perturbar
“perturbar” means “to disturb” in Spanish (peace, order, or someone's concentration).
to disturb, to disrupt
Also: to upset
📝 In Action
El ruido de la construcción perturba mi concentración.
B1The construction noise disturbs my concentration.
No queremos perturbar la paz del vecindario.
B2We don't want to disturb the peace of the neighborhood.
La tormenta perturbó el tráfico aéreo durante horas.
C1The storm disrupted air traffic for hours.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: perturbar
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence best uses 'perturbar' to mean 'to disrupt'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin 'perturbare', where 'per-' means 'completely' and 'turbare' means 'to confuse or throw into disorder'.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'perturbar' always negative?
Yes, it almost always refers to breaking a positive state like peace, quiet, concentration, or mental health.
Can I use 'perturbar' for a person?
Yes. If someone is 'perturbado', it means they are mentally or emotionally distressed.
Does it mean the same as 'perturb' in English?
Very similar! Both mean to make someone anxious or to throw something into disorder, though the Spanish word is used slightly more often for physical disruptions like traffic or signals.