franquear

to clear

franquear(frahng-keh-ahr)

transitive verb

1. (to open)

a. to clear

La policía franqueaba el paso para que el coche oficial pudiera atravesar la ciudad.

The police cleared the way so that the official car could go through the city.

2. (to pass through)

a. to go through

Tras franquear la puerta principal, el ladrón fue directo al salón.

After going through the main door, the robber went straight to the living room.

3. (to pass over)

a. to cross

Desde el puente, vimos una piragua franqueando el río.

From the bridge, we saw a canoe crossing the river.

b. to negotiate

Durante la carrera, los coches tenían que franquear diversos obstáculos en la carretera.

During the race, the cars had to negotiate different obstacles on the road.

4. (to put a stamp on)

a. to frank

Esta máquina sirve para franquear las cartas.

This machine is used to frank letters.

b. to stamp

Tienes que franquear el paquete antes de enviarlo.

You have to stamp the package before sending it.

franquearse

pronominal verb

5. (to open up; often used with "con" or "a")

a. to confide in

Me franqueé con mi novio y le expliqué lo que ocurrió en la fiesta.

I confided in my boyfriend and explained what happened at the party.