parafrasear
/paɾafɾaseˈaɾ/
The English phrase 'paraphrase' can be translated into Spanish as parafrasear.
Meaning: restatement of a text (noun)
Which one should you use?
While parafrasear is the verb meaning to paraphrase, you can use the noun parafraseo to refer to the act or process of paraphrasing. For more formal contexts, the nouns paráfrasis or reformulación can be used to mean 'a paraphrase'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb parafrasear conjugates as follows: parafraseas is the second-person singular present indicative ('you paraphrase'), and parafraseé is the first-person singular preterite ('I paraphrased').
How do you pronounce it?
/paɾafɾaseˈaɾ/
Did you know?
- The word paráfrasis is a feminine noun, but because it ends in -is, it is an example of a word that retains the Greek feminine ending rather than adopting the common Spanish -a.
- In Spanish legal contexts, parafrasear is often contrasted with citar, as the former is sometimes viewed as a way to avoid the strict constraints of a formal legal quote.
- While paráfrasis is the formal noun, Spanish speakers often use the verb decirlo con otras palabras in daily conversation instead of any single noun form.
Examples in context
- La paráfrasis es una técnica útil para comprender y transmitir la idea principal de un texto.Paraphrase is a useful technique for understanding and conveying the main idea of a text.
- El estudiante realizó una paráfrasis del artículo científico para su presentación.The student paraphrased the scientific article for his presentation.
- La reformulación es una herramienta clave en la redacción académica, ya que permite evitar el plagio y desarrollar una mayor comprensión del contenido.Paraphrasing is a key tool in academic writing, as it helps to avoid plagiarism and develop a deeper understanding of the content.
- El resumen es una reformulación breve y precisa del contenido del libro.The summary is a concise and precise paraphrasing of the book's content.
- No entiendo lo que dices, ¿puedes expresarlo de otra manera?I don't understand what you're saying, can you paraphrase it?
- ¿Puedes expresar esto de otra manera? No logro comprenderlo con exactitud.Can you paraphrase this? I'm having trouble fully understanding it.
Example conversation
Two students are discussing an essay in the library.
- SofíaJavier, ¿está bien esta parte?Javier, is this part okay?
- JavierCrees que debes parafrasear más el texto.I think you should paraphrase the text more.
- SofíaEntiendo, no quiero que parezca plagio.I understand, I don't want it to look like plagiarism.
- JavierExacto, así el trabajo será mejor.Exactly, that way the work will be better.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry parafrasear, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
