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acompañar
/a.kom.paˈɲaɾ/
to accompany
Voy a acompañar a mi hermano al médico.
I'm going to accompany my brother to the doctor.
formal
To go somewhere with someone as a companion or escort
Ella siempre acompaña a su madre al supermercado.
She always accompanies her mother to the supermarket.
Can imply physical presence or emotional support in broader contexts.
formal
To exist or occur at the same time as something else
La lluvia acompañó toda la tarde.
The rain accompanied us all afternoon.
Often used with weather or abstract phenomena.
technical
To play or sing an instrumental or vocal part that supports a main melody
El piano acompaña la voz del cantante.
The piano accompanies the singer's voice.
Common in musical contexts, often with instruments or voices.
formal
To add something as a complement or additional element
El vino blanco acompaña bien los mariscos.
White wine accompanies seafood well.
Used in gastronomy to describe food pairings.
Collocations
acompañar a alguiento accompany someoneacompañar conto accompany withser acompañado porto be accompanied by
Antonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Preposition usage
Use 'a' when referring to people (acompañar a alguien) and 'con' for things (acompañar con música).
Gold Rule
Physical vs. abstract
For physical presence, use 'acompañar' directly. For abstract support (emotional, musical), context determines the meaning.
Word Origin
From Latin *accompaniare* (to join as a companion), from *ad-* (to) + *companio* (companion, from *com-* (with) + *panis* (bread)).
Usage Notes
In Latin America, 'acompañar' can sometimes imply a more active role than in Spain, where 'ir con' might be used for simple presence. The music sense is less common in everyday speech.
Word Breakdown
a-
to/toward
prefixcompañ-
companion
root-ar
verb infinitive ending
suffixDiccionario Español-Inglés