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How to Say "to dump" in Spanish

English → Spanish

botar

/bo-TAR//boˈtaɾ/

verbA1informal
Use 'botar' for the informal act of throwing something away, especially trash or unwanted items, often into a specific receptacle.
A person dropping a crumpled piece of paper into a green trash can.

Examples

Por favor, bota la basura en el contenedor.

Please throw the trash in the bin.

No botes esa ropa, todavía está buena.

Don't throw those clothes away, they are still good.

Estás botando el dinero en cosas que no necesitas.

You are wasting (throwing away) money on things you don't need.

Action vs. Election

Even though 'botar' and 'votar' sound the same, use 'botar' when you are physically moving or discarding something.

Don't use it for elections

Mistake: “Voy a botar por el presidente.”

Correction: Voy a votar por el presidente. Use a 'V' for voting in elections.

descartar

/des-kar-TAR//deskaɾˈtaɾ/

verbA2informal
Choose 'descartar' when you want to remove or get rid of items you no longer need or want, implying a selection process.
A hand placing a broken, old toy into a recycling bin.

Examples

Tienes que descartar las cartas que no quieras.

You have to discard the cards you don't want.

He descartado toda la ropa que ya no me queda.

I have thrown away all the clothes that no longer fit me.

Es mejor descartar el papel en el contenedor azul.

It is better to discard the paper in the blue bin.

Direct Action Verb

You don't need a word like 'of' or 'from' after this verb. Just say 'descartar' followed by the object you are getting rid of.

Completely Regular

This verb follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar, making it very predictable to conjugate.

Adding 'de'

Mistake: “Descartar de los papeles viejos.”

Correction: Descartar los papeles viejos. (In Spanish, you discard things directly without adding 'de'.)

vaciar

/bah-syahr//baˈθjaɾ/

verbA2
Use 'vaciar' when the action is about emptying the contents of something, often by pouring them out quickly.
A child turning a small wooden bucket upside down to let sand fall out onto a beach.

Examples

Necesito vaciar la mochila antes de viajar.

I need to empty the backpack before traveling.

Vaciamos toda la casa en un solo fin de semana.

We cleared out the whole house in just one weekend.

Por favor, vacía el agua de la cubeta.

Please, pour out the water from the bucket.

The Accent Shift

When you say 'I empty' (vacío), the 'i' gets a strong sound and needs an accent mark. This happens in all forms where the stress falls on the stem, except for 'we' and 'you all' in Spain.

Vaciar vs. Limpiar

Use 'vaciar' for taking things OUT of a container. Use 'limpiar' for making the container clean. You 'vaciar' a trash can before you 'limpiar' it.

Missing Accents

Mistake: “Yo vacio la caja.”

Correction: Yo vacío la caja. (Without the accent, it sounds like 'vacio', which isn't a word; it needs that extra punch on the 'i'.)

Confusing 'botar' and 'vaciar'

Learners often confuse 'botar' (to throw away) with 'vaciar' (to empty). Remember, 'botar' is about disposal of items, while 'vaciar' is about removing contents from a container.

Related Translations

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