asimilar
“asimilar” means “to take in” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to take in, to absorb
Also: to grasp
📝 In Action
Necesito tiempo para asimilar esta noticia.
B1I need time to take in this news.
Los estudiantes asimilaron los conceptos rápidamente.
B2The students absorbed the concepts quickly.
Es difícil asimilar tantos cambios en un solo día.
B1It's hard to process so many changes in a single day.
to absorb, to assimilate
Also: to digest
📝 In Action
El cuerpo no asimila bien las vitaminas sin agua.
B2The body doesn't absorb vitamins well without water.
Muchos inmigrantes intentan asimilar las costumbres locales.
C1Many immigrants try to assimilate local customs.
Es importante asimilarse a la nueva cultura.
C1It is important to integrate oneself into the new culture.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: asimilar
Question 1 of 3
If you hear some very shocking news, you might need time to...
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'assimilare', which means 'to make like' or 'to bring together'. It combines 'ad' (to) and 'similis' (like).
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'asimilar' the same as 'comprender'?
They are very close! 'Comprender' means to understand something, while 'asimilar' implies that you have fully absorbed the information so it becomes part of your knowledge.
Can I use 'asimilar' for food?
Yes, it is very common in health and science to talk about how the body absorbs (asimila) nutrients or medicine.
Is 'asimilar' a regular verb?
Yes, it follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar.