Inklingo

imaginar

ee-mah-hee-NAR/imaɣiˈnaɾ/

imaginar means to imagine in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to imagine, to picture

Also: to conceive
VerbA2regular ar
A child smiling while looking up at a brightly colored, imagined object floating above their head, specifically a small, colorful whale with wings.
infinitiveimaginar
gerundimaginando
past Participleimaginado

📝 In Action

No puedo imaginar un mundo sin música.

A2

I can't imagine a world without music.

Ella imagina que su mascota puede hablar.

B1

She pictures that her pet can talk.

¿Qué imaginas que haremos mañana?

A2

What do you imagine we will do tomorrow?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • visualizar (to visualize)
  • idear (to conceive)

Antonyms

  • olvidar (to forget)

Common Collocations

  • imaginar cosasto imagine things (often negatively, meaning to hallucinate)
  • imaginar el futuroto imagine the future

to suppose, to fathom

Also: to assume
VerbB2regular (used reflexively) arinformal
A friendly cartoon character standing between two simple, closed doors, one red and one blue, with a thoughtful, slightly puzzled expression and a small shrug, indicating they are trying to suppose or guess which door to choose.
infinitiveimaginarse
gerundimaginándose
past Participleimaginado

📝 In Action

Me imagino que ya comiste, ¿verdad?

B2

I suppose you already ate, right?

¿Te imaginas el precio de esa casa?

C1

Can you fathom the price of that house?

Se imaginaron que la reunión sería más corta.

B2

They assumed the meeting would be shorter.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • Me imagino que síI suppose so / I guess so

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedimagina
yoimagino
imaginas
ellos/ellas/ustedesimaginan
nosotrosimaginamos
vosotrosimagináis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedimaginaba
yoimaginaba
imaginabas
ellos/ellas/ustedesimaginaban
nosotrosimaginábamos
vosotrosimaginabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedimaginó
yoimaginé
imaginaste
ellos/ellas/ustedesimaginaron
nosotrosimaginamos
vosotrosimaginasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedimagine
yoimagine
imagines
ellos/ellas/ustedesimaginen
nosotrosimaginemos
vosotrosimaginéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedimaginara
yoimaginara
imaginaras
ellos/ellas/ustedesimaginaran
nosotrosimagináramos
vosotrosimaginarais

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✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: imaginar

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'imaginar' to mean 'to assume or guess' (imaginarse)?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
imaginación(imagination)Noun
imaginario(imaginary)Adjective
imaginable(imaginable)Adjective
🎵 Rhymes
📚 Etymology

Comes from the Latin verb *imaginari*, meaning 'to form an image' or 'to picture to oneself.' It shares roots with the English word 'image.'

First recorded: Medieval Latin period

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: imaginarItalian: immaginare

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'imaginar' and 'pensar'?

'Imaginar' is specifically about forming a mental picture, concept, or hypothesis. 'Pensar' is broader, meaning 'to think' in general, to have an opinion, or to consider something.

Does 'imaginar' ever require the special verb form (subjunctive)?

Generally, no. When you say 'I imagine that...' ('Imagino que...'), you are stating a certainty or belief, so you typically use the standard verb form (indicative) afterwards. For example: 'Imagino que *es* difícil' (I imagine it *is* difficult).