Dar

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “dar”.

It’s a verb meaning “to give”. Depending on the context, it can be translated in a number of different ways beside just “to give”. These include “to produce or yield”, “to strike or hit”, “to feel or cause an emotion” and “to perform or carry out an action”.

“Dar” is a very common and versatile word in Spanish. It’s used in a lot of idiomatic expressions, including:

• Dar las gracias. – To give thanks.
• Darse cuenta. – To realize.
• Dar por sentado. – To take for granted.
• Dar miedo. – To be scary (literally “to give fear”).
• Dar pena. – To be pitiful (literaly “to give pity”).
• Dar a luz. – To give birth.

The word “dar” comes from Latin dare, which also meant “to give”. Some English words from the same root include “donate” and “data”.

“Dar” is an irregular verb. Here’s how it is conjugated in the present tense:

• Yo doy – I give
• Tú das – You give (informal singular)
• Él/Ella/Usted da – He/She gives, You give (formal singular)
• Nosotros/Nosotras damos – We give
• Vosotros/Vosotras dais – You give (informal plural, only used in Spain)
• Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes dan – They give, You give (plural)

Example sentences