desbordar
“desbordar” means “to overflow” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to overflow
Also: to spill over
📝 In Action
El río se desbordó después de la tormenta.
A2The river overflowed after the storm.
Ten cuidado con el café, se va a desbordar.
A1Be careful with the coffee, it's going to spill over.
El agua empezó a desbordar por los bordes de la piscina.
B1The water began to overflow over the edges of the pool.
to overflow with, to exceed
Also: to be overwhelmed
📝 In Action
Ella desborda alegría cada vez que nos ve.
B2She overflows with joy every time she sees us.
La situación desbordó a los organizadores del evento.
C1The situation overwhelmed the event organizers.
Su talento desbordó todas nuestras expectativas.
B2His talent exceeded all of our expectations.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: desbordar
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence means 'The situation was too much for me to handle'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Spanish prefix 'des-' (meaning out or away) and 'borde' (edge/rim), which comes from the Frankish 'bord' (side of a ship).
First recorded: 15th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use 'desbordar' for people?
Yes, but usually as the thing being acted upon ('La tarea me desborda' - The task overwhelms me) or to describe their personality ('Él desborda energía' - He overflows with energy).
Is it 'desbordar' or 'desbordarse'?
Both! Use 'desbordarse' (reflexive) for things that happen on their own like rivers flooding. Use 'desbordar' when you are describing a quality something has (like a person exuding talent).
Is it a common word?
Very common, especially in news reports about weather (floods) or in sports and arts to describe passion and talent.