afectar
La contaminación afecta la salud de las personas.
Pollution affects people's health.
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.
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
Antonyms
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'.