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"Engañarnos" is a form of "engañar", a transitive verb which is often translated as "to deceive". "Distraer" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "to distract". Learn more about the difference between "engañarnos" and "distraer" below.
engañar(
ehng
-
gah
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nyahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
1. (to lie to)
a. to deceive
Pudo engañar al público con su propaganda.He was able to deceive the public with his propaganda.
b. to trick
Me dijiste que no sabías jugar, ¡me engañaste!You told me you didn't know how to play. You tricked me!
c. to fool
No te dejes engañar con sus historias encantadoras.Don't let him fool you with his charming stories.
a. to cheat on
Mi ex-novio me engañó con mi mejor amiga.My ex-boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend.
3. (to defraud)
a. to mislead
Me engañó vendiéndome una casa que no tenía derecho de vender.He misled me into buying a home that he did not have the right to sell.
b. to trick
Le dijo que estaba embarazada con el fin de engañarlo para casarse con ella.She told him she was pregnant in order to trick him into marrying her.
d. to swindle
Un estafador despreciable los engañó en la subasta.A despicable con man swindled them at the auction.
4. (to appease)
a. to curb
Como quedaban tres horas para la comida, decidió engañar el hambre con una merienda.With three more hours till dinner, she decided to curb her hunger with a snack.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
engañarse
A reflexive verb is a verb that indicates that the subject performs an action on itself (e.g., Miguel se lava.).
a. to fool oneself
Te estás engañando si crees que realmente te van a pagar tanto. You are fooling yourself if you think they are really going to pay you that much.
distraer(
dees
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trah
-
ehr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to distract
No me distraigas ahora; tengo que entregar este ensayo en media hora.Don't distract me right now; I have to turn in this essay in half an hour.
Las conversaciones de los vecinos me distraen cuando intento concentrarme.The neighbors' conversations distract me when I'm trying to concentrate.
a. to entertain
Los nietos de Ernesto lo distraen un rato y se olvida de sus penas.Ernesto's grandchildren entertain him for a while and he forgets his troubles.
c. to amuse
A mi abuelo le gusta ver a los cachorros del vecino jugando en el jardín porque lo distraen.My granddad likes to watch the neighbor's puppies playing in the yard because they amuse him.
d. to take one's mind off
La televisión me distrae de mis problemas.Television takes my mind off my problems.
3. (finance)
a. to embezzle
Carmen logró distraer miles de dólares mediante pequeñas transacciones.Carmen was able to embezzle thousands of dollars via small transactions.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
a. to be entertaining
Es un programa que distrae e informa.It is an entertaining and informative program.
b. to be a good way of entertaining oneself
Escuchar música distrae mucho.Listening to music is a good way of entertaining yourself.
distraerse
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
a. to pass the time
Me gusta distraerme los fines de semana yendo al cine.I like to pass the time by going to the movies on the weekends.
c. to keep oneself amused
La niña se distrae con sus muñecas.The little girl keeps herself amused with her dolls.
d. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Me gusta distraerme con rompecabezas.I like doing puzzles for fun.
Mis padres pasan mucho tiempo trabajando en el jardín para distraerse.My parents spend a lot of time gardening for fun.
