Spanish verbs that are not in English.

Question

How about a list of Spanish verbs that do not exist in English,

Examples:

Nacer - to be born. Suicidarse - to commit suicide.

Any more?

That's hard! I can't think of any right now, but will be interested in what other people post. - jtt96, Mar 16, 2011

wow! look at all these answers!!! - jtt96, Mar 17, 2011

My e-mail box was so full of alerts to this thread I thought for a moment that i was getting spamed. - jtt96, Mar 17, 2011

Answer 1

Maquillarse = to put on make up

Acostumbrarse = to get used

Probarse = to try on

Cogu: maquillarse: to *put on* make up :) - Deanski, Mar 17, 2011

"to put make-up on" - chicasabrosa, Mar 17, 2011

In England we would say to put on make up as we do not like to use split infinitives - FELIZ77, Mar 17, 2011

Gracias Deans, Chica and Feliz! :) - cogumela, Mar 18, 2011

That's not splitting an infinitive,that's the difference between a seprable and inseprable phrasal verb.There are many in both British and American English.Put on is officially seprable acording to the OED.In general whenever you can seperate you should. - rabbitwho, Mar 21, 2011

A split infinitive, on the other hand, is when you put an adverb between "to" and the infinitive. Most famous example "To boldly go where no man has gone before." Most gramarians nowadays agree there is nothing wrong with this practice. - rabbitwho, Mar 21, 2011

But I want my students "to not do it" :)) - ian-hill, Mar 23, 2011

Just agreeing with Chica, it's either makeup or make-up, but I don't believe I have ever seen "make up" as a noun...interestingly, it can be used a verb though.... - cristalino, Apr 6, 2011

Answer 2

enamorarse = to fall in love

isn't this the same as the English word "enamor" or "enamored"? - Gillygaloo, Apr 6, 2011

Answer 3

Trasnochar = to stay up late

Madrugar = to get up early

m - nike907, Mar 16, 2011

My Colombian friend uses 'Madrugar' in normal conversation. - nike907, Mar 16, 2011

Al que madruga Dios lo ayuda. - LuisCache, Mar 17, 2011

No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano. - LuisCache, Mar 17, 2011

Colombians use trasnochar all the time too, is it not more literal, i.e. go through the night, rather than stay up late? - afowen, Mar 17, 2011

Answer 4

Abalizar- To mark with buoys

Desdecir- to fall short of, to not live up to, to be unworthy

Desinflamar- to reduce swelling or inflammation

Enloquecer- to drive crazy or mad

Entreabrir- to open halfway

Jacarear- to roam the streets at night making merry

Jarapotear- to stuff with drugs/medicine

Quimerizar- to have fanciful ideas

Teleguiar/ Teledirigir- to operate by remote control

Veranear- to spend the summer

Zozobrar- to be shiprecked

That deserves a vote - or two - :) - ian-hill, Apr 4, 2011

Nice work! - pesta, Apr 4, 2011

Answer 5

Soler - to be used to, to usually ...

I can't find the meaning of "to be used to" connected with soler in the dictionary :( - rabbitwho, Mar 21, 2011

Ej:"Cuando era pequeño,solía pasear con mi madre por el parque". - lukaaxx, Mar 21, 2011

"Al Capone dijo en cierta ocasión : No suelo perder el tiempo pagando impuestos" - lukaaxx, Mar 21, 2011

"We used to go the beach every year"="Solìamos ir todos los años a la playa" - lukaaxx, Mar 21, 2011

Answer 6

Tutear: to address informally (as "tú")

Answer 7

cabrahigar--If I ever perform this action and need to describe it in English, I'll just use the Spanish word.

me too :) - ian-hill, Mar 17, 2011

why?? what is it? something naughty ??? - peoplesCHAMPION, Apr 4, 2011

Answer 8

aprovechar = to make the most of

often used as "to take advantage of" as well... "si el momento se dio, aprovechalo" - "if the moment is given, take advantage of it." =) - DJ_Huero, Mar 17, 2011

Answer 9

desayunar

intransitive verb

to have breakfast

desayunarse

pronomial verb also:

to have for breakfast

Se desayunaron con café y tostadas -> they had coffee and toast for breakfast

Vote but "to breakfast" and "to lunch" have crept into the English language though. - ian-hill, Mar 17, 2011

Thanks for the information. - LuisCache, Mar 17, 2011

Crept in? Break-fast. Break is a verb, to breakfast - always normal. To dine, to lunch - fine. To elevense would be odd though... - afowen, Mar 17, 2011

@ I don't agree - what you say is true but "to breakfast" as in "I am breakfasting" is kind of new. - ian-hill, Mar 18, 2011

We always had "to dine" (dinner) for example but "to lunch / breakfast" are quite new in normal conversation. - ian-hill, Mar 18, 2011

The OED has examples of "breakfast" used just like this from 1752 and 1883 and as "break-fast" from earlier. The quotation from 1823 about "lunch" is a complaint that the "vulgar" usage "to lunch" has now become common in polite circles. - aneel, Mar 21, 2011

Interesting - I must have missed that while Iwas growing up :) - ian-hill, Mar 21, 2011

Fair play, it's dead posh like to use breakfast as a verb, never said where I grew up, then again, the use of dine as a verb is limited to specific social groups... - afowen, Mar 22, 2011

Answer 10

Amanecer - To dawn - Used interchangably with Madrugar

also used in this sense "¿cómo ameneciste? = how was your sleep? - Deanski, Mar 17, 2011

Answer 11

Regalar - to give a gift, give something away for free

English does have "gift" as a verb, though. - Luciente, Mar 17, 2011

Regale... - afowen, Mar 17, 2011

Answer 12

Just a few words starting with "a" (farm from exhaustive):

alfabetizar = to teach to read and write

acostumbrarse

alargarse = to go on (speaking) for a long time

aficionarse

abrigar

adueñarse

asesorar = to give professional or legal advice

atragantarse = to lose the thread of what you were is saying

anteponer

acatarrarse

achicharrar = to fry to a crisp

abombar

abaratarse

amadrinar

arraigarse

ampararse

abalanzarse

acobardarse

amotinarse

ahondarse

arremangarse

arrinconar = to put in a corner

acartonarse

achicar

avalar = to act as guarantor for someone under contract

agolparse = to come one on top of another

asomarse = to come out to look

arrimar(se)

aclarar = to get light

aplatanarse

amodorrarse

apadrinar

Gracias. - I am going to have to make a summary of all the Spanish verbs in this thread, : - ian-hill, Apr 6, 2011

Yes, I was going to suggest that. - lazarus1907, Apr 6, 2011

Answer 13

desvelar = to keep awake

Answer 14

Perrear - the word used to define the way people dance reggeton, in which a boy and a girl are face to face or the boy behind the girl and they dance at the same time, really close together.

Sandunguear - to party hard

Chambonear - to wind it up, usually the context of dancing/partying to caribbean rhythms like reggaeton, merengue, mambo, and bachateo.

Perrear - to dog - that exists in English... - afowen, Mar 17, 2011

True; technically, "perreando" would be "dogging", even if the meanings are different. - 002067fe, Apr 3, 2011

Answer 15

desconocer - not to know; to be unacquainted with