Spanish Conversation · Level 132
45 words
Spanish word
chocar
Pronunciation
IPA/tʃoˈkaɾ/
Meaning
- verbcrash into
Example
Ayer el ciclista chocó con un coche.
Yesterday the cyclist crashed into a car.
More examples
Por suerte, el peatón no resultó herido cuando el coche chocó con él.
Luckily, the pedestrian was not injured when the car crashed into him.
Core concept
A sudden physical collision that stops or diverts motion.
Common phrases
chocar con un peatón
crash into a pedestrian
chocar contra un poste
crash into a pole
Similar words
colisionar: Collide with another object in a mutual impact between both bodies.
estrellarse: Crash violently into something and become badly damaged or wrecked.
toparse: Bump into someone or something unexpectedly, by chance.
tropezar: Trip or stumble and hit something with the body or foot.
Definition in Spanish
Toparse o colisionar con algo o alguien al moverse, provocando un choque físico; en uso coloquial, emplearse en formas pronominales para expresar sorpresa o molestia.
Word origin
Chocar comes from French choquer (Old French choc 'blow'), originally meaning a striking impact and retaining the idea of a jolting contact.
Usage tips
- Chocar con/contra refers to a literal collision, reflexive chocarse describes the event, and pronominal forms like 'me choca' express dislike or surprise rather than literal crashing.