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subrayar

soo-brah-yahr/subraˈʝar/

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

to underline

Also: to underscore
VerbA2regular ar
A thick blue line drawn underneath a row of simple colorful shapes on a white background.
gerundsubrayando
past Participlesubrayado
infinitivesubrayar

📝 In Action

Debes subrayar el título de cada capítulo.

A2

You should underline the title of each chapter.

He subrayado las palabras que no entiendo.

B1

I have underlined the words that I don't understand.

Si subrayas todo el libro, no sabrás qué es lo más importante.

B1

If you underline the whole book, you won't know what is most important.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • rayar (to line/to scratch)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • subrayar con lápiz – to underline in pencil
  • subrayar en rojo – to underline in red

to emphasize

Also: to highlight, to stress
VerbB1regular ar
A single bright yellow star standing out among several gray circles.
gerundsubrayando
past Participlesubrayado
infinitivesubrayar

📝 In Action

El director subrayó la necesidad de trabajar en equipo.

B1

The director emphasized the need for teamwork.

Quiero subrayar que este es solo el primer paso.

B2

I want to highlight that this is only the first step.

El informe subraya los riesgos del cambio climático.

C1

The report stresses the risks of climate change.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • subrayar un hecho – to highlight a fact
  • subrayar la importancia – to emphasize the importance
  • cabe subrayar que – it is worth highlighting that

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedessubrayaran
yosubrayara
túsubrayaras
vosotrossubrayarais
nosotrossubrayáramos
él/ella/ustedsubrayara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedessubrayen
yosubraye
túsubrayes
vosotrossubrayéis
nosotrossubrayemos
él/ella/ustedsubraye

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedessubrayaron
yosubrayé
túsubrayaste
vosotrossubrayasteis
nosotrossubrayamos
él/ella/ustedsubrayó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedessubrayaban
yosubrayaba
túsubrayabas
vosotrossubrayabais
nosotrossubrayábamos
él/ella/ustedsubrayaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedessubrayan
yosubrayo
túsubrayas
vosotrossubrayáis
nosotrossubrayamos
él/ella/ustedsubraya
View All Tenses & Moods →

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✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: subrayar

Question 1 of 3

Which of these means 'to underline' in a literal sense?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
subrayado(underlining/underlined) — Noun / Adjective
subrayador(highlighter pen) — Noun
raya(line/stripe) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the prefix 'sub-' (under) and the noun 'raya' (line/dash), creating the literal meaning 'to line under.'

First recorded: 18th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: underscore

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'subrayar' a regular verb?

Yes, it is a completely regular -ar verb in all tenses.

What is the difference between 'subrayar' and 'destacar'?

'Subrayar' literally means to draw a line under something, while 'destacar' is more about making something stand out (to highlight). In figurative speech, they are often used as synonyms.

Can I use 'subrayar' for highlighting with a marker?

While the specific word for highlighting is 'resaltar,' many Spanish speakers use 'subrayar' generally to mean making text stand out on a page.