How to Say "to drive" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to drive” is “conducir” — use 'conducir' when you are talking about the act of operating or being in control of a moving vehicle like a car, bus, or truck..
conducir
kon-doo-SEER/kon.duˈsiɾ/
Examples
Me encanta conducir por la costa.
I love to drive along the coast.
¿Puedes conducir un coche estándar?
Can you drive a manual car?
Ella conduce muy rápido en la autopista.
She drives very fast on the highway.
Yo conduzco al trabajo todos los días.
I drive to work every day.
The Special 'I' Form
In the present tense, the 'yo' (I) form is irregular: it must be 'conduzco' (with 'zc') to keep the 'z' sound clear. This special stem also shows up in all the wish/command forms (subjunctive).
Preterite Change
In the simple past (preterite), the verb changes its stem completely from 'c' to 'j': 'conduje', 'condujiste', etc. This happens to other verbs ending in -ducir like 'traducir' (to translate).
Forgetting the 'zc'
Mistake: “Yo conduco.”
Correction: Yo conduzco. Remember the 'zc' is needed to maintain the correct sound and follow the verb pattern.
empujar
/em-poo-HAR//em.puˈxaɾ/
Examples
Su ambición lo empuja a trabajar duro.
His ambition drives him to work hard.
Mis padres me empujaron a estudiar música.
My parents pushed me to study music.
La crisis empujó a la gente a buscar soluciones nuevas.
The crisis drove people to look for new solutions.
Using 'a' + Infinitive
When you use 'empujar' to mean pushing someone to DO something, use the pattern: empujar + person + 'a' + action verb. Example: 'Me empuja a correr' (He pushes me to run).
Driving a Vehicle vs. Motivating Action
Related Translations
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