Dar, Regalar, and Conceder

Question

I saw a previous post from some years back explaining the differences between dar and regalar. I was curious if someone could go more in depth in their usage and add conceder to the discussion.

When should I use each of these? Is there a preference for one over the others in certain situations?

Any further insight into these three verbs would be appreciated.

Welcome to SpanishDict. We ask that all new members complete their profiles with their native language, and what level of Spanish you feel you are, like, beginner, intermediate, etc. as well as gender. - ray76, Oct 5, 2016

Answer 1

I have no idea what your Spanish level is since you haven't filled out your profile, but I'm going to assume you're just starting? Dar, regalar and conceder are not so closely related that a novice should be confusing them, and the situations where they might be 'interchangeable' would be rare for a beginning Spanish speaker.

Have you read the dictionary entries for these words on this site? They have wonderful examples of usage.

Regarding 'dar' and 'regalar', one major difference is that 'regalar' just about always has the since of a 'gift' or something given without cost, or 'free'. Ex,

• ¿Me das ese libro?
  ¿Me regalas ese libro?

Completely different meanings, roughly saying "Can/will you give me that book?" meaning, "Will you hand it to me?", but the second is saying "Can/will you give me that book?", with "for free" or "as a gift" being assumed.

Another example, my pastor sent me this message regarding the music for a service, "Jack, nos regalas un archivo de las canciones con la notas plis.". In this usage, normally the verb would be "send me the file" (mandar) but in this context it is like "Jack, be a nice guy and send us the pdf file of the songs with the notes, because we would really appreciate it". Does that make sense?

As far as 'conceder' goes, in some senses it's a lot like 'regalar' but it has the added sense of maybe being an award, or something won in a legal battle, or you were given something that you didn't deserve maybe.
"Mi hermano concedió que yo tenia razón"
Kind of has the sense that maybe we were arguing and he finally admitted that I was right. I'm sure there are better examples.

¡Bingo! Has dado en el clavo una vez mas. - Daniela2041, Oct 4, 2016

Gracias - Jack-OBrien, Oct 4, 2016

Beautiful Jack I now understand , that was a concise and clear explanation , thank you , and also thanks for mentioning the lack of profile which is so important especially in this instance. - ray76, Oct 5, 2016

Thank you Ray! - Jack-OBrien, Oct 5, 2016