vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Cobrar" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "to charge for", and "cargar" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "to load". Learn more about the difference between "cobrar" and "cargar" below.
cobrar(
koh
-
brahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to charge for
¿A cuánto cobran el corte de cabello en ese salón?How much do they charge for a haircut in that salon?
b. to collect
Ojalá ya tengas el dinero, porque mañana vienen a cobrártelo.I hope you already have the money, because tomorrow they're coming to collect it.
3. (to acquire)
a. to fetch
El husky de mis vecinos cobra las pelotas del campo de béisbol.My neighbor's husky fetches balls from the baseball field.
6. (decision by a referee) (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
a. to call (United States)
Regionalism used in the United States
Perdimos porque el árbitro no cobró dos penales.We lost because the referee didn't call two penalties.
b. to call for
El director técnico le pidió al árbitro que cobrara saque de banda y anulara el gol.The coach asked the referee to call for a foul throw-in and disallow the goal.
c. to blow for (United Kingdom)
Regionalism used in the United Kingdom
El árbitro cobró un penal pero el línea no estuvo de acuerdo.The referee blew for a penalty but the linesman disagreed.
7. (to take a shot) (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
10. (colloquial) (to get a beating)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. to pay
Cuando te atrape, vas a cobrar por romperme el celular.When I catch you, you're going to pay for breaking my cell phone.
cobrarse
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
cargar(
kahr
-
gahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
2. (weaponry)
a. to load
Ronaldo cargó su pistola y apuntó al blanco.Ronaldo loaded his gun and pointed it at the target.
a. to charge
Asegúrate de cargar tu celular antes de salir.Make sure to charge your cellphone before heading out.
a. to carry
Tuve que cargar con todos los documentos porque no sabía cuáles iba a necesitar.I had to carry all the documents because I didn't know which ones I was going to need.
5. (to use) (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
a. to wear
¿Desde cuándo cargas lentes Felipe? - Desde que cumplí 40.Since when do you wear glasses Felipe? - Since I turned 40.
6. (finance)
a. to charge
Voy a cargar todos los regalos en mi tarjeta de crédito.I'm going to charge all my gifts on my credit card.
7. (to accuse)
a. to blame
Quieren cargarle la culpa a Claudia, pero el verdadero responsable es Ricardo.They want to blame Claudia, but the real culprit is Ricardo.
a. to fill
Cargaste su cabeza de ilusiones. Nunca podrás cumplir todo eso.You filled his head with illusions. You’ll never be able to achieve all of that.
10. (computing)
a. to load
¿Te ayudo a cargar el nuevo sistema operativo en tu computadora?Shall I help you load the new operating system on your computer?
a. to burden
El papá de Alex le cargó mucha responsabilidad desde la muerte de su madre.Alex’s dad burdened him with a lot of responsibilities after his mother’s death.
12. (colloquial) (to fail)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. to flunk
El profesor cargó media clase el semestre pasado.The teacher flunked half his class last semester.
13. (dice)
a. to load
No te preocupes. Voy a ganar porque cargué los dados.Don’t worry. I’m going to win because I loaded the dice.
14. (to annoy)
a. to bug
Ese político no es más que un fanfarrón que goza cargarle a la gente decente.That politician is nothing more than a show-off who enjoys bugging decent people.
b. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Me carga tener que aguantar la novia de mi hermano.I can't stand having to put up with my brother's girlfriend.
Me carga que siempre la escojan a ella.It gets on my nerves that they always choose her.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
15. (to bring)
a. to carry
El botones cargó con nuestro equipaje y nos condujo a la habitación.The bellboy carried our luggage, and guided us to our room.
16. (to take on)
a. to bear
Dora empezó a cargar con todos los gastos cuando su esposo estaba desempleado.Dora began to bear all the expenses when her husband was unemployed.
b. to take
Tomás cargó con la culpa del accidente para que no llevaran a su esposa a la cárcel.Tomas took the blame for the accident so they wouldn't put his wife in jail.
17. (to attack)
a. to charge
El toro rompió la barrera y cargó contra la multitud.The bull broke the barrier and charged at the crowd.
18. (architecture)
a. to be supported by
El dintel se carga en dos pilares de mármol.The lintel is supported by two marble pillars.
b. to rest on
El puente se carga en una docena de pilares masivos para apoyar el peso del tráfico.The bridge rests on a dozen massive pillars to support the weight of the traffic.
cargarse
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
19. (computing)
a. to load
Tengo una conexión lenta y se va a tardar un rato para cargarse.I have a slow connection and it will take a while to load.
20. (electronics)
a. to charge
Las pilas se cargaron por completo durante la noche.The batteries fully charged overnight.
b. to become charged
Las partículas de gas de la termósfera se cargan de energía del sol.Gas particles in the thermosphere become charged by energy from the sun.
21. (to make full)
a. to fill up
El tanque se carga en unos dos o tres minutos.The tank fills up in two or three minutes.
22. (colloquial) (to kill)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. to take out (slang)
A very informal word or phrase used by a particular group or community as a substitute for standard language (e.g., joint, john).
Se lo cargaron unos mafiosos a los que debía mucho dinero.Some mafiosi he owed a lot of money to took him out.
b. to bump off (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
El pozolero se cargaba a sus víctimas metiéndolas en barriles de ácido.The pozolero bumped off his victims by putting them in barrels of acid.
c. to whack (colloquial) (United States)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in the United States
Se cargó a sus compinches para quedarse con todo el botín.He whacked his accomplices to keep all the loot.
23. (to bother)
a. to get on someone's nerves
Me carga que hayan escogido a un pedante para dar la oratoria de la graduación.It gets on my nerves that they chose a pedant to give the graduation speech.x
a. to fill
El salón de póker se cargó del humo de habanos.The poker salon filled with the smoke of cigars.
b. to shoulder
Rebecca se cargó con los quehaceres domésticos desde que su mamá se enfermó.Rebecca shouldered the household chores since her mother became ill.
c. to have
Se cargó de hijos, y no hacía nada más que lavar, planchar y cocinar.She had several children, and did nothing more than wash, iron, and cook.
25. (to destroy)
b. to ruin
Estuvo mal el alcalde anterior, pero por lo menos no se cargó el pueblo como el actual.The last mayor was bad, but at least he didn’t ruin the town like the current one.
c. to smash
Se cargó el jarrón que estaba en la mesa cuando empezó a temblar la Tierra.The vase that was on the table smashed when the Earth started to shake.
26. (colloquial) (to fail)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. to flunk (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
La clase de química orgánica es tan difícil que casi todos se cargan.The organic chemistry class is so hard that almost everyone flunks.
