Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| disparar | /dispaˈɾaɾ/ | |
| tirar | /tiˈɾaɾ/ | |
| chejear | /t͡ʃexeaɾ/ (from spelling rules) | El Salvador |
The primary way to express the act of firing a weapon or a projectile is with the verb disparar. If you are referring to a photography session, you would use the noun phrase sesión fotográfica. For the botanical meaning of a new plant shoot, you can use retoño, vástago or pimpollo.
Which one should you use?
While disparar is the standard verb for firing a gun or a projectile, tirar can also mean to shoot, though it is more commonly used when throwing an object or shooting a basketball. In a formal context, the verb lanzar can be used to convey the sense of shooting when referring to projectiles like arrows or rockets.
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 specific target or a person, disparar is often followed by the preposition a, forming the phrase disparar a.
How do you pronounce it?
/dispaˈɾaɾ/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word disparate is derived from the same root as disparar and refers to a total absurdity or a nonsensical statement.
- The verb disparar shares a surprising history with the concept of equality, as it stems from the Latin disparāre meaning 'to separate' or 'to make unequal'.
- While disparar describes firing a weapon, it is also the standard way to say that prices or figures have skyrocketed.
Examples in context
- Le voy a disparar.I'm gonna shoot him.Tatoeba #1449884 by marcelostockle, translation #1341 by human600
- Yo vi a Tom disparar a Mary.I saw Tom shoot Mary.Tatoeba #5447012 by Omnivoro, translation #2406152 by CK
- Tuve que dispararle a mi caballo.I had to shoot my horse.Tatoeba #4392402 by pchamorro, translation #2331859 by CK
- Voy a disparar al blancoI'm going to shoot at the target
- ¡Échala al aro!Shoot it into the hoop!
- El arquero va a lanzar una flechaThe archer is going to shoot an arrow
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a shooting range, Mateo is teaching Lucía how to handle a weapon.
- LucíaMateo, ¿es difícil disparar?Mateo, is it difficult to fire?
- MateoNo, Lucía, solo debes mantener la calma.No, Lucía, you just have to stay calm.
- LucíaEntiendo, voy a disparar primero.I understand, I am going to fire first.
- MateoMuy bien, concéntrate en el blanco.Very well, concentrate on the target.
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.
