escalar
/eskaˈlaɾ/
To climb in Spanish is escalar.
The verb escalar refers to the action of using your hands and feet to move up a steep surface, such as a rock wall or a mountain. If you are referring to the sport itself, use the noun escalada. While escalar describes the physical act of climbing, you may sometimes see the verb conquistar (to conquer) used metaphorically when someone successfully conquers a mountain.
Which one should you use?
Use escalar specifically for technical climbing that involves using hands and feet on steep surfaces. For the more general action of going up, such as using stairs or walking up a hill, use the verb subir. Within the context of movement, the prepositional phrase subir a is used to mean climbing up to a specific place or onto an object, while subir por means to climb up through a specific path or route.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the present indicative tense, the first-person singular form 'I climb' is escalo. To express the past tense 'I climbed', use the preterite form escalé.
How do you pronounce it?
/eskaˈlaɾ/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the word escalar is used strictly for professional or sporting contexts, whereas a child 'climbing' a tree would use trepar.
- While escalar is for steep surfaces, the more common verb subir is used for everything from taking an elevator to getting into a car or uploading a file to the internet.
- In Spanish, the verb subir can be used as a shortcut for 'to go up' and 'to rise', but it also means 'to turn up' the volume on a radio or television.
Examples in context
- Tom adora escalar montañas.Tom loves to climb mountains.This sentence shows the use of escalar with mountains.Tatoeba #1546376 by marcelostockle, translation #680529 by Source_VOA
- Consiguió escalar la montaña.He managed to climb the mountain.This sentence uses escalar to describe the successful completion of a climb.Tatoeba #695388 by Shishir, translation #695257 by Eldad
- Quiero escalar el Monte Fuji.I want to climb Mt. Fuji.This sentence uses escalar to express a desire to climb a specific mountain.Tatoeba #1314084 by Shishir, translation #261491 by CK
- Voy a escalar la montaña más alta del país.I'm going to climb the highest mountain in the country.
- Vamos a subir al mirador para disfrutar de las vistas.We're going to climb to the viewpoint to enjoy the views.
- Agárrate de la cuerda para subir más rápido.Hold onto the rope to climb faster.
- Subimos a la cima de la montaña.We climbed to the mountain peak.
- Decidimos subir por el sendero más difícil.We decided to climb up the hardest trail.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are discussing their weekend plans.
- Javier¿Quieres escalar conmigo el sábado?Do you want to climb with me on Saturday?
- SofíaSí, me encanta escalar en la montaña.Yes, I love climbing in the mountain.
- JavierSofía, tú eres una gran escaladora.Sofía, you are a great climber.
- SofíaGracias, Javier, tú también eres muy fuerte.Thanks, Javier, you are also very strong.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry escalar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
