debatir
“debatir” means “to debate” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to debate
Also: to discuss
📝 In Action
Los candidatos van a debatir sobre la economía esta noche.
B1The candidates are going to debate about the economy tonight.
Es bueno debatir diferentes puntos de vista en clase.
A2It is good to discuss different points of view in class.
Llevamos horas debatiendo la misma propuesta sin llegar a un acuerdo.
B2We have been debating the same proposal for hours without reaching an agreement.
to struggle
Also: to be torn
📝 In Action
Se debate entre ir a la universidad o empezar a trabajar.
B2He is torn between going to university or starting to work.
El herido se debate entre la vida y la muerte.
C1The injured person is struggling between life and death.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: debatir
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence means 'She is torn between two choices'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From Latin 'debattuere', which means 'to beat down' or 'to strike'. It originally described physical combat before moving to the 'combat' of ideas.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'debatir' always mean a formal contest?
Not necessarily, but it implies a level of seriousness and that different sides are being considered thoughtfully.
Is 'debatir' a regular verb?
Yes! It follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ir, making it very easy to conjugate.
When should I use 'debatirse' instead of 'debatir'?
Use 'debatirse' (with the reflexive 'se') when you are talking about an internal struggle, emotional conflict, or a life-and-death situation.