Inklingo

confrontar

kon-fron-TARkoɱfɾonˈtaɾ

confrontar means to face in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to face, to confront

Also: to tackle
VerbB1regular ar
A small, brave fox standing tall and facing a large, misty mountain path.
gerundconfrontando
past Participleconfrontado
infinitiveconfrontar

📝 In Action

Tienes que confrontar tus miedos para superarlos.

B1

You have to face your fears to overcome them.

El director decidió confrontar al empleado por sus faltas.

B2

The director decided to confront the employee about his absences.

Es difícil confrontar una crisis económica sin ahorros.

C1

It is difficult to tackle an economic crisis without savings.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • confrontar la realidadto face reality
  • confrontar el problemato tackle the problem
  • confrontar a alguiento confront someone

to compare, to collate

VerbC1regular arformal
Two identical red apples sitting side-by-side on a wooden table for comparison.
gerundconfrontando
past Participleconfrontado
infinitiveconfrontar

📝 In Action

Debemos confrontar las copias con el original.

C1

We must compare the copies with the original.

El historiador confrontó varios documentos para verificar la fecha.

C1

The historian compared several documents to verify the date.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • cotejar (to check/compare)
  • comparar (to compare)

Common Collocations

  • confrontar datosto compare data
  • confrontar testimoniosto compare testimonies

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yoconfrontara
confrontaras
él/ella/ustedconfrontara
nosotrosconfrontáramos
vosotrosconfrontarais
ellos/ellas/ustedesconfrontaran

Present Subjunctive

yoconfronte
confrontes
él/ella/ustedconfronte
nosotrosconfrontemos
vosotrosconfrontéis
ellos/ellas/ustedesconfronten

Indicative

Preterite

yoconfronté
confrontaste
él/ella/ustedconfrontó
nosotrosconfrontamos
vosotrosconfrontasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesconfrontaron

Imperfect

yoconfrontaba
confrontabas
él/ella/ustedconfrontaba
nosotrosconfrontábamos
vosotrosconfrontabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesconfrontaban

Present

yoconfronto
confrontas
él/ella/ustedconfronta
nosotrosconfrontamos
vosotrosconfrontáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesconfrontan

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "confrontar" in Spanish:

to collateto compareto confrontto faceto tackle

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: confrontar

Question 1 of 3

How do you say 'I confront my fears' in Spanish?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
confrontación(confrontation)Noun
confrontado(confronted/faced)Adjective
frente(front/forehead)Noun
🎵 Rhymes
📚 Etymology

From the Latin word 'confrontare', which combines 'con' (together) and 'frons' (forehead/face). It literally means 'bringing faces together' or 'standing face to face'.

First recorded: 16th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: confrontFrench: confronterItalian: confrontare

💡 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 'confrontar' aggressive?

It can be, but it isn't always. While it can mean an argument, it often simply means dealing with a difficult truth or a challenging situation in a mature way.

Can I use 'enfrentar' instead?

Yes! 'Enfrentar' is actually slightly more common in daily speech. They are almost always interchangeable when talking about facing problems.

Does it have a stem change?

No. Unlike many Spanish verbs that change 'o' to 'ue' (like 'almorzar'), 'confrontar' stays 'confront-' in all forms.