cumplir
verbCEFR B2High frequency
What does “cumplir” mean in English?
to fulfil, to comply with
to fulfil, to comply with (to meet an obligation or deadline; cumplir con el plazo; cumplir la ley)
Example sentences
La empresa deberá cumplir con la normativa vigente o enfrentarse a sanciones administrativas de considerable cuantía.
The company must comply with current regulations or face administrative sanctions of considerable magnitude.
Si no cumplimos el plazo de entrega, el cliente tiene derecho a rescindir el contrato.
If we don't meet the delivery deadline, the client has the right to rescind the contract.
Mañana cumple cuarenta años y ha decidido celebrarlo con una cena íntima con su familia.
Tomorrow she turns forty and has decided to celebrate with an intimate dinner with her family.
How to use it
Cumplir (con) means 'to fulfil', 'to comply with', or 'to meet (a deadline / obligation)'. At B2 three patterns are essential: cumplir + noun (cumplir el plazo — to meet the deadline), cumplir con + noun (cumplir con sus obligaciones — to fulfil obligations), and cumplir + age (cumplir años — to turn/be/reach an age). The preposition con is used when the obligation is spelled out explicitly. The noun is el cumplimiento. Don't confuse with llevar a cabo (to carry out — focuses on completion of a task) — cumplir emphasises honouring a commitment or meeting a standard.
Common mistake
Cumplir con / cumplir — the con is optional but common when the obligation is a stated noun. Cumplir años (to turn an age) is a completely different pattern — don't confuse it with the compliance sense. Cumplimiento (noun) appears frequently in official and legal texts: en cumplimiento de la normativa = in compliance with regulations. Incumplir is the antonym (to fail to comply).