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afectar

/a.fekˈtaɾ/
to affect

La contaminación afecta la salud de las personas.

Pollution affects people's health.


general

To have an effect or influence on someone or something; to impact.

El estrés puede afectar tu rendimiento en el trabajo.

Stress can affect your performance at work.

La decisión del gobierno afectará a muchos negocios.

The government's decision will affect many businesses.

Commonly used in both formal and informal contexts.

informal

To pretend or feign (used with 'de' + verb infinitive).

Afectó de no entender la pregunta.

He pretended not to understand the question.

This usage is informal and more common in spoken Spanish.

Collocations

afectar ato affectafectar deto pretend

Synonyms

influirimpactaralterar

Antonyms

ignorardesafectar

Pro Tip

Common Confusion

Remember that 'afectar' means 'to affect', while 'efectuar' means 'to carry out'.

Word Origin

From Latin 'affectāre', meaning 'to influence or touch'.

Usage Notes

The verb 'afectar' is often confused with 'efectuar', which means 'to carry out' or 'to perform'.

Word Breakdown

afect-
to influence
root
+
-ar
verb ending
suffix
Diccionario Español-Inglés

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Words of the Year

The most notable words that defined each year. Discover the vocabulary that shaped our world.