Which one should you use?
While dividir is the general term, other verbs may be more specific: partir is often used to mean 'to split' or 'to break', though it can also mean to divide when referring to sharing things into portions. repartir specifically means 'to distribute' or 'to share out'. Additionally, the noun división refers to the act or result of dividing, while divisoria refers to a topographical boundary dividing two adjacent catchment basins.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin American countries, particularly in Mexico, the verb fraccionar is more commonly used to express dividing something into fractions or parts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form dividir is the infinitive. The past participle dividido can be used to form compound tenses or to function as an adjective meaning 'divided'.
How do you pronounce it?
/dibiˈdiɾ/
Did you know?
- The verb dividir can be used in the phrase dividirse el cabello, which describes the act of parting one's hair.
- The word división is used in Spanish to describe a room divider or a partition wall in an office, which is a concrete noun usage not common in English.
- The Spanish word dividir comes from the Latin verb dīvidō, which is the direct ancestor of the English word 'divide'.
Examples in context
- Olvidaste dividir por X aquí.You forgot to divide by X here.This sentence is useful for practicing the mathematical usage of dividir with 'por'.Tatoeba #3183305 by marcelostockle, translation #1987950 by FlamingTofu
- No se puede dividir entre cero.You can't divide by zero.This sentence shows the mathematical usage of dividir with 'entre'.Tatoeba #11560754 by ecorralest101, translation #9515960 by CK
- La única forma en la Tierra de multiplicar la felicidad es dividirla.The only way on Earth to multiply happiness is to divide it.This sentence uses dividirla to show how to use the verb with an object.Tatoeba #475269 by Shishir, translation #2273 by Zifre
- Debemos dividir el trabajo en partes igualesWe should divide the work equally
- Vamos a partir la pizza en ocho porcionesWe are going to divide the pizza into eight slices
- Vamos a repartir las tareas entre todosLet's divide the tasks among everyone
- Voy a partir el pastel en partes igualesI'm going to divide the cake into equal parts
- Tenemos que fraccionar el terrenoWe need to divide the land
- Vamos a dividir la ganancia en partes igualesWe will divide the profit equally
- Voy a dividir mi tiempo entre el trabajo y los estudios.I am going to divide my time between work and studies.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are organizing a large cake in the kitchen.
- MaríaDebemos dividir el pastel en trozos iguales.We must divide the cake into equal pieces.
- DanielEstá bien, yo usaré este cuchillo.Okay, I will use this knife.
- María¿Puedes dividirlo en ocho partes, Daniel?Can you divide it into eight parts, Daniel?
- DanielSí, lo haré ahora mismo.Yes, I will do it right now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry dividir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dividir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
