contagiar
verbCEFR B2
What does “contagiar” mean in English?
1.to pass an illness or infection on to someone else
2.to pass on a mood, feeling or enthusiasm to others
Example sentences
Se contagió de gripe en el trabajo y tuvo que quedarse en casa toda la semana.
He caught the flu at work and had to stay home all week.
Su entusiasmo por el proyecto contagió a todo el equipo desde el primer día.
His enthusiasm for the project spread to the whole team from the very first day.
How to use it
Contagiar (regular -ar verb) literally means 'to infect' or 'to pass on' an illness: contagiar la gripe a alguien. Figuratively, it means to spread a feeling or attitude: contagiar entusiasmo, contagiar su alegría. The reflexive contagiarse means 'to catch/become infected'.
Common mistake
Contagiar (transitive: to pass an illness/mood on to someone) and contagiarse (reflexive: to catch/become infected oneself) describe opposite directions of the same action — check who is doing the infecting versus who is catching it.
Topics
Related B2 words
Reference
This entry’s teaching guidance follows Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes (Instituto Cervantes), B2 Nociones específicas: salud y bienest.