Inklingo

How to Say "to disregard" in Spanish

English → Spanish

ignorar

eeg-noh-RAHR/iɣnoˈɾaɾ/

verbA2general
Use 'ignorar' when you are deliberately choosing not to pay attention to something, like a warning, a person, or information.
A small child sitting on the ground, deliberately turning their back away from a brightly colored, squeaking toy nearby, refusing to acknowledge it.

Examples

Ella decidió ignorar los comentarios negativos y seguir adelante.

She decided to ignore the negative comments and move forward.

Por favor, no ignores las reglas de seguridad.

Please, do not disregard the safety rules.

Me sentí muy mal cuando mi mejor amigo me ignoró en la fiesta.

I felt very bad when my best friend ignored me at the party.

Direct Object Usage

When you ignore a person or thing, that person or thing is the direct object. For people, remember to use the personal 'a': 'Ignoramos a la camarera' (We ignored the waitress).

Confusion with 'No Saber'

Mistake: “Using 'ignorar' when you simply mean 'I don't know a fact' in everyday conversation.”

Correction: For simple lack of knowledge, use 'no saber' (e.g., 'No sé la respuesta' - I don't know the answer). Use 'ignorar' for deliberate disregard or formal 'not knowing' (see next definition).

saltar

sahl-TAHR/salˈtaɾ/

verbB1general
Use 'saltar' when you are skipping over something, such as a section of text, a step in a process, or a rule, often to save time or effort.
A small, brown rabbit hopping over a sequence of stepping stones, clearly bypassing the middle stone to land on the third stone.

Examples

Si lees el resumen, puedes saltar el prólogo.

If you read the summary, you can skip the prologue.

No puedes saltar las instrucciones o no funcionará.

You can't skip the instructions or it won't work.

Using 'Omitir' vs. 'Saltar'

Mistake: “Using 'omitir' for a physical skip (e.g., 'omitir una valla').”

Correction: 'Omitir' is better for formal documents or information. 'Saltar' is used for skipping physical things (like a line in a book or a step in a process). 'Saltar el desayuno' is more natural than 'omitir el desayuno'.

Ignorar vs. Saltar

Learners often confuse 'ignorar' and 'saltar' because both involve not engaging with something. Remember, 'ignorar' implies a conscious decision to pay no attention, while 'saltar' means to bypass or omit something.

Related Translations

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