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empacar

em-pah-KAHRem.paˈkaɾ

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

to pack

Also: to box up
VerbA1spelling-change ar
Latin AmericaSpain
A child placing folded clothes and a teddy bear into an open suitcase on a bed.
gerundempacando
past Participleempacado
infinitiveempacar

📝 In Action

Necesito empacar mi maleta para el viaje de mañana.

A1

I need to pack my suitcase for tomorrow's trip.

Ya terminamos de empacar todas las cajas para la mudanza.

A2

We already finished packing all the boxes for the move.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • hacer la maleta (to pack (literally 'to make the suitcase'))
  • embalar (to pack/bale for shipping)

Antonyms

  • desempacar (to unpack)

Common Collocations

  • empacar las cosas – to pack up one's things
  • terminar de empacar – to finish packing

Idioms & Expressions

  • empacar y vámonos – something is finished or there's nothing more to do here

to package

Also: to wrap
VerbB1spelling-change ar
A worker placing a toy car into a cardboard box and sealing it with tape.

📝 In Action

La fábrica empaca al vacío para mantener la frescura.

B1

The factory vacuum-packages to maintain freshness.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • envasar (to bottle or containerize)

Common Collocations

  • empacar al vacío – to vacuum pack

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yoempacara
túempacaras
él/ella/ustedempacara
nosotrosempacáramos
vosotrosempacarais
ellos/ellas/ustedesempacaran

Present Subjunctive

yoempaque
túempaques
él/ella/ustedempaque
nosotrosempaquemos
vosotrosempaquéis
ellos/ellas/ustedesempaquen

Indicative

Preterite

yoempaqué
túempacaste
él/ella/ustedempacó
nosotrosempacamos
vosotrosempacasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesempacaron

Imperfect

yoempacaba
túempacabas
él/ella/ustedempacaba
nosotrosempacábamos
vosotrosempacabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesempacaban

Present

yoempaco
túempacas
él/ella/ustedempaca
nosotrosempacamos
vosotrosempacáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesempacan
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "empacar" in Spanish:

to pack→to package→to wrap→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: empacar

Question 1 of 2

How do you say 'I packed' (past tense) in Spanish?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
empaque(packaging/appearance) — Noun
empacador(packer) — Noun
desempacar(to unpack) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
sacartocarbrincar
📚 Etymology▼

Derived from the word 'paquete' (package), which came into Spanish from French 'paquet'. It literally means to put things into a packet.

First recorded: 17th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: packFrench: empaqueter

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'empacar' used in Spain?

Yes, but it's less common for travel. In Spain, people usually say 'hacer la maleta' for packing a suitcase, while 'empacar' is often reserved for shipping or industrial packaging.

What does 'empacar al vacío' mean?

It means 'to vacuum pack,' a common method for preserving food by removing air from the package.