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Know the Special Uses of the Spanish Verb Dar

Today we’ll discover many different uses and meanings of the verb dar depending on the context. We’ll also learn about some phrases with dar that shouldn’t be read or translated literally. Let’s begin.


All about figurative meanings

Dar is usually translated as “to give.” In another article, we explained how it indicates the literal action of giving something to someone.

However, we must also take into account the multiple figurative uses of this verb. Let’s see some examples:

Tip: Click on any of the linked sentences in this article (while on a mobile) to add them directly to your Fluent Forever app, so you can study them later. Don’t have our app yet? Download it here!

In the above sentence, dio (from dar) describes the action of sunlight warming the subject. The literal English translation would be “the morning sun gave me.”

Here, dar indicates the time shown on the clock. The literal translation of the phrase would be “the clock gives nine.”


Here are some other examples of how dar can have several different meanings depending on the context:

A ma walking along the edge of a large body of water.
There’s nothing quite like taking a morning walk!
Image by Julita from Pixabay

Special phrases and expressions with dar

There are certain Spanish phrases and expressions where dar has a very specific given meaning, so these shouldn’t be read or translated literally. Let’s consider the following examples:

Now that you’ve learned some of the most common uses of dar, you’re ready to use this verb to its full potential!


Written by Humberto Aparicio

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