How to Say "to tune" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to tune” is “afinar” — use 'afinar' when you are talking about adjusting musical instruments or voices to produce the correct pitch..
afinar
/ah-fee-NAHR//afiˈnaɾ/
Examples
Necesito afinar mi guitarra antes del concierto.
I need to tune my guitar before the concert.
El mecánico está afinando el motor del coche.
The mechanic is tuning up the car's engine.
Ella canta muy bien, nunca deja de afinar.
She sings very well; she is never out of tune.
A standard -ar verb
This verb follows the regular pattern for all verbs ending in -ar. If you know how to change 'hablar,' you already know how to change 'afinar'!
Don't say 'tunear' for music
Mistake: “Voy a tunear mi guitarra.”
Correction: Voy a afinar mi guitarra. 'Tunear' is used for customizing cars or computer software, not musical instruments.
calibrar
/kah-lee-brar//kaliˈβɾaɾ/
Examples
Tienes que calibrar la balanza antes de pesar los ingredientes.
You have to calibrate the scale before weighing the ingredients.
El técnico está calibrando el microscopio del laboratorio.
The technician is calibrating the laboratory microscope.
Es importante calibrar el monitor para ver los colores reales.
It is important to calibrate the monitor to see true colors.
A Regular Friend
This is a regular -ar verb. It follows the same pattern as 'hablar' or 'cantar' in every single tense, making it very predictable for learners.
Direct Action
You don't need a preposition between the verb and the object. You simply 'calibrar algo' (calibrate something), just like in English.
Spelling Slip-up
Mistake: “calivrar”
Correction: calibrar (always with a 'b').
Don't confuse musical tuning with instrument calibration
Related Translations
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