Verbs - one word translations
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
13 Answers
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.
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.
Estrenar -- to use for the first time
Not a terribly useful one (more than "cabrahigar"), but here it goes:
desafinar: to be /sing/play out of tune
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.
calzar - to wear a shoe size of..., por ejemplo: Calzo un 38.
Does anyone remember this thread?
....to have breakfast = desayunar
I got sent to the "dunce corner" for suggesting that one Laz. Technically "to breakfast" is a verb.
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
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:
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".
Gekko opened this thread some time ago, it was not only verbs, but it certainly has a lot of verbs in it
gentilicio: name of the inhabitants of a country or region etc
Collins Dictionary
apartarse = to move out of the way / to withdraw from a suit
acercarse = to bring/move closer
