serve

servir

el servicio

serve(suhrv)

A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g. I bought a book.).

transitive verb

1. (to give out)

a. servir

They serve dinner at six in the hotel.Sirven la cena a las seis en el hotel.

What time will we serve dinner?¿A qué hora vamos a servir la cena?

2. (to work for)

a. servir a

He has served his country since he enrolled in the army when he was 19 years old.Ha servido a su patria desde que se alistó en el ejército con 19 años.

3. (to be useful to)

a. servir

Her bedroom also serves her as an office.Su dormitorio le sirve también de oficina.

4. (to complete)

a. cumplir (a prison sentence)

The scammer will serve a couple of years in prison before he can get probation.El estafador cumplirá un par de años en la cárcel antes de obtener la libertad condicional.

b. hacer (one's apprenticeship)

His father was a carpenter, so he served his apprenticeship in his father's studio.Su padre era carpintero, así que él hizo su aprendizaje en el taller de su padre.

5. (to help a customer)

a. atender

Can you answer the phone, please? I'm serving a customer at the moment.¿Puedes contestar la llamada, por favor? Estoy atendiendo a un cliente ahora mismo.

6. (to be enough food for)

a. ser para

This recipe serves five people.Esta receta es para cinco personas.

7. (tennis)

a. servir

He served the ball at 120 miles an hour.Sirvió la pelota a 120 millas por hora.

b. sacar

It was her turn to serve the ball.Le tocaba a ella sacar la pelota.

8. (legal)

a. entregar a

I was caught cheating on my wife with another woman, so she served me with divorce papers the next day.Me pillaron engañando a mi esposa con otra mujer, así que ella me entregó los papeles del divorcio al día siguiente.

An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g. The man sneezed.).

intransitive verb

9. (to carry out duty)

a. servir

He went to prison because he refused to serve in the army.Lo encarcelaron porque se negó a servir en el ejército.

10. (to help customers)

a. atender

No one seemed to be serving, so I left the shop.Parecía que no había nadie atendiendo, así que me marché de la tienda.

11. (to be useful)

a. servir

I only have colored paper, but that will probably serve for what I need to print.Solo tengo papel de colores, pero creo que servirá para lo que necesito imprimir.

12. (tennis)

a. servir

In tennis, serving doesn't need to be much harder for left-handed players.En tenis, servir no tiene por qué ser mucho más complicado para jugadores zurdos.

b. sacar

I'm not used to serving on clay courts.No estoy acostumbrado a sacar en pistas de tierra batida.

A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling or idea (e.g. man, dog, house).

noun

13. (tennis)

a. el servicio

(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(M)

The serve of a tennis player is his biggest weapon.El servicio de un jugador de tenis es su arma más poderosa.

b. la saque

(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(F)

She has a very strong serve.Su saque es muy fuerte.

serve

A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling or idea (e.g. man, dog, house).

Noun

1. (in tennis)

a. el servicio

(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(M)

(it's) your serve!¡tú sacas!

A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g. I bought a book.).

transitive verb

2. (be faithful to; master, cause)

a. servir, estar al servicio de

to serve one's own interestsactuar en interés propio

3. (be useful to)

a. servir

it doesn't serve my purposeno me sirve

it has served me wellme ha hecho un buen servicio or apaño

if my memory serves me rightsi mal no recuerdo

4. (complete; prison sentence, term of office)

a. cumplir

5. (apprenticeship)

a. realizar, hacer

6. (customer)

a. atender

are you being served?¿le están atendiendo?

7. (meal, drink)

a. servir

to serve lunch/dinnerservir el almuerzo/la cena

serves fourpara cuatro raciones

8. (law)

a.

to serve somebody with a summonscitar a alguien

it serves her right!¡se lo merece!, ¡lo tiene bien merecido!

An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g. The man sneezed.).

intransitive verb

9. (carry out duty)

a. servir

to serve in a governmentser miembro de un gobierno

to serve as…servir de…

to serve as an exampleservir de ejemplo

10. (in shop)

a. atender, despachar

11. (with food, drink)

a.

serve chilledsírvase bien frío

12. (in tennis)

a. servir, sacar

serve [sɜːv]

transitive verb

1 (work for) [+employer, God, country] servir a

he served his country well sirvió dignamente a la patria; prestó valiosos servicios a la patria

to serve two masters

2 (be used for, be useful as) servir

that serves to explain ... eso sirve para explicar ...

the little table that served him [for] a desk

it serves its/my purpose viene al caso

it serves you right te lo mereces; te lo tienes merecido; te está bien empleado

it served him right for being so greedy se lo mereció por ser tan glotón; le está bien empleado por glotón; if my memory serves me right si la memoria no me falla

3 (in shop, restaurant) [+customer] servir; atender; [+food, meal] servir

to serve sb (with sth)

to serve sb with hors d'oeuvres servir los entremeses a algn; are you being served, madam? ¿le están atendiendo, señora?; dinner is served la cena está servida; they served cod as halibut hicieron pasar bacalao por halibut; main courses are served with vegetables or salad el plato principal se sirve acompañado de verduras o ensalada

4 (complete) cumplir; hacer

to serve an apprenticeship hacer el aprendizaje

to serve ten years in the army servir diez años en el ejército

to serve a prison sentenceserve time (in prison) cumplir una condena or una pena de cárcel

5 (Jur) [+writ, summons] entregar

to serve a summons on sb entregar una citación a algn

they served her with a deportation order

6 (Travel)

in towns served by this line en las ciudades por donde pasa esta línea; these villages used to be served by buses antes en estos pueblos había servicio de autobuses

7 (Cookery) (be enough for)

this recipe serves six esta receta es (suficiente) para seis personas

8 (Tennis) etc

to serve the ball servir (la bola); sacar; he served 17 double faults hizo 17 dobles faltas

intransitive verb

1 [+servant, soldier] servir

he is not willing to serve no está dispuesto a ofrecer sus servicios; to serve on a committee/jury ser miembro de una comisión/un jurado; to serve on the council ser concejal; to serve in parliament ser diputado

2 (at mealtime) servir

shall I serve? ¿sirvo?; to serve at table servir en la mesa

3 (in shop) atender

She spent six months serving in a shop

4 (be useful)

to serve for or as servir de

she showed me into the front room, which served as her office

it will serve servirá para el caso; it serves to show that ... sirve para demostrar que ...

5 (Tennis) sacar

noun

(Tennis) etc servicio (m); saque (m)

whose serve is it? ¿quién saca?; ¿de quién es el servicio?; he has a strong serve tiene un servicio or saque muy fuerte