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How to Say "to rush" in Spanish

English → Spanish

apurar

ah-poo-RAHRapuˈɾaɾ

verbA2general
Use 'apurar' when you need to hurry to complete a task or increase your speed, often to meet a deadline or avoid being late.
A child in a bright yellow raincoat running quickly down a sidewalk, with motion lines indicating speed.

Examples

Tienes que apurar el paso si quieres llegar a tiempo.

You have to speed up your pace if you want to arrive on time.

No me apures, que estoy haciendo algo importante.

Don't rush me, I'm doing something important.

El jefe nos apuró para terminar el informe hoy.

The boss pressured us to finish the report today.

Reflexive vs. Non-reflexive

Use 'apurar' when you are rushing someone else, but 'apurarse' (with 'me', 'te', 'se') when you are rushing yourself.

Apurar with Objects

When you 'apurar' a task, you are trying to finish it quickly to meet a deadline.

Forgetting the 'se' for yourself

Mistake: “Apuro porque el bus viene.”

Correction: Me apuro porque el bus viene. (Use 'me' when you are the one doing the hurrying).

apresurar

ah-preh-soo-RAHRapɾesuˈɾaɾ

verbB1general
Use 'apresurar' when you are doing something too fast or with a sense of urgency, often implying a slight lack of care due to haste.
A person running quickly with a backpack while looking at a sunset.

Examples

Me apresuré para llegar a tiempo a la cita.

I hurried to arrive on time for the appointment.

No te apresures, todavía tenemos diez minutos.

Don't rush, we still have ten minutes.

Se apresuraron a salir del edificio.

They rushed to leave the building.

The 'a' connection

When you hurry TO do an action, you must use the word 'a' before the next action: 'Se apresuró a contestar' (He hurried to answer).

Mixing up 'to speed up' vs 'to hurry'

Mistake: “Apresuro a la tienda.”

Correction: Me apresuro a la tienda. (If YOU are the one doing the hurrying, you need those little reflexive words like 'me', 'te', or 'se').

volar

boh-LAHRboˈlaɾ

verbB1figurative
Use 'volar' figuratively to describe something that passes extremely quickly, like time.
A cartoon rabbit running extremely fast across a grassy field, shown with exaggerated motion lines indicating high speed.

Examples

El tiempo vuela en estas vacaciones.

Time flies on this vacation.

Las entradas para el concierto volaron en una hora.

The tickets for the concert sold out (flew) in an hour.

Ten cuidado, ese plato va a volar de la mesa.

Be careful, that plate is going to fly off the table (due to wind/speed).

Impersonal Subject

When referring to time passing, 'tiempo' (time) is the subject that is flying: 'El tiempo vuela'.

viajar

vee-ah-HARbjaˈxaɾ

verbC1technical/figurative
Use 'viajar' to describe movement that is exceptionally fast, often used in scientific or technical contexts for things like light or sound.
A simple illustration of a small, colorful speaker broadcasting vibrant, curved lines representing sound waves propagating outwards across a flat surface.

Examples

La luz viaja a una velocidad increíble.

Light travels at an incredible speed.

Al leer, mi mente viaja a otros siglos.

When reading, my mind travels to other centuries.

Apurar vs. Apresurar

Learners often confuse 'apurar' and 'apresurar'. Remember that 'apurar' focuses on the *need to hurry* or *speed up*, while 'apresurar' describes the *action of doing something too quickly* or with excessive haste.

Related Translations

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