a) una grave crisis — [‘Se enfrentan’= tienen por delante; ‘hacen frente’= lidian con]
They knew they were facing a serious crisis
Sabían que se enfrentaban a una grave crisis
He had to face his own fears
Tuvo que enfrentarse a (afrontar; hacerle frente a) sus propios miedos — [‘Enfrentarse a’=ponerse frente a frente con; ‘afrontar’=no eludir; ‘hacerle frente’=lidiar con/atajar]
It’s one of the biggest environmental problems we face [Tenemos por delante]
Es uno de los mayores problemas medioambientales a los que nos enfrentamos
He could be facing 35 years in prison [‘Enfrentarse a’= tener por delante]
Podría enfrentarse a (hacer frente??; afrontar??) 35 años de prisión — [‘Enfrentarse a’= tener por delante]
They are facing a well-prepared army [Tienen por delante]
Se enfrentan a (hacen frente a??) un ejército muy preparado
They faced/were facing a well-prepared army
Se enfrentaban a (hacían frente a) un ejército muy preparado — [‘Hacían frente’ suena a que ya estaban oponiéndose; ‘enfrentarse’ nos dice que lo tenían por delante]
They faced/confronted a well-prepared army
Se enfrentaron a (hicieron frente a; afrontaron??) un ejército muy preparado —
[‘Hicieron frente’ sounds like they managed to stand up to them, while ‘se enfrentaron’ only tells us there was a confrontation]
He confronted/stood up to/faced the director
Se enfrentó a/con el director - Se puso frente a frente con él en actitud de oposición o provocación]
We can face the future with optimism [In Spain: afrontar]
Podemos enfrentar el futuro con optimismo
Afrontar
In general, afrontar suggests the idea of facing up to something, dealing with it, or preparing oneself for it –as opposed to evading or avoiding it.
Unlike hacer frente, which implies opposition or confrontation, afrontar generally means that someone is willing to deal with or accept something that requires some kind of effort or unpleasantness.
Afrontar is generally only used with situations or things, rather than people.
In Spain, the non-pronominal form tends to mean ‘poner a dos personas o cosas frente a frente’.
Tomorrow’s match will bring the two teams head to head
El partido de mañana enfrentará a los dos equipos
That decision brought me face to face with my own fears
Esa decisión me enfrentó a mis miedos
They came face to face in the park
Se enfrentaron en el parque
