How to Say Give in Spanish - Learn the Verb Dar
As of 2026, learning how to express "give" in Spanish is crucial for effective communication in a Spanish-speaking environment. The word "dar," pronounced /daɾ/, is the primary translation for "give." This versatile verb encapsulates various actions such as donating, offering material for something, and providing assistance.
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What is "Give" in Spanish?
The Spanish verb dar, which means to give, can be used in different tenses and moods. For instance:
- Present Tense: Le doy un libro a mi hermano (I give my brother a book).
- Past Tense: Dije que le daría ayuda (I said that I would give him/her help).
- Conditional Mood: Te daría un regalo si vinieras a la fiesta (I would give you a gift if you came to the party).
Meaning of "Give" in Spanish
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The Spanish Frequency Dictionary series covers the 10,000 most common Spanish words — ranked by how often native speakers actually use them, with IPA pronunciation, English translations, and bilingual example sentences at every level.
Browse all 4 volumes →The Spanish word "dar" carries a broad range of meanings and usages:
- To donate.
- To give.
- To offer material for something: Dar materia para una composición. (To give subject matter for a composition.). For example, "Ese libro dio mucho que hablar" means "This book gave much to talk about.
- To confer, to provide someone with a job or office: Le dieron el trabajo de profesor asociado. (He was given the associate professor position.).
- To order, to apply.
- To grant, to bestow.
- To suppose, declare, consider: La dieron por muerta. (They took her for dead.).
Some of the key interpretations of "dar" include:
- To give a physical object or gift to someone: When you want to express the act of giving something to another person, you can use "dar" in Spanish. For example, "le di un libro a mi hermano" translates to "I gave my brother a book".
- To provide or offer assistance: In Spanish, "dar" can also convey the idea of giving help or support. For instance, "mi maestra me da consejos" means "my teacher gives me advice".
- To yield or surrender: "Dar" can be used to express the act of giving in terms of yielding or surrendering, such as in the sentence "decidí darle la razón" meaning "I decided to give in and agree with him/her".
It's important to note that while dar is commonly used for giving objects, there are other verbs like regalar (to gift) which can be more specific depending on the context. For example:
- To give a gift: Regalé un libro a mi hermano. (I gave my brother a book as a gift).
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