mejorar
/mexoˈɾaɾ/
The English phrase "get better" is translated into Spanish as mejorar.
When referring to a person recovering from an illness, you can use mejorar as an intransitive verb or use recuperarse.
What does it mean word for word?
The word mejorar is composed of mejor (better) and the suffix -ar (to make), literally meaning "to make better" or "to improve".
Which one should you use?
While mejorar can mean to improve a situation, if you want to specifically say that a person is recovering from an illness, you can use mejorar (intransitive) or recuperarse.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a regular -ar verb, mejorar follows standard conjugation patterns, such as yo mejoro (I improve), tú mejoras (you improve) and él/ella mejora (he/she improves).
How do you pronounce it?
/mexoˈɾaɾ/
Did you know?
- The word mejorar is a distant cousin to the English word 'ameliorate', which shares the same Latin root.
- While English speakers often say 'get better' to a sick friend, a Spaniard might say que te mejores as a complete, polite wish.
- In some Spanish-speaking contexts, if a situation is 'getting better', you might hear people say it va de maravilla instead of just using 'mejorar'.
Examples in context
- Mejorará poco a poco.He will get better little by little.This sentence shows how to use mejorar to describe progress happening over time.Tatoeba #776415 by Shishir, translation #299572 by CK
- Las cosas van a mejorar.Things will get better.This sentence demonstrates using mejorar to describe a situation improving.Tatoeba #1388982 by hayastan, translation #5363685 by tabular
- Estamos tratando de mejorar.We're trying to get better.This sentence shows the use of mejorar to express an attempt at improvement.Tatoeba #6705734 by UsuarioX, translation #4915830 by CK
- Espero que se recupere pronto.I hope you get better soon.
- ¡Mejórate pronto!Get better soon!
- Espero que te pongas bien pronto.I hope you get well soon.
- ¡Espero que te recuperes pronto!I hope you get better soon!
- Mejórate de esa gripe rápidamente.Get better from that flu quickly.
- Ojalá que se ponga bien pronto.Hopefully, you get well soon.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are talking about his piano lessons.
- Lucía¿Cómo van tus clases de piano, Alejandro?How are your piano classes going, Alejandro?
- AlejandroEs difícil, pero quiero mejorar.It is difficult, but I want to improve.
- LucíaSeguro que vas a mejorar pronto.I am sure you will improve soon.
- AlejandroGracias, Lucía, lo intentaré.Thanks, Lucía, I will try.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mejorar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mejorar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
