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concentrar

kon-sen-TRAR/kon.senˈtɾaɾ/

“concentrar” means “to focus” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to focus

Also: to concentrate
VerbA2regular ar
A child intently looking through a magnifying glass at a single leaf on a wooden table.
gerundconcentrando
past Participleconcentrado
infinitiveconcentrar

📝 In Action

Necesito concentrarme en mi tarea para terminar pronto.

A2

I need to focus on my homework to finish soon.

Es difícil concentrarse cuando hay mucho ruido.

B1

It is difficult to concentrate when there is a lot of noise.

Debes concentrar toda tu energía en este proyecto.

B2

You must focus all your energy on this project.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • enfocarse (to focus oneself)
  • atender (to pay attention)

Antonyms

  • distraerse (to get distracted)
  • dispersarse (to scatter)

Common Collocations

  • concentrar la atención – to focus one's attention
  • concentrarse en algo – to concentrate on something

to gather, to condense

Also: to mass
VerbB1regular ar
A collection of colorful marbles being gathered into the center of a circular rug.
gerundconcentrando
past Participleconcentrado
infinitiveconcentrar

📝 In Action

El gobierno decidió concentrar los recursos en la capital.

B1

The government decided to gather/center the resources in the capital.

Tienes que concentrar el jugo hirviéndolo un poco más.

B2

You have to condense the juice by boiling it a bit longer.

La policía concentró a la multitud en la plaza.

B1

The police gathered the crowd in the square.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • concentrar esfuerzos – to combine/concentrate efforts
  • jugo concentrado – concentrated juice

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesconcentraran
yoconcentrara
túconcentraras
vosotrosconcentrarais
nosotrosconcentráramos
él/ella/ustedconcentrara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesconcentren
yoconcentre
túconcentres
vosotrosconcentréis
nosotrosconcentremos
él/ella/ustedconcentre

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesconcentraron
yoconcentré
túconcentraste
vosotrosconcentrasteis
nosotrosconcentramos
él/ella/ustedconcentró

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesconcentraban
yoconcentraba
túconcentrabas
vosotrosconcentrabais
nosotrosconcentrábamos
él/ella/ustedconcentraba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesconcentran
yoconcentro
túconcentras
vosotrosconcentráis
nosotrosconcentramos
él/ella/ustedconcentra
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "concentrar" in Spanish:

to mass→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: concentrar

Question 1 of 3

Which sentence correctly says 'I focus on my studies'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
concentración(concentration) — Noun
concentrado(concentrated/concentrate) — Adjective
desconcentrar(to distract/un-focus) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From Latin 'con-' (together) and 'centrum' (center). It literally means 'to bring toward a common center.'

First recorded: 17th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: concentrateFrench: concentrerPortuguese: concentrar

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I always need to use 'me' or 'se' with concentrar?

Only if you mean 'to focus' mentally. If you are gathering objects or thickening a liquid, you don't use them.

Can I use 'enfocar' instead of 'concentrar'?

Yes, 'enfocarse' is a very common synonym for mental focus, though 'concentrarse' is often used for deeper, long-term thinking.

Is 'concentrar' regular or irregular?

It is completely regular! It follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar.