extenderse
verbCEFR B2
What does “extenderse” mean in English?
to spread, to expand — to gradually reach a wider area or more people
to spread, to expand — to gradually reach a wider area or more people (el descontento se extiende, una práctica que se extiende)
Example sentences
El descontento social se ha ido extendiendo desde los grandes centros urbanos hasta las zonas rurales, donde el abandono institucional es aún mayor.
Social discontent has been spreading gradually from the major urban centres to the rural areas, where institutional neglect is even greater.
La práctica del teletrabajo se extendió de forma acelerada durante la pandemia y desde entonces no ha dejado de consolidarse.
The practice of teleworking spread rapidly during the pandemic and has not stopped consolidating since.
How to use it
Extenderse (reflexive verb) means 'to spread', 'to extend', or 'to expand' — to grow in scope, reach, or area from a starting point outwards. It is used geographically (a forest extends across the valley), temporally (the meeting extended for three hours), and socially (discontent spreads from the cities to the countryside). Close partner propagarse carries a more biological/viral metaphor and implies faster, more contagious spreading — propagarse is the verb of choice for diseases, disinformation, and rumours. Extenderse is more neutral and gradual, covering social movements, trends, and ideas that grow steadily.
Common mistake
Extenderse (gradual, neutral spread — trends, ideas, movements) vs propagarse (rapid, contagious spread — diseases, rumours, disinformation). 'The news spread quickly' = 'La noticia se propagó rápidamente' (viral metaphor); 'the custom spread across the country' = 'la costumbre se extendió por todo el país' (gradual diffusion).