Verbs - one word translations

Question

There are a few verbs in Spanish that do not have a ONE WORD equivalent in English. Can anyone add any more to the following list ?

To dry in the sun - asolear

To turn sour - avinagrarse

To not worry - despreocuparse

To make narrow - estrechar

To have had enough - hartar

To become tearful - lagrimear

To get up early - madrugar

To put on make-up - maquillar

To fry lightly - rehogar

To arrange in numerical order - secuenciar

To stay up late - trasnochar

To spend the summer/ summer holidays - veranear

• Good topic :) - bomberapolac Dec 4, 2010

Answer 1

Estrenar -- to use for the first time

• That's one I always miss in English. Nice! - lazarus1907 Dec 3, 2010
• This one comes fist to my mind as well. - bomberapolac Dec 4, 2010
• but in another context can't it simply be "to premiere?" - qfreed Dec 4, 2010
• It is, for movies, but not for trousers, for example. - lazarus1907 Dec 4, 2010

Answer 2

There are lots of verbs that in English are expressed with "to get + past participle":

to get tired = cansarse

to be frustrated = frustrarse

to get wet = mojarse

This "get + ***-ed" list could be very long indeed.

I like this thread.

• one more * and it could be an obscenity:) - Yeser007 Dec 3, 2010
• nice one - qfreed Dec 4, 2010

Answer 3

to improve a fig-tree; that is, to string up some male figs, and hang them on the branches of the female fig-tree to make it produce better fruit - cabrahigar

I'm constantly amazed that English hasn't reduced this to one word yet.

• Hahaha. We learn that verb before "ser" or "estar" when we are children. - lazarus1907 Dec 5, 2010

Answer 4

Buscar - To look for Acostarse - To go to bed Despertarse - To wake up Recoger - To pick up Desayunar - To eat breakfast Almorzar - To eat lunch Cenar - To eat dinner Escuchar - To listen / listen to

• Despertarse could be " to retire" - ian-hill Dec 4, 2010

Answer 5

Does anyone remember this thread?

link text

....to have breakfast = desayunar

I got sent to the "dunce corner" for suggesting that one Laz. Technically "to breakfast" is a verb.

• I got sent....I was sent....maybe it wasn't so unjust. - qfreed Dec 4, 2010
• "to lunch" and "to breakfast" have become usable English verbs in recent years. - ian-hill Dec 4, 2010
• I got sent - is this bad English? ....or just British? hahaha - patch Dec 4, 2010

Answer 6

calzar - to wear a shoe size of..., por ejemplo: Calzo un 38.

• Nice one! - lazarus1907 Dec 5, 2010

Answer 7

I have often wondered why there are so many "one-word" verbs in Spanish that somehow never got "adopted" into English.

After all we have adopted so many other words from many other languages.

• Maybe the reason for that is the fact that Spaniards never stop eating and drinking and so they have to be economical with words ;P ;P - bomberapolac Dec 5, 2010

Answer 8

Not a terribly useful one (more than "cabrahigar"), but here it goes:

desafinar: to be /sing/play out of tune

Answer 9

Very interesting thread. I'll keep an eye on this one:

to look for / try to find = buscar

to have breakfast = desayunar

to have lunch = almorzar

to have dinner = cenar (yes, you also have "to dine", but it is not as common)

To have had enough - hartar

That'll be "hartarse".

To go to bed late - trasnochar

The most common use for this verb is "to stay up late", or even "not to sleep the whole night".

• Regarding hartarse: "Estoy harto" means "I have had enough", so why isn't it "Me estoy harto" ? - peterpierre Dec 4, 2010
• Can't be the word "buscar" translated as "to seek"? That will be one-word equivalent.. - bomberapolac Dec 4, 2010
• buscar could be "to seek" - ian-hill Dec 4, 2010
• Do you normally say "I am seeking my trousers" or "I'm looking for my trousers"? In Spanish it would be "Estoy buscando mis pantalones". - lazarus1907 Dec 4, 2010
• Of course not - but ........... - ian-hill Dec 4, 2010
View 1 more commments >>

Answer 10

I started this thread because someone remarked jokingly that there was probably a verb for everything in Spanish. So a discussion ensued debating whether there are actually more verbs (individual infinitives) in Spanish than there are in English.

See new thread link text:

Answer 11

apartarse = to move out of the way / to withdraw from a suit

acercarse = to bring/move closer

Answer 12

Gekko opened this thread some time ago, it was not only verbs, but it certainly has a lot of verbs in it

One-Word Concepts without direct translation.

• Thanks! - lazarus1907 Dec 13, 2010

Answer 13

gentilicio: name of the inhabitants of a country or region etc

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