deteriorar
/deteɾjoˈɾaɾ/
To deteriorate in Spanish is deteriorar.
The verb means to grow worse.
Meaning: grow worse (verb)
Which one should you use?
The transitive form deteriorar is used when an agent causes something else to get worse, such as to deteriorate a building's condition. In contrast, the reflexive form deteriorarse describes a situation or condition that is getting worse on its own, such as the weather or the economy.
How does it change in a sentence?
The reflexive form deteriorarse is used when describing a situation or condition that is getting worse on its own. Additionally, the past participle deteriorado can be used as an adjective to describe something in a state of disrepair or decline.
How do you pronounce it?
/deteɾjoˈɾaɾ/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word deteriorado can describe a person's physical appearance when they look haggard or exhausted, not just a building or an object.
- The verb deteriorar is a 'learned borrowing', meaning it entered Spanish through scholarly texts rather than evolving naturally from spoken Vulgar Latin.
- Spanish often uses the verb degradar as a synonym for deteriorar, but degradar can also refer to a loss of social rank or dignity.
Examples in context
- El estado de la economía empeora cada día.The state of the economy worsens every day.
- La calidad del aire se ha degradado por la contaminación.The air quality has deteriorated due to pollution.
- Las frutas se echaron a perder por falta de refrigeración.The fruits went bad due to lack of refrigeration.
- Las cosas en el trabajo van de mal en peor.Things at work are going from bad to worse.
- La situación económica se deterioró rápidamente.The economic situation deteriorated rapidly.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are looking at an old house.
- MateoMira cómo se puede deteriorar la madera.Look at how the wood can deteriorate.
- SofíaTienes razón, Mateo, está muy dañada.You are right, Mateo, it is very damaged.
- MateoCreo que necesitamos repararla pronto.I think we need to repair it soon.
- SofíaSí, Sofía está de acuerdo contigo.Yes, Sofía agrees with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “deteriorate” translations and entries deteriorar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries deteriorar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
