competir
verbCEFR B2
What does “competir” mean in English?
to compete
to compete (competir con/por — compete with someone for something; e→i stem change)
Example sentences
Las empresas tecnológicas locales compiten en igualdad de condiciones con las grandes multinacionales por los mejores talentos.
Local technology companies compete on equal terms with major multinationals for the best talent.
El corredor compitió pese a no estar al cien por cien de sus capacidades físicas.
The runner competed despite not being at a hundred per cent of his physical capacity.
Es difícil competir en precio con un proveedor que recibe subsidios del Estado.
It is difficult to compete on price with a supplier that receives state subsidies.
How to use it
Competir means 'to compete'. The preposition is con (compete with someone) or por (compete for something): 'compiten con las grandes marcas por cuota de mercado' (they compete with major brands for market share). It is an -ir verb with an irregular stem vowel change: compito, compites, compite, competimos, competís, compiten (e → i in stressed syllables). The noun competencia (competition/competence) and competidor (competitor) belong to the same family. Don't confuse competir (to compete) with competer (to be the responsibility of — an unrelated verb).
Common mistake
The stem change compito (not *competo) is a frequent error. The pattern e → i applies throughout the singular present and third-person plural (compito, compites, compite, compiten) but NOT in the first- and second-person plural (competimos, competís). Also: don't confuse competir (to compete) with competir in the false-friend sense — in English, 'compete' relates to competition, while 'competent' (from Spanish competente) is a separate root.