How to Say "to infect" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to infect” is “contagiar” — use 'contagiar' when you are actively passing a disease or illness to another person or animal.
contagiar
kon-ta-HYAHRkontaˈxjaɾ
Examples
No quiero contagiarte mi resfriado.
I don't want to infect you with my cold.
Lávate las manos para no contagiar a los demás.
Wash your hands so you don't pass it on to others.
Él contagió la gripe a toda su familia.
He passed the flu on to his whole family.
Using 'a' with people
When you mention the specific person you are infecting, you must use the word 'a' before their name or the person (e.g., 'contagiar a María').
Infecting vs. Being Infected
'Contagiar' is the action of giving the germs to someone else. If you are the one getting sick, you usually add a 'se' to the end: 'contagiarse'.
Wrong Preposition
Mistake: “Me contagió de la gripe.”
Correction: Me contagió la gripe. In Spanish, you infect 'the illness' directly to someone, you don't usually say 'with' or 'of' the illness.
pegar
peh-GARpeˈɣaɾ
Examples
No te acerques, no quiero pegarte la tos.
Don't come near, I don't want to give you (infect you with) the cough.
Esa canción pegó muy fuerte el año pasado.
That song became very popular (caught on) last year. (Informal)
Su mala suerte se me pegó.
His bad luck rubbed off on me (stuck to me).
Using 'Se pegar'
When talking about catching a disease or a habit, you often use the verb reflexively ('pegarse') to show that the thing stuck to you: 'Se me pegó el resfriado' (The cold stuck to me / I caught the cold).
infectar
een-fek-TARiɱfekˈtaɾ
Examples
Lávate la herida para que no se llegue a infectar.
Wash your wound so it doesn't get infected.
El virus puede infectar a personas de todas las edades.
The virus can infect people of all ages.
Es importante desinfectar las superficies para no infectar a los demás.
It is important to disinfect surfaces so as not to infect others.
Un archivo malicioso puede infectar todo el sistema.
A malicious file can infect the entire system.
Using the 'se' form
When a wound gets infected on its own, use 'infectarse'. Example: 'La herida se infectó' (The wound got infected).
Infecting 'with' something
Use the word 'con' to describe what is causing the infection. Example: 'Infectar con una bacteria' (To infect with bacteria).
Action vs. Result
Use 'infectar' for the action of the virus entering, and 'infectado' (the adjective form) to describe the computer's state afterward.
Infectar vs. Infestar
Mistake: “La cocina está infectada de cucarachas.”
Correction: La cocina está infestada de cucarachas. Use 'infectar' for germs/viruses and 'infestar' for pests like insects or rats.
infectar
Examples
Un archivo malicioso puede infectar todo el sistema.
A malicious file can infect the entire system.
Contagiar vs. Infectar
Related Translations
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.