atribuir
verbCEFR B2
What does “atribuir” mean in English?
to attribute, to ascribe
to attribute, to ascribe (atribuir algo a alguien — assigning authorship, cause, or responsibility)
Example sentences
Los investigadores atribuyeron el incendio a un cortocircuito en la instalación eléctrica de la primera planta.
The investigators attributed the fire to a short circuit in the electrical installation on the first floor.
Se le atribuyen varias obras de los años cincuenta, aunque la autoría de algunas de ellas sigue siendo discutida.
Several works from the 1950s are attributed to him, although the authorship of some of them is still debated.
La empresa se atribuyó el mérito del descubrimiento, a pesar de que el trabajo había sido realizado por investigadores independientes.
The company claimed credit for the discovery, despite the fact that the work had been carried out by independent researchers.
How to use it
Atribuir (a) means 'to attribute' or 'to ascribe' — assigning authorship, cause, responsibility, or origin to a source. Patterns: atribuir algo a alguien/algo (assign X to Y), se le atribuye (it is attributed to), atribuirse el mérito (claim credit for). In narrative and journalism: atribuir las declaraciones a una fuente, atribuir el éxito a un factor. In academic writing: atribuir la autoría. The passive se atribuye is extremely common in art history and journalism.
Common mistake
Atribuir requires the preposition a: *'atribuir a que' is not correct — use atribuir + noun complement (atribuir el éxito a su trabajo). Also: the passive atribuirse el mérito (claim credit for oneself) vs. atribuir el mérito a alguien (give credit to someone else) is a key distinction — learners sometimes reverse the direction of attribution.