Spanish Conversation · Level 170
15 words
Spanish word
aparentar
Pronunciation
IPA/apaɾenˈtaɾ/
Meaning
- verbpretend
Example
Ella aparenta calma, pero está nerviosa.
She pretends to be calm, but she is nervous.
More examples
En las redes sociales, mucha gente aparenta normalidad.
On social media, many people pretend to be normal.
Core concept
An actor fastening a theatrical mask to hide their true expression.
Common phrases
aparentar estar bien
pretend to be well
aparentar normalidad
pretend to be normal
Similar words
parecer: Appears to have a quality or state because of appearance or context.
fingir: Acts out behaviors or shows emotions that are intentionally made up and not genuinely experienced.
disimular: Keeps inner emotions or reactions hidden so they do not show on the surface.
Definition in Spanish
Fingir o mostrar externamente una cualidad que no se posee realmente.
Word origin
Aparentar derives from the adjective aparente plus the verb suffix -ar and ultimately from Latin apparēre 'to appear', and it means to present an outward quality one does not actually possess.
Usage tips
- Although it resembles English apparent, aparentar is an active verb meaning to pretend to have a quality, while English apparent is usually translated with parecer or ser evidente.
Other meanings
- seemverb
Related words
- aparenteapparentadjective
- aparentementeapparentlyadverb
- aparienciaappearancenoun