biodegradarse
/bjodeɡɾadaɾse/from spelling rules
The Spanish verb for 'to biodegrade' is biodegradarse.
This verb is used to describe the process of a substance decomposing as a result of biological action. You can also use the related adjective biodegradable to describe materials that are capable of being biodegraded.
Meaning: to decompose as a result of biological action (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form biodegradarse is the reflexive infinitive, which is used when describing the property of a substance to decompose itself. In the third-person singular present indicative, such as when saying 'it biodegrades', the reflexive pronoun se precedes the conjugated verb, resulting in se biodegrada.
How do you pronounce it?
/bjodeɡɾadaɾse/
Did you know?
- Spanish has a unique way of talking about 'greenwashing' through the term lavado de imagen verde. This describes companies that falsely claim their products se biodegradan to appear environmentally friendly.
- The prefix bio- in biodegradarse comes from the Greek word bios, meaning 'life'. Spanish shares this Greek-derived prefix across hundreds of scientific terms, creating a distinct layer of academic vocabulary separate from everyday Latin-based words.
- While 'biodegrade' is a technical term, Spanish speakers often prefer the more common phrase descomponerse to describe organic matter breaking down in everyday conversation.
Examples in context
- La materia orgánica se biodegrada naturalmente.Organic matter biodegrades naturally.
- El papel se descompone rápidamente en condiciones adecuadas.Paper decomposes quickly under suitable conditions.
- Los plásticos convencionales tardan cientos de años en degradarse.Conventional plastics take hundreds of years to degrade.
- Los residuos de alimentos se desintegran rápidamente, convirtiéndose en abono.Food waste disintegrates quickly, turning into compost.
- Este plástico no se biodegrada fácilmente.This plastic does not biodegrade easily.
- Este plástico tarda mucho en biodegradarse.This plastic takes a long time to biodegrade.
- Es importante que el material pueda biodegradarse fácilmente.It is important that the material can biodegrade easily.
- Las cáscaras de fruta suelen biodegradarse rápido.Fruit peels usually biodegrade quickly.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are talking about a new compostable bag.
- DanielMira, Sofía, esta bolsa puede biodegradarse.Look, Sofía, this bag can biodegrade.
- SofíaQué bien, ¿cuánto tiempo tarda en biodegradarse?That's great, how long does it take to biodegrade?
- DanielDice que se tarda seis meses.It says it takes six months.
- SofíaEs mucho mejor que el plástico normal.It is much better than normal plastic.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
