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cancelar

kahn-seh-LAHRkan.seˈlaɾ

cancel, call off

Also: annul
VerbA2regular ar
A colorful event ticket being ripped exactly in half, symbolizing the event's cancellation.
infinitivecancelar
gerundcancelando
past Participlecancelado

📝 In Action

Tuvimos que cancelar el viaje por la lluvia.

A2

We had to cancel the trip because of the rain.

¿Podemos cancelar mi reservación para esta noche?

A1

Can we cancel my reservation for tonight?

La reunión se canceló a última hora.

B1

The meeting was canceled at the last minute. (Uses the reflexive form 'cancelarse')

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • cancelar una cita – to cancel an appointment
  • cancelar un vuelo – to cancel a flight

pay, settle

Also: pay off
VerbB1regular arneutral/formal
Mexico and Central America
A close-up view of a hand placing a stack of paper currency and a few coins onto a small, folded paper bill, signifying payment.
infinitivecancelar
gerundcancelando
past Participlecancelado

📝 In Action

Voy a cancelar la factura de luz antes de que corten el servicio.

B1

I'm going to pay the electricity bill before they cut the service.

Ellos lograron cancelar todas sus deudas hipotecarias.

B2

They managed to pay off all their mortgage debts.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • adeudar (to owe)

Common Collocations

  • cancelar una cuenta – to settle an account
  • cancelar una deuda – to pay off a debt

cancel (a person)

VerbC1regular arinformal/slang
A single, isolated figure standing apart from a large, tightly clustered group of smiling people who are actively ignoring the solitary figure, symbolizing social ostracization.
infinitivecancelar
gerundcancelando
past Participlecancelado

📝 In Action

Después de su tweet, muchos usuarios decidieron cancelarlo.

C1

After his tweet, many users decided to cancel him (socially boycott him).

La cultura de la cancelación es un tema controversial.

C2

Cancel culture is a controversial topic.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • boicotear (to boycott)
  • ostracizar (to ostracize)

Indicative

Present

yocancelo
túcancelas
él/ella/ustedcancela
nosotroscancelamos
vosotroscanceláis
ellos/ellas/ustedescancelan

Imperfect

yocancelaba
túcancelabas
él/ella/ustedcancelaba
nosotroscancelábamos
vosotroscancelabais
ellos/ellas/ustedescancelaban

Preterite

yocancelé
túcancelaste
él/ella/ustedcanceló
nosotroscancelamos
vosotroscancelasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedescancelaron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yocancele
túcanceles
él/ella/ustedcancele
nosotroscancelemos
vosotroscanceléis
ellos/ellas/ustedescancelen

Imperfect Subjunctive

yocancelara/cancelase
túcancelaras/cancelases
él/ella/ustedcancelara/cancelase
nosotroscanceláramos/cancelásemos
vosotroscancelarais/cancelaseis
ellos/ellas/ustedescancelaran/cancelasen
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "cancelar" in Spanish:

annul→call off→cancel→pay→pay off→settle→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: cancelar

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'cancelar' in the sense of paying a debt?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
la cancelación(the cancellation/the payment) — Noun
cancelado/a(canceled/paid off) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Late Latin verb *cancellare*, which literally meant 'to cross out with lines, like a lattice.' This relates to the original idea of drawing lines (cancelli) over text to make it void or invalid.

First recorded: 15th century (Spanish)

Cognates (Related words)

English: to cancelFrench: annuler

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'cancelar' always a regular verb?

Yes, 'cancelar' is a perfectly regular -AR verb in Spanish. This means all its conjugations follow the standard pattern without any tricky stem changes or spelling variations, making it easy to learn!

When should I use 'cancelar' for paying, and when should I just use 'pagar'?

'Pagar' is general (I pay for coffee). 'Cancelar' is often used when settling a bill or debt completely, especially in formal or financial settings (e.g., paying off a credit card balance or a mortgage). In Mexico and Central America, 'cancelar' is commonly used for paying utility bills.