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How to Say "openly" in Spanish

English → Spanish

abiertamente

/ah-bee-air-tah-MEN-teh//aβjeɾtaˈmente/

adverbB1general
Use 'abiertamente' when someone expresses their thoughts, feelings, or opinions without hesitation or concealment, often about personal matters.
A child smiling and holding their hands out wide, showing an empty and open wooden box to a friend.

Examples

Ella habla abiertamente de sus problemas.

She talks openly about her problems.

El director admitió abiertamente que cometió un error.

The director openly admitted that he made a mistake.

Muchos ciudadanos se opusieron abiertamente a la nueva ley.

Many citizens openly opposed the new law.

The '-mente' Ending

In Spanish, adding '-mente' to the feminine form of an adjective (abierta) is just like adding '-ly' to an English word. It tells you HOW an action is done.

Word Order for Emphasis

You can place this word after the verb to describe the action, or at the very beginning of a sentence to set the tone for the whole thought.

Confusing with 'Publicly'

Mistake: “Using 'públicamente' when you mean 'honestly'.”

Correction: Use 'abiertamente' when someone is sharing their internal thoughts or feelings honestly, not just when they are in a public place.

Missing the 'a' ending

Mistake: “abiertomente”

Correction: abiertamente. When creating these words, you must always use the 'a' (feminine) version of the original adjective.

públicamente

adverbB1general
Choose 'públicamente' when an action or statement is made in a public setting or for the general public to see, emphasizing that it's not private or secret.

Examples

Ella habló públicamente sobre su vida.

She spoke publicly about her life.

libremente

/lee-breh-MEN-teh//liβɾeˈmente/

adverbB1general
Use 'libremente' when referring to freedom of movement or the ability to express oneself without constraint or fear, like birds flying freely.
A colorful bird flying with spread wings across a clear blue sky with a few fluffy white clouds.

Examples

Los pájaros vuelan libremente en el cielo.

The birds fly freely in the sky.

En este foro puedes expresar tus ideas libremente.

In this forum, you can express your ideas freely.

Decidió actuar libremente sin seguir las órdenes de su jefe.

He decided to act on his own accord without following his boss's orders.

The '-mente' Ending

In Spanish, adding '-mente' to the feminine form of an adjective is just like adding '-ly' to an English word. Since 'libre' ends in 'e', it doesn't change before adding the ending.

Double Stress Rule

Even though it is written as one word, when you say it, you keep the original stress of 'libre' (LEE-bre) and add a second stress on 'MEN-te'.

Using 'gratis' instead

Mistake: “Me muevo gratis por la ciudad.”

Correction: Me muevo libremente por la ciudad.

Abiertamente vs. Públicamente

Learners often confuse 'abiertamente' and 'públicamente' because both imply not hiding something. Remember that 'abiertamente' focuses on the openness of expression (what is said/felt), while 'públicamente' focuses on the public nature of the action or statement.

Related Translations

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