Inklingo

exagerar

ex-ah-heh-rar/eksaheˈɾaɾ/

exagerar means to exaggerate in Spanish (to make something seem bigger, better, or worse than it is).

to exaggerate

Also: to overstate, to overdo it
VerbA2regular ar
Spain
A man holding his hands very far apart to describe a tiny fish sitting on a table.
gerundexagerando
past Participleexagerado
infinitiveexagerar

📝 In Action

No exageres, solo llegamos cinco minutos tarde.

A1

Don't exaggerate, we're only five minutes late.

Mi abuelo siempre exagera el tamaño de los peces que pesca.

A2

My grandfather always exaggerates the size of the fish he catches.

Creo que estás exagerando la importancia de ese problema.

B1

I think you are overstating the importance of that problem.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • agrandar (to enlarge)
  • excederse (to go too far)

Antonyms

  • minimizar (to minimize)
  • atenuar (to tone down)

Common Collocations

  • sin exagerarwithout exaggerating
  • exagerar un pocoto exaggerate a bit
  • tender a exagerarto tend to exaggerate

Idioms & Expressions

  • sacar las cosas de quicioto blow things out of proportion

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesexageraran
yoexagerara
exageraras
vosotrosexagerarais
nosotrosexageráramos
él/ella/ustedexagerara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesexageren
yoexagere
exageres
vosotrosexageréis
nosotrosexageremos
él/ella/ustedexagere

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesexageraron
yoexageré
exageraste
vosotrosexagerasteis
nosotrosexageramos
él/ella/ustedexageró

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesexageraban
yoexageraba
exagerabas
vosotrosexagerabais
nosotrosexagerábamos
él/ella/ustedexageraba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesexageran
yoexagero
exageras
vosotrosexageráis
nosotrosexageramos
él/ella/ustedexagera

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "exagerar" in Spanish:

to exaggerateto overstate

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: exagerar

Question 1 of 3

Which of these is the correct 'yo' form in the present tense?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
exageración(exaggeration)Noun
exagerado(exaggerated)Adjective
exageradamente(exaggeratedly)Adverb
🎵 Rhymes
📚 Etymology

From the Latin word 'exaggerare', which literally meant 'to heap up' or 'to pile up earth'.

First recorded: 15th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: exaggerateFrench: exagérer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'exagerar' an irregular verb?

No, it is a completely regular '-ar' verb. It follows the same patterns as 'hablar' or 'cantar'.

Can I use 'exagerar' for actions as well as words?

Yes! You can use it when someone says something untrue, but also when someone 'overdoes it' with a physical action, like acting too much in a play.

What is the difference between 'exagerar' and 'mentir'?

'Mentir' means to lie (telling something completely false). 'Exagerar' usually means taking a piece of truth and making it much bigger or more dramatic.