Averiguar vs. enterar
2
votes
Are there subtle usage differences between the two that I should be aware of? Gracias?
9781 views
updated Apr 6, 2011
posted by Bob_C
Good question! - --Mariana--, Apr 6, 2011
2 Answers
4
votes
They are not subtle at all, because their meanings are completely different. "Enterar" means to inform, to pay or to complete, while "averiguar" means to find out. However, "enterarse", which is a different verb, means to get informed, to find out, and this one is practically the same as "averiguar".
updated Jul 14, 2012
posted by lazarus1907
1
vote
Hi, Bob!
For me, averiguar algo means that you were looking for some information (voluntarily, inquiring) until finding it, whereas enterarse de algo commonly implies that you have known something in a more casual way.
updated Apr 6, 2011
posted by cogumela
True, although you can also say "Voy a enterarme" with the sense of "Voy a averiguarlo". - lazarus1907, Apr 6, 2011
So the difference then is that you exert effort in finding out something with "averiguar," and with "enterarse de" the information just happened to come to you without necessarily looking for it, right? - Deanski, Apr 6, 2011
That's the idea, Deans, but, as Lazarus pointed, there are somes cases in which they work almost as synonyms. - cogumela, Apr 6, 2011
