Verbs Flashcards
to apply (an ointment or a cream, or a rule, etc)
aplicar
If you don’t want to have pimples, apply this cream
Si no quieres tener granos, aplícate esta crema
to apply (to an institution)
solicitar plaza en, postular a
I want to apply to Harvard
Quiero solicitar plaza en Harvard
And that goes for you as well!
¡Y aplícate eso tú también!
to write down, or to aim
apuntar
I have to write down your address
Tengo que apuntar tus señas
The hunter aimed and shot
El cazador apuntó y disparó
to appoint
nombrar
The president appoints the judges of the Supreme Court
El presidente nombra a los jueces de la Corte Suprema
to write someone’s name on a list, to sign somebody up
apuntar a alguien
to attend (an event such as a lecture, a concert, a party, a conference, etc)
asistir
Nobody attended the meeting yesterday
Nadie asistió a la reunión de ayer
to assist someone
ayudar, atender
I want you to assist me with this project
Quiero que me ayudes con este proyecto
I’m going to help the client
Voy a atender al cliente
to serve, to take care, or to look after
atender
I have to take care of this patient
Tengo que atender a este paciente
to attend (an event)
asistir a
I want to attend the lecture
Quiero asistir a la conferencia
to pay attention
estar atento/a
to inform, to let someone know, to call to one’s attention, or to warn beforehand
avisar
Let me know if you cannot come
Avísame si no puedes venir
to advise
aconsejar
I advise you to study for the exam
Te aconsejo que estudies para el examen
the warning, the notice
el aviso
to armor-plate or to shield
blindar
The president’s car will be armor-plated to protect it against assassination attempts
Van a blindar el coche del presidente para protegerlo contra atentados
to blind
cegar, dejar ciego, deslumbrar
On leaving the cavern we were blinded by the lights
Cuando salimos de la caverna nos deslumbraron las luces
a bulletproof vest
el chaleco antibalas
to compromise (in the sense of to jeopardize, or to put someone in a predicament)
comprometer
to commit oneself to something (ie politics, etc), or to get engaged
comprometerse
Your signature obliges you to pay the invoice
Su firma le compromete a pagar la factura
María y Eliseo got engaged in Las Vegas
María y Eliseo se comprometieron en Las Vegas
to compromise
llegar a un acuerdo mutuo, llegar a un compromiso
We agreed to share the expenses of the trip
Llegamos a un acuerdo para compartir los gastos del viaje
to answer or to reply to a question or a letter
contestar
The actress did not answer the questions
La actriz no contestó a las preguntas
to contest
impugnar (una decisión)
The lawyers contested the judge’s decision
Los abogados impugnaron la decisión del juez
to answer the phone
contestar el teléfono
to crash or to collide
chocar
The driver was drunk, so the bus collided with a tree
Como el conductor iba borracho, el autobús chocó contra un árbol
to choke
ahogarse, asfixiarse, (~ on something) atragantarse
Ana almost choked on a fish-bone
Ana casi se atragantó con una espina de pescado
give me five!
¡choca esos cinco!
to sue in a court of law
demandar
He sued the insurance company for fraud
Demandó a la compañía de seguros por fraude
to demand
pedir, exigir, reclamar, reivindicar
He demanded compensation from the company
Exigió una compensación a la compañía
to contend or disagree, to argue
discutir
They started to argue in public
Se pusieron a discutir en público
to discuss
hablar de
Let’s discuss the matter at the meeting
Vamos a hablar del asunto en la reunión
to upset, to trouble someone mentally or emotionally, or to be displeased
disgustar
I was very displeased by your behavior
Me disgustó mucho tu comportamiento
to disgust
dar asco, repugnar
Frog legs disgust me
Las ancas de rana me dan asco.
to be really upset
tener un disgusto
to enjoy oneself, to have fun, or to have a good time
divertirse
I always have fun in Spanish class
Siempre me divierto en la clase de español
to divert
desviar
We had to divert the course of the river to irrigate the field
Tuvimos que desviar el río para regar el campo.
have a nice time!, enjoy yourself / yourselves!
¡que te diviertas / os divirtáis / se diviertan!
to dredge
dragar
We have to dredge the lake behind the house
Hay que dragar el lago detrás de la casa
to drag
arrastrar
The boy got off the train and dragged his heavy suitcase on the platform
El chico se bajó del tren y arrastró su pesada valija por el andén
to wrap or to envelop
envolver
I wrapped the gift and gave it to my mother
Envolví el regalo y se lo di a mi mamá
to involve
implicar, involucrar
I don’t want to involve you in my problem
No quiero involucrarte en mi problema
to wrap oneself in something
envolverse en
to make narrower,to tighten
estrechar(se)
My wool dress shrank after washing it
Mi vestido de lana se estrechó después de lavarlo
to stretch
estirar
Before going out running I do stretching exercises
Antes de salir a correr hago ejercicios para estirar los músculos
to shake hands
estrechar la mano
to stretch one’s muscles
estirarse
to arouse sexually, or to get overexcited or nervous, eg from caffeine
excitar
Coffee makes me jumpy but tea doesn’t
El café me excita pero el té no
to get excited or enthusiastic
entusiasmar, entusiasmarse por / con
She was so excited she couldn’t stop talking about the performance
Estaba tan entusiasmada que no paraba de hablar de la representación
to be excited about something that’s coming up, to feel like doing something
tener ganas de
to manufacture, to make or to produce
fabricar
That company manufactures spare parts for cars
Esa compañía fabrica piezas de repuesto para carros
to fabricate
inventar, mentir
The defendant fabricated a believable defense
El acusado se inventó una defensa verosímil
made in Chile
fabricado en Chile
to record, to tape, or to engrave on a surface
grabar
I am going to record the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games
Voy a grabar la ceremonia de apertura de los Juegos Olímpicos
to grab, to take
coger (mainly Spain), agarrar (mainly Latin America)
I took the subway to arrive on time for the meeting
Cogí / agarré el metro para llegar a tiempo a la reunión
an engraving
un grabado
to try
intentar
The old man tried to get up from his chair
El anciano intentó levantarse de la silla
to intend
tener la intención de (hacer algo), pensar (hacer algo)
We intend to travel to China this summer
Pensamos viajar a China este verano
give it a try!
¡inténtalo!
don’t even try it!
¡ni lo intentes!
to insert or to put in
introducir
Insert a quarter in the vending machine
Introduce una moneda de 25 centavos en la máquina
to introduce one person to another
presentar a alguien
I want to introduce you to my cousin the guitar player
Te quiero presentar a mi prima la guitarrista
to handle, to use or to operate (a machine). In Latin America it means to drive (conducir is used in Spain)
manejar
We have to learn to operate new technology
Tenemos que aprender a manejar la nueva tecnología
to manage
lograr, conseguir, dirigir (una compañía, un proyecto)
That young man managed to win the election. Now he manages the project
Ese joven logró ganar las elecciones. Ahora dirige el proyecto
to bother
molestar
The noise of the road bothers me
Me molesta el ruido de la carretera
to molest
abusar
The criminal went to jail for molesting minors
El criminal fue a prisión por abusar de menores
do not disturb
No molestar
to move something in a physical sense, to change position
mover
My back hurts and I can’t move my legs
Me duele la espalda y no puedo mover las piernas
to move one’s residence
mudarse
They moved to a new house on the coast
Ellos se mudaron a una nueva casa en la costa
to move emotionally
conmover
The guitar concert moved us deeply
El concierto de guitarra nos conmovió profundamente
the move
la mudanza
to sponsor
patrocinar
Goldman Sachs is sponsoring the art exhibit
Goldman Sachs patrocina la exhibición de arte
to patronize (a shop or a restaurant)
frecuentar, ser cliente de
We will not patronize a store that treats its employees badly
No somos clientes de una tienda que trata mal a sus empleados
to patronize (treat condescendingly)
tratar con condescendencia o paternalismo
No one likes to be patronized
A nadie le gusta que lo traten con condescendencia
under the auspices of …
patrocinado por …
to present an idea or situation for attention or consideration
plantear
to pose a problem
plantear un problema)
to raise a question
plantear una pregunta
to suggest something
plantear una sugerencia
The lawyer posed the problem to the jury
El abogado le planteó el problema al jurado
to plant
plantar
Onions are planted in the spring
Las cebollas se plantan en primavera
to stand someone up
dejar plantado a alguien
to brag, show off, boast, or to be conceited
presumir
He can’t stop boasting about his new BMW convertible
No para de presumir de su nuevo BMW descapotable
to presume
suponer
Even though I know few people, I presume I’ll go to the party
Aunque no conozco a mucha gente, supongo que iré a la fiesta
to aspire, to expect or to attempt to do something
pretender
This year Juan aspires to win the New York marathon
Este año Juan pretende ganar el maratón de Nueva York
to pretend
fingir, aparentar
He likes to pretend that he speaks Japanese, but he only knows a few words
Le gusta fingir que habla japonés, pero sólo sabe unas palabras
to want somebody to do something
pretender que alguien haga algo
to try or to taste
probar
You have to taste my asparagus soup
Tienes que probar mi sopa de espárragos
Did you try on the dress I bought you?
¿Te probaste el vestido que te compré?
to probe
investigar, sondar (medicine)
This matter needs much probing
Esta cuestión requiere mucha investigación
to probe into
escarbar en
to manage, to try to do something, or to make sure
procurar
Try / Make sure to arrive on time for your own wedding!
¡Procura llegar a tiempo para tu propia boda!
to procure
obtener, conseguir
The government wants to procure more troops
El gobierno quiere conseguir más tropas
to remove, or to get out (a stain), or to take something away from someone else
quitar
They took away his cell phone on the first day of class
Le quitaron su teléfono móvil el primer día de clase
to quit
dejar (a job), dejar de, abandonar, irse, marcharse, salir de
She quit her job because she wasn’t being paid enough
Dejó su trabajo porque no le pagaban lo suficiente
Pedro quit smoking when he was 30
Pedro dejó de fumar cuando tenía 30 años
to clear the table
quitar la mesa
removable; detachable
de quita y pon
to realize (in the sense of making real), to fulfill
realizar
He realized his dream of becoming a doctor
Él realizó su sueño de llegar a ser médico
to realize (in the sense of becoming aware)
darse cuenta de
He realized that he had made a mistake
Él se dio cuenta de que había cometido un error
to remember, to recall or to remind someone
recordar
I don’t remember the name of your street
No recuerdo el nombre de tu calle
to record
grabar
Can you record some CDs for the party?
¿Puedes grabar unos discos para la fiesta?
to remind somebody of something
recordarle algo a alguien
to tell a story
relatar
I am going to tell you a story
Te voy a relatar un cuento
to relate
relacionar
I don’t want to relate one thing with another. They are separate
No quiero relacionar una cosa con la otra. Son dos cosas diferentes
to stir or to turn something
remover
I have to stir the rice
Tengo que remover el arroz
to remove
sacar, quitar
This detergent is expensive, but it does remove stains
Este detergente es caro, pero saca / quita las manchas
stain remover
el quitamanchas
to move heaven and earth
remover Roma con Santiago
to subtract or to take away
restar
You have to subtract the taxes to know how much you are earning
Tienes que restar los impuestos para saber cuánto ganas
to rest
descansar
This weekend I am not going to go out, I’m resting
Este fin de semana no voy a salir, voy a descansar
to minimize or to play down the importance of something
restarle importancia a algo
to summarize
resumir
The lecturer summarized yesterday’s events
El conferenciante resumió los eventos de ayer
to resume
continuar, empezar de nuevo, reanudar
After the applause, the violinist resumed playing
Después de los aplausos, el violinista continuó su concierto
to resume a speech
tomar el hilo de un discurso
to remove, to take away, to withdraw, or to pull out from a competition
retirar
They removed the old flag and put a new one in its place
Retiraron la vieja bandera y pusieron una nueva
The trainer withdrew the player five minutes after the match began
El entrenador retiró al jugador a los cinco minutos del comienzo del partido
to retire from a job
jubilarse
Pepe retired from his job at the age of 65
Pepe se jubiló de su trabajo a los 65 años
to stir or to rummage through
revolver
He rummaged through my things without my consent
Revolvió en mis cosas sin mi permiso
to revolve
rotar, girar
He is so conceited that he thinks the world revolves around him
Es tan engreído que cree que el mundo gira a su alrededor
it turns my stomach
me revuelve el estómago
to stand, to bear or to endure
soportar
I can’t stand this heat!
¡No soporto este calor!
to support (ie supporting someone in an economic sense)
mantener
I need to work overtime to support my family
Necesito hacer horas extra para mantener a mi familia
to support (an idea or someone)
apoyar, respaldar
I support you in whatever you do
Yo te apoyo en cualquier cosa que hagas
I support your idea
Respaldo tu idea.
to support (a physical structure)
sostener
Four Doric columns support the roof of this ancient temple
Cuatro columnas dóricas sostienen el techo de este templo antiguo
I can’t stand him / it
¡no lo soporto!
to happen
suceder
He looks quite sad. Has something happened to him?
Parece bastante preocupado. ¿Le ha sucedido algo?
to succeed
tener éxito, lograr, triunfar
He bought the book Speed Up Your Spanish and succeeded in passing his Spanish exam
Compró el libro Speed Up Your Spanish y logró aprobar el examen de español
whatever happens
suceda lo que suceda
to fail an exam, to cancel, postpone or call off an event
suspender
He did not study much for the exam and he failed it
No estudió mucho para el examen y lo suspendió
They cancelled the concert because of low attendance
Suspendieron el concierto por falta de público
to suspend
colgar
They hung the chandelier from the ballroom ceiling
Colgaron la araña de luces en el techo del salón de baile
suspenders
los tirantes
to treat a disease, or to treat someone well or badly
tratar
That doctor treated me very well
Ese doctor me trató muy bien
to try to do something
tratar de + infinitive, procurar hacer algo
I try to lose weight, but it’s so hard!
Trato de (procuro) adelgazar, pero ¡es tan difícil!
to be about
tratar de + noun
What is that book about? It is about globalization
¿De qué trata ese libro? Trata de la globalización
to deal with someone
tratar con
In my job I deal with all kinds of people
En mi trabajo trato con gente de todo tipo
to address somebody as ‘usted’ or ‘tú’
tratar a alguien de usted / tú
