Spanish Conversation · Level 20
90 words
Spanish word
suspender
Pronunciation
IPA/suspenˈdeɾ/
Meaning
- verbcancel, stop
Example
Vamos a suspender la reunión por la lluvia.
We are going to cancel the meeting because of the rain.
More examples
Tuvimos que suspender el juego cuando se hizo de noche.
We had to stop the game when it got dark.
La compañía tuvo que suspender el servicio por mantenimiento.
The company had to cancel the service for maintenance.
Core concept
A scheduled event stopped and left hanging with the possibility of resuming.
Common phrases
suspender la reunión
cancel the meeting
suspender las clases
cancel classes
suspender el servicio
cancel the service
Similar words
posponer: Reschedule a planned meeting or event for a later date or time.
aplazar: Push back a deadline or planned date so it occurs later than originally set.
cancelar: Call off a planned event so it will not be carried out.
interrumpir: Break off an ongoing action, speech, or process before it finishes.
Definition in Spanish
Hacer que una actividad prevista deje de continuar, generalmente de forma temporal y hasta que cambien las condiciones.
Word origin
From Latin suspendere (sub 'under' + pendere 'to hang'), literally 'to hang up', and by extension it means to leave something hanging and halt an activity temporarily.
Usage tips
- In everyday Spanish suspender usually pauses an activity with the option to restart, while cancelar signals a final cancellation, and in Spain suspender un examen means to fail the exam.