Spanish Conversation · Level 132
45 words
Spanish word
erguir
Pronunciation
IPA/eɾˈɣiɾ/
Meaning
- verbstand tall
Example
En el centro de la ciudad se erguía una estatua antigua.
An old statue stood tall in the center of the city.
More examples
Los trabajadores irguieron el andamio en pocas horas.
The workers erected the scaffold in a few hours.
Core concept
A person straightening their back to stand tall.
Common phrases
erguirse ante la adversidad
stand tall in the face of adversity
erguir un andamio
erect a scaffold
Similar words
subir: Move upward from a lower to a higher position.
levantar: Raise an object to a higher position.
erigir: Construct and set upright a building, monument, or statue.
sobresalir: Project above the surroundings so it appears taller or noticeably prominent.
Definition in Spanish
Poner o mantener algo en posición vertical; también alzarse o ponerse derecho, uso frecuente en contextos formales o literarios.
Word origin
Derived from Latin erigere 'raise up', Spanish erguir is attested through Old Spanish and shares roots with French ériger and English erect.
Usage tips
- When describing people, erguir (often used reflexively as erguirse) sounds literary, so colloquial speech prefers levantarse, ponerse recto, or enderezarse.
Other meanings
- raiseverb
- erectverb
Opposites
- derrumbarsecollapseverb