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"Enfrentar" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "to confront", and "afrontar" is a transitive verb which is also often translated as "to confront". Learn more about the difference between "enfrentar" and "afrontar" below.
enfrentar(
ehm
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frehn
-
tahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to confront
Las autoridades enfrentaron al sospechoso tan pronto como lo encontraron.The authorities confronted the suspect as soon as they found him.
Tienes que enfrentar tus miedos si quieres avanzar en la vida.You have to confront your fears if you want to advance in life.
b. to face
Debes enfrentar tus problemas y no enterrar la cabeza en la arena.You should face your problems and not bury your head in the sand.
b. to put face to face
Enfrentamos las piezas de ajedrez antes de jugar.We put the chess pieces face to face before playing.
a. to set against
La guerra civil enfrentó a muchos hermanos.The civil war set many brothers against one another.
enfrentarse
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
a. to face
Debes enfrentarte a tus miedos y abordar ese avión.You should face your fears and board that plane.
5. (to quarrel)
a. to fight
Los carneros son conocidos por enfrentarse para establecer su territorio.Rams are known for fighting to establish their territory.
A reciprocal verb is a verb that indicates that two or more subjects perform an action on each other (e.g., Ellos se abrazan.).
a. to meet
Esta noche Barcelona se enfrentará al Real Madrid en la Copa del Rey.Barcelona will meet Real Madrid tonight in the Copa del Rey.
afrontar(
ah
-
frohn
-
tahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to confront
Debes afrontar tus miedos en vez de huir de ellos.You should confront your fears instead of running from them.
b. to face
O haz el trabajo correcto la primera vez o afronta las consecuencias.Either do the job correctly the first time or face the consequences.
c. to face up to
Aunque no nos guste, tenemos que afrontar esta tarea.Although we may not like it, we have to face up to the task at hand.
a. to bring face-to-face
La ronda final del torneo afrontó a los rivales.The final round of the tournament brought the rivals face-to-face.
