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"Rara" is a form of "raro", an adjective which is often translated as "weird". "Extraña" is a form of "extrañar", a transitive verb which is often translated as "to miss". Learn more about the difference between "rara" and "extraña" below.
raro(
rrah
-
roh
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (unusual)
a. weird
¡Qué raro que no haya respondido a tu mensaje!How weird that she hasn't responded to your message!
b. strange
Evitemos a ese hombre raro con el traje de payaso puesto.Let's avoid that strange man with the clown suit on.
c. odd
¡Qué mujer más rara! Le habla al gato como si fuera una persona.What an odd woman! She speaks to her cat as if it were a person.
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.
