orientar

oh-ryen-TAR/oɾjenˈtaɾ/

“orientar” means “to face” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:

to face🔊A2Verb

physical direction

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to guide🔊B1Verb

giving advice or direction

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to target🔊B2Verb

marketing or audience

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to face, to position

Also: to orient

VerbA2regular ar

A small house with its front door and windows facing towards a bright rising sun on the horizon.

gerundorientando

past Participleorientado

infinitiveorientar

📝 In Action

Queremos orientar la casa hacia el sur para tener más sol.

We want to face the house toward the south to have more sun.

Tienes que orientar la antena correctamente para ver la tele.

You have to position the antenna correctly to watch TV.

El mapa me ayudó a orientar mi posición en el bosque.

The map helped me orient my position in the forest.

Word Connections

Synonyms

enfocar (to focus/aim)
dirigir (to direct)

Antonyms

desorientar (to disorient/confuse)

Common Collocations

orientar al norte – to face north
bien orientado – well-positioned/facing the right way

to guide, to advise

Also: to point in the right direction

VerbB1regular ar

A tall hiker pointing a wooden staff toward a clear mountain path to show a younger hiker the way.

gerundorientando

past Participleorientado

infinitiveorientar

📝 In Action

El tutor debe orientar a los alumnos sobre sus opciones de carrera.

The tutor should guide the students about their career options.

Ella me orientó mucho durante mis primeros días en el trabajo.

She gave me a lot of guidance during my first days at work.

Necesitamos a alguien que nos oriente en este proyecto legal.

We need someone to point us in the right direction for this legal project.

Word Connections

Synonyms

asesorar (to advise/counsel)
guiar (to guide)

Antonyms

confundir (to confuse)

Common Collocations

orientar profesionalmente – to provide career guidance
orientar al cliente – to guide the customer

to target, to aim

Also: to gear towards

VerbB2regular arformal

A colorful group of children looking at a bright toy display specifically designed for them.

gerundorientando

past Participleorientado

infinitiveorientar

📝 In Action

Han decidido orientar la campaña publicitaria a los jóvenes.

They have decided to target the advertising campaign at young people.

Debemos orientar nuestros esfuerzos a mejorar la calidad.

We must aim our efforts at improving quality.

Este curso está orientado a principiantes.

This course is geared towards beginners.

Word Connections

Synonyms

destinar (to destine/assign)
centrar (to center/focus)

Common Collocations

orientar al mercado – to target the market
orientado a resultados – results-oriented

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesorientaran

yoorientara

túorientaras

vosotrosorientarais

nosotrosorientáramos

él/ella/ustedorientara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesorienten

yooriente

túorientes

vosotrosorientéis

nosotrosorientemos

él/ella/ustedoriente

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesorientaron

yoorienté

túorientaste

vosotrosorientasteis

nosotrosorientamos

él/ella/ustedorientó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesorientaban

yoorientaba

túorientabas

vosotrosorientabais

nosotrosorientábamos

él/ella/ustedorientaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesorientan

yooriento

túorientas

vosotrosorientáis

nosotrosorientamos

él/ella/ustedorienta

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Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "orientar" in Spanish:

to advise→to aim→to face→to guide→to orient→to position→to target→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: orientar

Question 1 of 3

If you are 'desorientado' in a city, what do you need to do?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼

orientación(orientation/guidance) — Noun

orientado(oriented/facing) — Adjective

desorientar(to disorient/confuse) — Verb

orientador(counselor/guide) — Noun

🎵 Rhymes▼

hablar lugar andar

📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin 'oriens', meaning 'rising sun' or 'East'. To orient originally meant to align something toward the East.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: orientFrench: orienterItalian: orientare

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'guiar' and 'orientar'?

'Guiar' is like walking someone through every step. 'Orientar' is more about giving them the general direction so they can find their own way.

Is 'orientar' a regular verb?

Yes! It follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar.

Does 'orientar' only mean north/south/east/west?

No, it is very common to use it for careers, projects, and marketing to mean 'focus' or 'guide'.