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matan

MAH-tahn/ˈma.tan/

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

they kill, you all kill

Also: they murder, they slay
VerbA2regular ar
A high quality simple colorful storybook illustration showing two figures firmly holding down a small, stylized, abstract figure, stopping its movement entirely.
infinitivematar
gerundmatando
past Participlematado

📝 In Action

Dicen que las leyes nuevas matan la economía.

B1

They say the new laws are killing the economy.

Los leones matan solo cuando tienen hambre.

A2

Lions only kill when they are hungry.

Ustedes matan el tiempo esperando el autobús.

A2

You all are killing time waiting for the bus.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • revivir (to revive)
  • salvar (to save)

Common Collocations

  • matar el tiempo – to kill time
  • matar la sed – to quench thirst

they exhaust, they bore to death

Also: they destroy
VerbB1regular arinformal
Mexico
A high quality simple colorful storybook illustration showing two energetic figures standing over a third figure who is lying flat on the ground, completely exhausted and sweating heavily after a strenuous activity.
infinitivematar
gerundmatando
past Participlematado

📝 In Action

Las deudas y el estrés matan la felicidad de la gente.

B1

Debts and stress kill people's happiness.

Estas largas reuniones matan a los empleados.

B2

These long meetings exhaust the employees.

Dicen que los impuestos altos matan la inversión.

B2

They say high taxes destroy investment.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • agotar (to exhaust)
  • aburrir (to bore)

Idioms & Expressions

  • matar de risa – to make someone laugh uncontrollably (to kill with laughter)

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedmata
yomato
túmatas
ellos/ellas/ustedesmatan
nosotrosmatamos
vosotrosmatáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedmataba
yomataba
túmatabas
ellos/ellas/ustedesmataban
nosotrosmatábamos
vosotrosmatabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedmató
yomaté
túmataste
ellos/ellas/ustedesmataron
nosotrosmatamos
vosotrosmatasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedmate
yomate
túmates
ellos/ellas/ustedesmaten
nosotrosmatemos
vosotrosmatéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedmatara/matase
yomatara/matase
túmataras/matases
ellos/ellas/ustedesmataran/matasen
nosotrosmatáramos/matásemos
vosotrosmatarais/mataseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

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✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: matan

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'matan' in its figurative sense (to exhaust or bore)?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
matar(to kill (infinitive)) — Verb
matanza(slaughter, massacre) — Noun
matador(killer, bullfighter) — Noun / Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
cantansaltan
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the late Latin word *mattare*, which meant 'to defeat' or 'to checkmate' (in chess). It eventually evolved to mean 'to defeat completely' and finally, 'to kill.'

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: matarCatalan: matar

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if 'matan' is indicative or subjunctive?

The form 'matan' is used for both the Present Indicative (facts: 'They kill') and the Present Subjunctive (wishes/commands: 'I want them to kill'). You tell the difference by looking at the word that comes before it. If it's used after a trigger like 'Quiero que...' (I want that...), it is usually subjunctive.

Is 'matan' a strong or weak verb?

'Matar' is a regular -ar verb, meaning its endings follow the standard pattern perfectly. It does not have any tricky stem changes or irregularities.