Enterarse, averiguar, darse cuenta de
Are all of these exaclty the same, or do they each have their own special context?
I learned "averiguar" at first, but most the time I use "darse cuenta". I've been reading a book and they always use "enterarse".
I feel they're the same, but I could be wrong.
5 Answers
... and "darse cuenta" is like "to realize": to understand a situation, normally in a sudden manner.
Enterarse, to me, fits best in the context of finding out because you are told something, averiguar is more like, to find out as a result of an investigation whether formal or informal, and darse cuenta is more like, you realize something on your own.
Here is an explanation of the difference that I find very concise and helpful (quoted from another forum).
Cuando averiguas algo, es que lo has investigado y cuando te enteras de algo es porque te lo han contado (ya sea por la tv, te lo cuenta un amigo o lo lees en el periodico).
Hay una otra palabra con la misma significación : cerciorarse
Yes I agree with the above answers. Averiguar and enterarse can still be thought of being used interchangeable without compromising much with the meaning of your communication but darse cuenta is a different thing altogether. Darse cuento is just to realize something either all of a sudden or as a consequence of some other event. For example .. me doy cuenta que no desayune cuando me puse enfermo. (i realised that I havent had my breakfast when I fell sick). and you can't use either of the other two in this context.
