participar
/paɾtiθiˈpaɾ/
To participate in Spanish is participar.
Participar means to join in, to take part or to involve oneself. In certain contexts, it can also mean to share or partake in something, such as sharing in a joy (participar de una alegría).
Meaning: to join in, to take part, to involve oneself (verb)
Which one should you use?
While participar is the standard way to say to participate, it can also carry the meaning of sharing. If you want to express the idea of taking part in a more formal tone, you might use tomar parte. If you want to express getting involved or participating actively in a formal context, you can use involucrarse.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing participation in an event, an activity or a group, participar is almost always followed by the preposition en.
How do you pronounce it?
/paɾtiθiˈpaɾ/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, participar can mean to formally announce or notify someone of a piece of news, such as a wedding or a birth.
- If you say you are partícipe in a crime, you are not just a witness but an accomplice or a collaborator.
- The word participar shares its ancient roots with the English word 'part', as both stem from the idea of a 'portion' or 'piece' being taken.
Examples in context
- Lo importante es participar.The important thing is to participate.This sentence uses participar to show that participation itself is what matters.Tatoeba #1541227 by Shishir, translation #2960851 by AlanF_US
- Él quiere participar en el concurso.He wants to participate in the contest.This sentence uses participar to describe wanting to take part in a contest.Tatoeba #1363687 by marcelostockle, translation #290678 by CK
- Yo quiero participar en la protesta.I want to participate in the protest.This sentence uses participar to describe wanting to take part in a protest.Tatoeba #2333054 by marcelostockle, translation #1907292 by wwkudu
- Deseo participar en la conferenciaI wish to participate in the conference
- ¿Te apuntas a jugar fútbol este fin de semana?Do you want to join us to play soccer this weekend?
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are talking about a community event.
- JavierMaría, ¿quieres participar en el festival de la ciudad?María, do you want to participate in the city festival?
- MaríaSí, me gustaría mucho participar con mi grupo.Yes, I would really like to participate with my group.
- JavierQué bueno, yo también voy a participar.That's great, I am going to participate too.
- MaríaEntonces nos vemos allí, Javier.Then I will see you there, Javier.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “participate” translations and entries participar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries participar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
