fundar
verbCEFR B2
What does “fundar” mean in English?
to found, to establish
to found, to establish (an organisation, company, or city from scratch; fue fundada en = was founded in)
Example sentences
La organización fue fundada en 1989 con el objetivo de promover el acceso igualitario a la educación.
The organisation was founded in 1989 with the aim of promoting equal access to education.
Fundó la empresa con tan solo veintitrés años y la convirtió en referente del sector en menos de una década.
She founded the company at just twenty-three and turned it into a benchmark of the sector in less than a decade.
El movimiento que fundaron a finales de los noventa sigue siendo influyente en los debates académicos actuales.
The movement they founded in the late 1990s continues to be influential in current academic debates.
How to use it
Fundar means 'to found' or 'to establish (an organisation)'. It is the verb for creating institutions, companies, and organisations from scratch: fundar una empresa, fundar una ONG, fundar una ciudad. The noun is la fundación (foundation/NGO) and the founder is el/la fundador/a. The passive is very common: fue fundada en 1920. Don't confuse with establecer (to establish — broader: can set up rules, records, connections) — fundar is specifically for creating new entities that will have an ongoing institutional existence.
Common mistake
Fundar is specifically for creating institutions, organisations, or settlements. For other types of establishment (setting rules, establishing precedents, setting up connections), use establecer. La fundación means both the act of founding and the resulting entity (a foundation/NGO). Note: fundar is different from fundamentar (to base/ground — to found an argument on evidence).