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motivar

moh-tee-BAHR/motiˈβaɾ/

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

to motivate

Also: to inspire
VerbA2regular ar
A coach cheering and giving a high-five to a young runner at a track.
gerundmotivando
past Participlemotivado
infinitivemotivar

📝 In Action

Mi profesor me motiva a estudiar más.

A2

My teacher motivates me to study more.

Es difícil motivar a los empleados los lunes.

B1

It is difficult to motivate employees on Mondays.

Me motiva mucho viajar por el mundo.

B1

Traveling the world inspires me a lot.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • animar (to encourage)
  • incentivar (to incentivize)

Antonyms

  • desmotivar (to discourage)

Common Collocations

  • motivar a alguien – to motivate someone
  • motivar al equipo – to motivate the team

to cause

Also: to justify
VerbB2regular arformal
Dark storm clouds in the sky with rain falling onto a growing green sprout.
gerundmotivando
past Participlemotivado
infinitivemotivar

📝 In Action

La lluvia motivó la cancelación del evento.

B2

The rain caused the cancellation of the event.

El juez debe motivar su sentencia.

C1

The judge must justify his sentence (provide the reasons for it).

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • motivar una decisión – to justify a decision
  • motivar la queja – to cause the complaint

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesmotivaran
yomotivara
túmotivaras
vosotrosmotivarais
nosotrosmotiváramos
él/ella/ustedmotivara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesmotiven
yomotive
túmotives
vosotrosmotivéis
nosotrosmotivemos
él/ella/ustedmotive

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesmotivaron
yomotivé
túmotivaste
vosotrosmotivasteis
nosotrosmotivamos
él/ella/ustedmotivó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesmotivaban
yomotivaba
túmotivabas
vosotrosmotivabais
nosotrosmotivábamos
él/ella/ustedmotivaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesmotivan
yomotivo
túmotivas
vosotrosmotiváis
nosotrosmotivamos
él/ella/ustedmotiva
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "motivar" in Spanish:

to cause→to inspire→to justify→to motivate→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: motivar

Question 1 of 3

How do you say 'They motivate us'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
motivación(motivation) — Noun
motivo(reason / motive) — Noun
motivador(motivational / motivator) — Adjective
desmotivar(to discourage) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'motivus', which relates to movement or motion. It describes the force that moves someone to action.

First recorded: 15th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: motivateFrench: motiverItalian: motivare

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'motivar' mean 'to give a reason'?

Is 'motivar' a regular verb?

What is the difference between 'motivar' and 'animar'?