Inklingo
← Dictionary

atender

ah-tehn-DEHRa.t̪enˈd̪eɾ

to serve, to attend to

Also: to wait on, to care for
VerbA2regular er
Spain
A friendly waiter in an apron handing a plate of food to a smiling customer seated at a small restaurant table.
infinitiveatender
gerundatendiendo
past Participleatendido

📝 In Action

¿Quién me atiende aquí?

A2

Who is serving me here?

El médico atiende a los pacientes en orden de llegada.

B1

The doctor attends to the patients in order of arrival.

Estoy ocupado, no puedo atender el teléfono ahora.

B1

I am busy, I can't answer the phone right now.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • atender al público – to serve the public
  • atender una llamada – to answer a call

to pay attention to, to heed

Also: to take into account
VerbB1regular erneutral/formal
A small child leaning forward with a focused expression, cupping their hand around their ear, listening carefully to an adult speaking.
infinitiveatender
gerundatendiendo
past Participleatendido

📝 In Action

Si no atiendes a mis consejos, tendrás problemas.

B1

If you don't pay attention to my advice, you will have problems.

El gobierno debe atender las necesidades de la población.

B2

The government must heed the needs of the population.

Atendiendo a su solicitud, le enviamos la información.

C1

Heeding your request, we are sending you the information.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • prestar atención (to pay attention)
  • considerar (to consider)

Common Collocations

  • atender a las advertencias – to heed the warnings
  • atender a razones – to listen to reason

to deal with, to handle

Also: to address
VerbB2regular erformal
A person sitting at a desk, methodically sorting and stacking several colorful pieces of paper and envelopes into organized piles.
infinitiveatender
gerundatendiendo
past Participleatendido

📝 In Action

Necesitamos atender este problema de inmediato.

B2

We need to deal with this problem immediately.

El gerente atiende los reclamos más difíciles.

C1

The manager handles the most difficult complaints.

Ella fue contratada para atender la logística del evento.

B2

She was hired to deal with the logistics of the event.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • atender un encargo – to deal with an assignment
  • atender asuntos pendientes – to handle pending matters

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedatiende
yoatiendo
túatiendes
ellos/ellas/ustedesatienden
nosotrosatendemos
vosotrosatendéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedatendía
yoatendía
túatendías
ellos/ellas/ustedesatendían
nosotrosatendíamos
vosotrosatendíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedatendió
yoatendí
túatendiste
ellos/ellas/ustedesatendieron
nosotrosatendimos
vosotrosatendisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedatienda
yoatienda
túatiendas
ellos/ellas/ustedesatiendan
nosotrosatendamos
vosotrosatendáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedatendiera
yoatendiera
túatendieras
ellos/ellas/ustedesatendieran
nosotrosatendiéramos
vosotrosatendierais
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "atender" in Spanish:

to address→to handle→to heed→to serve→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: atender

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'atender' in the sense of 'to pay attention to'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
la atención(attention / service) — Noun
atento/a(attentive / courteous) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin verb *attendere*, which literally meant 'to stretch toward' (from *ad-* meaning 'to' + *tendere* meaning 'to stretch'). This beautifully links all the modern meanings: stretching your mind toward something (paying attention) or stretching your effort toward a person (serving them).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: attendPortuguese: atender

💡 Master Spanish

Take your Spanish to the next level. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories tailored to your level with the Inklingo app!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'atender' a stem-changing verb?

No, 'atender' is a regular verb. Unlike the similar-sounding verb 'entender' (to understand), 'atender' does not change its vowel (e) to 'ie' in the present tense. It follows the standard pattern for -er verbs.

How is 'atender' different from 'asistir'?

'Atender' focuses on providing a service, managing a task, or paying mental attention. 'Asistir' means 'to attend' (an event, like a class) or 'to assist' (to help someone).