Which one should you use?
While prisa is the standard way to discuss haste, apuro is more frequently used when describing a sense of urgency or being in a difficult situation or 'fix'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb construction is pronominal, meaning it must be conjugated with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) to indicate that the subject is the one performing the action of hurrying. If you omit the reflexive pronoun and simply say dar prisa, the meaning changes to 'to cause haste' (to make something else move quickly).
How do you pronounce it?
/date pɾisa/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not omit the reflexive pronoun. Saying dar prisa instead of a form like darse prisa means you are causing something else to move quickly rather than hurrying yourself.
When do people say it?
If you want to express that something should happen right away or right now in a casual way, you can use the phrase ya mismo.
Did you know?
- The word prisa shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'pressure', both coming from the Latin 'pressa'.
- Because darse prisa is reflexive, you are grammatically 'giving haste to yourself', treating the act of hurrying as something you bestow upon your own person.
- The word afán describes a type of hurry driven by eagerness, ambition or anxiety, rather than just a ticking clock.
Examples in context
- Por favor, date prisa.Hurry up, please.This sentence shows how to use date prisa as a polite request.Tatoeba #2399410 by Shishir, translation #2396059 by CK
- Date prisa o llegarás tarde.Hurry up, or you will be late.This sentence uses date prisa to warn that one will be late.Tatoeba #764780 by Shishir, translation #19664 by Swift
- Date prisa y cogerás el tren.Hurry, and you will catch the train.This sentence uses date prisa to show a consequence of hurrying.Tatoeba #454579 by Shishir, translation #19640 by CK
- Por favor, apresúrese. Tenemos poco tiempo para llegar al aeropuerto.Please hurry. We have little time to get to the airport.
- Le ruego que se dé prisa. El evento comenzará en breve.I kindly ask that you hurry. The event will start soon.
- Apúrate, que el concierto comienza en diez minutos.Hurry up, the concert starts in ten minutes.
- Date prisa, no queremos perder el autobús.Hurry up, we don't want to miss the bus.
- ¡Apúrate! La película está por comenzar.Hurry up! The movie is about to start.
- ¡Rápido, el coche está en llamas! ¡Debemos salir ahora!Quick, the car is on fire! We must leave now!
- Ven aquí ya mismo, necesito hablar contigo urgente.Come here right away, I need to talk to you urgently.
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are leaving the house to go to a party.
- LucíaJavier, date prisa, nos vamos ya.Javier, hurry up, we are leaving now.
- JavierYa voy, Lucía, solo busco las llaves.I'm coming, Lucía, I'm just looking for the keys.
- LucíaNo podemos tardar más.We can't be any later.
- JavierEstá bien, ya salimos.Okay, we're leaving now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries prisa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
