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"Extrañar" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "to miss", and "aparentar" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "to feign". Learn more about the difference between "extrañar" and "aparentar" below.
extrañar(
ehks
-
trah
-
nyahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to miss
Extraño mucho a mi familia cuando estoy de viaje.I miss my family a lot when I'm traveling.
2. (to amaze)
a. to surprise
Me extraña que no haya venido a trabajar.It surprises me that she didn't come to work.
extrañarse
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
a. to be surprised
Me extrañé de que no se acordara de mi cumpleaños.I was surprised that she didn't remember my birthday.
aparentar(
ah
-
pah
-
rehn
-
tahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to feign
Mi mamá se da cuenta de cuando aparento estar enfermo para faltar a la escuela.My mom knows when I'm feigning illness to avoid school.
b. to pretend
Aparentan ser sus amigos para usar su dinero.They pretend to be her friends to use her money.
a. to look
Tengo 37 años, pero todos piensan que aparento tener 27.I'm 37 years old, but everybody thinks I look 27.
b. to seem
Emilia aparenta ser una mujer independiente, pero todavía vive de sus padres.Emilia seems to be an independent woman, but she still lives off her parents.
c. to appear
Puede que aparenten estar contentos, pero en realidad tienen un matrimonio miserable.They may appear to be happy, but they really have a miserable marriage.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
3. (to flaunt)
a. to show off
Se viste como jugador de polo solo para aparentar.He dresses like a polo player only to show off.
