alentar
/alenˈtaɾ/
The English verb encourage can be translated into Spanish as alentar, suscitar or encorajar.
Meaning: mentally support or motivate (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| alentar | /alenˈtaɾ/ |
| suscitar | /susθiˈtaɾ/ /susiˈtaɾ/ |
| encorajar | /enkoɾaxaɾ/ (from spelling rules) |
To encourage means to mentally support or motivate someone to act.
Which one should you use?
alentar is the most common way to express encouraging someone's spirit or motivating them to act. suscitar is used when the sense of 'encourage' means to provoke or stir up a reaction, such as interest, doubt or controversy. encorajar is a rare or archaic form that is seldom used in modern conversational Spanish, despite sharing an etymological root with the English word.
How do you pronounce it?
/alenˈtaɾ/
Did you know?
- The most common word for 'encourage', alentar, is etymologically linked to the act of breathing. It derives from the Latin word anhēlitus, which means 'to breathe', suggesting that to encourage someone is to give them breath or life.
- While alentar is the standard verb for 'encourage', Spanish speakers often prefer the phrase dar ánimos, which literally means 'to give spirits'.
- If you want to cheer someone up, you might say dar ánimos instead of using the more formal alentar.
Examples in context
- ¿Yo? ¿Alentarte a trabajar? ¡Blasfemia!Me? Encourage you to work? Blasphemy!Tatoeba #1400916 by marcelostockle, translation #1400913 by liori
- No puedo alentar a Ken. Él es mi oponente.I cannot encourage Ken. He's my opponent.Tatoeba #1683500 by marcelostockle, translation #1682279 by Amastan
- Ella no fue la primera en alentarme a hacer eso.She was not the first to encourage me to do so.Tatoeba #1167735 by marcelostockle, translation #1166942 by CM
- ¡Vamos, no te rindas!Let's go, don't give up!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía is trying to motivate Mateo to start his new business.
- MateoTengo mucho miedo de fracasar.I am very afraid of failing.
- LucíaYo te voy a alentar en este proyecto.I am going to encourage you in this project.
- MateoGracias, Lucía, necesito tu apoyo.Thanks, Lucía, I need your support.
- LucíaSiempre te alentaré a seguir tus sueños.I will always encourage you to follow your dreams.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “encourage” translations and entries alentar, suscitar, encorajar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alentar, suscitar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
