por determinar
/poɾ deteɾminaɾ/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'to be determined' is translated as por determinar.
The phrase por determinar is commonly used in schedules, agendas or technical documents to indicate that a specific piece of information is still pending.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition por (to be/for) and the infinitive determinar (to determine).
Which one should you use?
While por determinar is the standard phrase, por definir (to be defined) is often used interchangeably, especially when discussing project scopes or specific details. If you want to say 'pending determination', you can use pendiente de determinar. For a more idiomatic and informal way to say something is 'up in the air', you can use Estar en el aire.
How do you pronounce it?
/poɾ deteɾminaɾ/
Did you know?
- The word determinar shares a common ancestor with the English word 'terminate', as both come from the Latin 'terminus', meaning 'a boundary or limit'.
- If you are waiting for a specific piece of news or a decision, you can say something is pendiente. This comes from the Latin 'pendere', meaning 'to hang', which is why we use the English idiom 'hanging in the balance'.
- While por determinar is used in documents, Spanish speakers often use está por verse to say that a result is still to be determined, literally meaning 'it is yet to be seen'.
Examples in context
- El lugar de nuestra reunión está aún por determinar.The location of our meeting is still to be determined.
- La fecha del evento queda pendiente de determinar.The date of the event remains pending determination.
- El ganador del concurso tiene que definirse aún.The winner of the contest still has to be determined.
- El plan para el fin de semana está en el aire.The plan for the weekend is still up in the air.
- El lugar del evento está por determinar.The venue of the event is to be determined.
- Los costos finales están por determinar.The final costs are to be determined.
- La fecha de la reunión sigue por determinar.The date of the meeting is still to be determined.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are discussing the details of a new project.
- Lucía¿Ya sabes el presupuesto del proyecto?Do you know the project budget yet?
- MateoNo, ese detalle está por determinar.No, that detail is to be determined.
- LucíaEntiendo, ¿y la fecha de inicio?I see, and the start date?
- MateoTambién está por determinar, Lucía.That is also to be determined, Lucía.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries determinar, por, CC BY-SA 4.0.
