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indican

een-DEE-kahn/inˈdikan/

“indican” means “they indicate” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

they indicate, you (all) indicate

Also: they show, they specify
VerbA2regular with spelling change (c to qu in some forms) ar
Two small anthropomorphic animal characters standing side by side, both clearly pointing with their fingers towards a bright glowing star in the dark night sky.
infinitiveindicar
past Participleindicado
gerundindicando

📝 In Action

Las señales de tráfico indican el límite de velocidad.

A2

The traffic signs indicate the speed limit.

Ellos indican que la reunión será mañana por la mañana.

B1

They indicate that the meeting will be tomorrow morning.

¿Qué indican los documentos que nos entregaron?

B1

What do the documents they gave us show?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • señalan (they point out)
  • muestran (they show)

Common Collocations

  • Indican el camino – They show the way
  • Indican la hora – They show the time

they suggest, they signal

Also: they denote
VerbB2regular with spelling change (c to qu in some forms) arformal
A boy and a girl standing next to a partially built wooden birdhouse. The boy holds up a single hammer and smiles knowingly at the girl.
infinitiveindicar
past Participleindicado
gerundindicando

📝 In Action

Los síntomas indican un resfriado fuerte.

B2

The symptoms suggest a severe cold.

Todos los estudios indican que el cambio climático es real.

C1

All the studies indicate that climate change is real.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • sugieren (they suggest)
  • apuntan (they point to)

Common Collocations

  • Indican tendencia – They signal a trend
  • Indican peligro – They signal danger

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

yoindicara/indicase
él/ella/ustedindicara/indicase
nosotrosindicáramos/indicásemos
vosotrosindicarais/indicaseis
ellos/ellas/ustedesindicaran/indicasen
túindicaras/indicases

present

yoindique
él/ella/ustedindique
nosotrosindiquemos
vosotrosindiquéis
ellos/ellas/ustedesindiquen
túindiques

indicative

preterite

yoindiqué
él/ella/ustedindicó
nosotrosindicamos
vosotrosindicasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesindicaron
túindicaste

imperfect

yoindicaba
él/ella/ustedindicaba
nosotrosindicábamos
vosotrosindicabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesindicaban
túindicabas

present

yoindico
él/ella/ustedindica
nosotrosindicamos
vosotrosindicáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesindican
túindicas
View All Tenses & Moods →

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✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: indican

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'indican' to mean 'suggest' or 'signal'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
indicar(to indicate (infinitive)) — Verb
indicación(indication, instruction) — Noun
indicador(indicator (noun/adjective)) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
aplicandedican
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin verb *indicāre*, meaning 'to point out,' 'to proclaim,' or 'to reveal.' It shares the root *dicāre* (to proclaim) and the prefix *in-* (in, into).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: indicateFrench: indiquer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'indican' used for people or things?

'Indican' can be used for both! It is the plural verb form, so the subject must be plural. You can say 'Ellos indican' (People) or 'Los datos indican' (Things/Data).

How do I say 'they indicated' (in the past)?

You would use the preterite form: 'indicaron'. For example, 'Ellos indicaron el camino ayer' (They indicated the path yesterday).