determinar
verbCEFR B2
What does “determinar” mean in English?
to determine, to establish
to determine, to establish (to ascertain through investigation; determinar si / cuándo — formal decision)
Example sentences
El tribunal tendrá que determinar si las pruebas presentadas son suficientes para fundamentar la acusación.
The court will have to determine whether the evidence presented is sufficient to support the charge.
Los expertos aún no han podido determinar la causa exacta del accidente.
The experts have not yet been able to determine the exact cause of the accident.
El análisis de datos ha permitido determinar que el fenómeno sigue una pauta estacional.
Data analysis has made it possible to determine that the phenomenon follows a seasonal pattern.
How to use it
Determinar means 'to determine', 'to establish', or 'to ascertain' — arriving at a definite conclusion through investigation or deliberation. Formal register: legal, scientific, administrative. Frame: determinar si… / determinar cuál… / determinar que + indicative. Distinct from decidir (choose) — determinar implies establishing a fact, not making a choice.
Common mistake
Determinar si + indicative (indirect question) vs. determinar que + indicative (established conclusion): both are correct at B2. Don't substitute decidir for determinar when the verb means 'establish a fact' — decidir is for choices. Very formal register; in informal speech, usar averiguar or descubrir.