contaminar
verbCEFR B1
What does “contaminar” mean in English?
to pollute / to contaminate
to pollute / to contaminate (introduce harmful substances into air, water, or soil) — contaminar el río, contaminar el aire
Example sentences
Las fábricas que contaminan el río sin control deberían pagar multas mucho más altas de las que pagan ahora.
Factories that pollute the river without regulation should pay much higher fines than they currently do.
El tráfico rodado contamina más que cualquier otro factor en las ciudades grandes, según los últimos estudios.
Road traffic pollutes more than any other factor in large cities, according to the latest studies.
No se trata solo de contaminar menos, sino de cambiar completamente el modelo energético que tenemos.
It is not just about polluting less, but about completely changing the energy model we have.
How to use it
Contaminar means 'to pollute' or 'to contaminate' — to make air, water, or soil dirty and harmful. It is a regular -ar verb. It covers both the broad English 'pollute' and the more specific 'contaminate'. Key collocates: contaminar el aire/el agua/el suelo, contaminar el medio ambiente, las fábricas contaminan. The related noun is la contaminación.
Common mistake
In Spanish, contaminar covers both 'pollute' (environmental scale) and 'contaminate' (specific substance or surface). English keeps these distinct but Spanish uses one verb for both. The agent noun is el/la contaminante (the pollutant — also an adjective). El contaminador / la contaminadora can refer to a person or company causing pollution, but this is less common than the verb form.