confrontar
/konfɾonˈtaɾ/
To confront in Spanish is confrontar.
Confrontar means to bring someone face to face with something. In many Spanish-speaking contexts, it is also frequently used in a legal or investigative sense to mean comparing or cross-examining two pieces of evidence or two testimonies.
Meaning: to bring someone face to face with something (verb)
Which one should you use?
While confrontar is often used for comparing two things or bringing someone face to face with a fact, enfrentar is more common for the sense of facing a problem or a challenge.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are confronting a person, you must use the personal a after the verb (confrontar a).
How do you pronounce it?
/konfɾonˈtaɾ/
Did you know?
- The Latin root front- in confrontar refers to the forehead, meaning the word literally describes bringing two 'foreheads' together.
- The word confrontar is a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin, meaning it entered Spanish as a formal scholarly term rather than evolving from common street speech.
- In some legal systems, confrontar refers specifically to the act of placing two witnesses in a room together to resolve conflicting stories.
Examples in context
- Tom quería confrontar a Mary.Tom wanted to confront Mary.This sentence shows how to use confrontar with a person.Tatoeba #1278805 by marcelostockle, translation #1141044 by CK
- Debemos enfrentar la situación de manera diplomáticaWe must confront the situation diplomatically
- Decidió encarar su miedoHe decided to confront his fear
- Ella tuvo que afrontar las consecuencias de sus accionesShe had to confront the consequences of her actions
- Ella decidió enfrentar el problema siguiendo los pasos del plan de acciónShe decided to confront the problem by following the steps of the action plan
- El gerente se vio obligado a encarar la situación conflictiva en la oficinaThe manager was forced to confront the conflictive situation in the office
- El alcalde tuvo que afrontar las críticas de la comunidad tras su decisiónThe mayor had to confront the community's criticism after his decision
- Mis amigos encararon al líder del grupo frente a frenteMy friends confronted the group leader face to face
- No tengas miedo y planta cara a tus inseguridadesDon't be afraid, confront your insecurities head-on
- Debemos hacer frente a los problemas juntosWe must confront problems together
- No podemos evitar los desafíos, así que debemos hacerles frente con valentía y determinaciónWe cannot avoid challenges, so we must confront them with courage and determination
- Tengo que confrontar la realidad de mi situación.I have to confront the reality of my situation.
- No quiero confrontar mis miedos todavía.I don't want to confront my fears yet.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are discussing a difficult decision regarding a job offer.
- LucíaDebes confrontar el problema antes de que crezca.You must confront the problem before it grows.
- DanielSé que tienes razón, Lucía.I know you are right, Lucía.
- LucíaEs mejor confrontar los hechos ahora.It is better to confront the facts now.
- DanielLo haré mañana mismo.I will do it tomorrow.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry confrontar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries confrontar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
