infectar

een-fek-TARiɱfekˈtaɾ

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

to infect🔊B1Verb

to pass germs or a virus to a person or wound

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to infect🔊B2Verb

referring to computer viruses or malware

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to infect

Also: to contaminate

VerbB1regular ar

A microscopic view of colorful green germs near a small red cut on a person's skin.

gerundinfectando

past Participleinfectado

infinitiveinfectar

📝 In Action

Lávate la herida para que no se llegue a infectar.

Wash your wound so it doesn't get infected.

El virus puede infectar a personas de todas las edades.

The virus can infect people of all ages.

Es importante desinfectar las superficies para no infectar a los demás.

It is important to disinfect surfaces so as not to infect others.

Word Connections

Synonyms

contagiar (to spread/contagiate)
contaminar (to contaminate)

Antonyms

desinfectar (to disinfect)
sanear (to clean up/sanitize)

Common Collocations

infectar una herida – to infect a wound
riesgo de infectar – risk of infecting

to infect

VerbB2regular ar

A laptop screen showing a small, grumpy purple monster with sharp teeth sitting inside the monitor.

gerundinfectando

past Participleinfectado

infinitiveinfectar

📝 In Action

Un archivo malicioso puede infectar todo el sistema.

A malicious file can infect the entire system.

Mi ordenador se infectó al abrir ese correo.

My computer got infected when I opened that email.

El virus infectó miles de dispositivos en pocas horas.

The virus infected thousands of devices in a few hours.

Word Connections

Synonyms

hackear (to hack)

Common Collocations

infectar el ordenador – to infect the computer
archivo infectado – infected file

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yoinfectara

túinfectaras

él/ella/ustedinfectara

nosotrosinfectáramos

vosotrosinfectarais

ellos/ellas/ustedesinfectaran

Present Subjunctive

yoinfecte

túinfectes

él/ella/ustedinfecte

nosotrosinfectemos

vosotrosinfectéis

ellos/ellas/ustedesinfecten

Indicative

Preterite

yoinfecté

túinfectaste

él/ella/ustedinfectó

nosotrosinfectamos

vosotrosinfectasteis

ellos/ellas/ustedesinfectaron

Imperfect

yoinfectaba

túinfectabas

él/ella/ustedinfectaba

nosotrosinfectábamos

vosotrosinfectabais

ellos/ellas/ustedesinfectaban

Present

yoinfecto

túinfectas

él/ella/ustedinfecta

nosotrosinfectamos

vosotrosinfectáis

ellos/ellas/ustedesinfectan

View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "infectar" in Spanish:

to contaminate→to infect→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: infectar

Question 1 of 3

If you have a kitchen full of ants, should you use 'infectar'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼

infección(infection) — Noun

infeccioso(infectious) — Adjective

desinfectante(disinfectant) — Noun

infectado(infected) — Adjective

🎵 Rhymes▼

aceptar conectar detectar

📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'infectus', which comes from 'inficere', meaning 'to stain', 'to dye', or 'to corrupt'. It originally described how a color or substance would spread through something else.

First recorded: 15th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: infectFrench: infecterPortuguese: infetar

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'infectar' be used for emotions?

Yes! Just like in English, you can say 'infectar de alegría' (to infect with joy), though 'contagiar' is much more common for positive feelings.

Is 'infectar' a regular verb?

Yes, it follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar. No surprise spelling changes here!

What is the difference between 'infectar' and 'contagiar'?

'Infectar' usually refers to the biological process of germs entering a body or wound. 'Contagiar' focuses more on the spread from one person to another.