retroceder
/retɾoθeˈdeɾ/
To back it up in Spanish is to say retroceder.
The phrase is used to describe the act of moving oneself or a vehicle backward in a straight line.
Which one should you use?
While retroceder describes the general act of moving backward, the phrase dar marcha atrás is more commonly used specifically when instructing a driver to reverse a vehicle.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb retroceder is an intransitive verb, which means it does not take a direct object when you are describing the act of moving backward.
How do you pronounce it?
/retɾoθeˈdeɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often attempt to add a direct object pronoun to retroceder (such as retrocederlo) to translate 'back it up', but in Spanish, the verb is typically used without an object to describe the motion itself.
Did you know?
- Unlike English, where 'back it up' can mean to provide evidence for a claim, Spanish uses entirely different verbs like respaldar or apoyar for that meaning.
- The English word 'retrocede' exists as a direct cognate to retroceder, but it is almost exclusively used in legal or political contexts to describe losing territory rather than moving a vehicle.
- In some Spanish-speaking countries, you might hear the slang term dar reversa instead of dar marcha atrás due to the influence of English 'reverse'.
Examples in context
- Necesito que respalde esta informaciónI need you to back up this information
- Si dices que es cierto, demuéstraloIf you say it's true, back it up
- Por favor, respalde sus afirmaciones con evidencia sólida.Please back up your claims with solid evidence.
- Si lo avalas, tendremos más fundamentos para actuar.If you support it, we will have more grounds to act on.
- Retrocede un poco más.Back up a little bit more.
- Tienes que retroceder el coche un poco.You have to back the car up a little.
- No puedo retroceder porque hay un obstáculo.I cannot back up because there is an obstacle.
Example conversation
Daniel is parking his car in a narrow driveway while Sofía watches.
- SofíaDaniel, ¿puedes retroceder un poco más?Daniel, can you back up a little more?
- DanielSí, voy a retroceder despacio.Yes, I am going to back up slowly.
- SofíaCuidado, no quiero que retrocedas hacia la pared.Careful, I don't want you to back up toward the wall.
- DanielTranquila, ya logré retroceder correctamente.Don't worry, I managed to back up correctly.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry retroceder, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries retroceder, CC BY-SA 4.0.
