Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| disparar | /dispaˈɾaɾ/ | |
| tirar | /tiˈɾaɾ/ | |
| chejear | /t͡ʃexeaɾ/ (from spelling rules) | El Salvador |
The primary way to express the action of firing a shot is through the verb disparar. If you are referring to a photography session, you would use the noun phrase sesión fotográfica. For the biological sense of a new plant shoot, you can use retoño, vástago or pimpollo.
Which one should you use?
While disparar is the standard term for firing a weapon or a projectile, tirar can also mean to shoot, though it is more commonly used to mean throwing or pulling and is more colloquial when referring to firing a shot.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In El Salvador, the word chejear is used to mean shoot.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are shooting at a person or a target, disparar is often followed by the preposition a (disparar a). To indicate who is being shot, the indirect object pronoun le is often attached to the end of the infinitive, resulting in dispararle (to shoot him/her/it).
How do you pronounce it?
/dispaˈɾaɾ/
Did you know?
- The word disparar is used metaphorically in Spanish to describe a sudden, sharp increase in prices or numbers, similar to how English uses 'skyrocket'.
- The verb disparar comes from the Latin word disparāre, which originally meant 'to separate' or 'to make unequal'.
Examples in context
- Le voy a disparar.I'm gonna shoot him.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of the pronoun attached to the infinitive with disparar.Tatoeba #1449884 by marcelostockle, translation #1341 by human600
- Yo vi a Tom disparar a Mary.I saw Tom shoot Mary.This sentence shows how to use disparar to describe an action performed by one person upon another.Tatoeba #5447012 by Omnivoro, translation #2406152 by CK
- Tuve que dispararle a mi caballo.I had to shoot my horse.This sentence demonstrates the use of the indirect object pronoun attached to the infinitive disparar.Tatoeba #4392402 by pchamorro, translation #2331859 by CK
- El delantero disparó al arcoThe forward shot at the goal
- El mediocampista lanzó un tiro desde fuera del áreaThe midfielder launched a shot from outside the box
- El delantero efectuó un disparo colocado al palo contrarioThe forward executed an accurate shot towards the far post
- ¡Chuta el balón!Shoot the ball!
- El jugador pateó el balón al arcoThe player kicked the ball towards the goal
- El delantero tomó el balón, apuntó al arco y chutó con fuerzaThe forward took the ball, aimed at the goal, and shot with power
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two characters are practicing at a shooting range.
- SofíaJavier, ¿estás listo para disparar?Javier, are you ready to shoot?
- JavierSí, pero tengo que ajustar la mira.Yes, but I have to adjust the sight.
- SofíaNo tardes mucho en disparar.Don't take too long to shoot.
- JavierYa casi termino, mira ahora.I'm almost done, look now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shoot” translations and entries disparar, tirar, 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 disparar, tirar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
