adivinar
“adivinar” means “to guess” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to guess, to figure out
Also: to solve (a riddle)
📝 In Action
Intenta adivinar mi edad. ¡Es imposible!
A2Try to guess my age. It's impossible!
No pude adivinar la respuesta correcta del juego.
A2I couldn't guess the correct answer to the game.
¿Cómo adivinaste que iba a llamarte?
B1How did you know (figure out/guess) I was going to call you?
to predict, to foretell
Also: to divine
📝 In Action
La gitana adivinó que me casaría antes de fin de año.
B1The gypsy predicted that I would get married before the end of the year.
Parece que el meteorólogo adivinó el clima de esta semana.
B2It seems the meteorologist predicted the weather this week.
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: adivinar
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'adivinar' in the sense of predicting the future, rather than just guessing an answer?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word *dīvīnāre*, which meant 'to foresee by divine power' or 'to be inspired by a god.' The 'a-' prefix was added later in Spanish, emphasizing the action.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'adivinar' used for solving simple math problems?
Not usually. 'Adivinar' implies intuition or lack of information. For math or logic puzzles where you calculate a definitive answer, you would use 'calcular' (to calculate) or 'resolver' (to solve).
How do I ask someone to guess something in Spanish?
The easiest way is '¿Adivina qué...?' (Guess what...?) or using the imperative: 'Adivina la fecha' (Guess the date).