observar
verbCEFR B2
What does “observar” mean in English?
to observe, to remark in writing
to observe, to remark in writing (observar que + indicative — distanced, written-register alternative to comentar)
Example sentences
Cabe observar que los resultados del primer grupo contradicen las hipótesis formuladas al inicio del estudio.
It is worth noting that the results of the first group contradict the hypotheses formulated at the start of the study.
El ponente observó que existían discrepancias significativas entre los datos aportados por las distintas fuentes.
The speaker noted that there were significant discrepancies between the data provided by the different sources.
Debemos observar que la normativa actual no contempla este supuesto de forma explícita.
We must note that the current regulations do not explicitly cover this situation.
How to use it
Observar in formal written register means 'to remark' or 'to note', not 'to observe visually'. Pattern: observar que + indicative (noting a fact). It is characteristic of academic prose, technical reports, and formal meeting language. Register note: it creates authorial distance — 'the author observes that' is more distanced than 'the author says that'. Paired impersonal formula: cabe observar que (one might note that). Contrast: comentar is spoken/neutral; señalar is written/formal; observar is written/distanced/academic.
Common mistake
False friend trap: English 'I observed him leaving' = Le vi salir — not le observé salir (which implies surveillance). The 'remark/note' sense of observar que is discourse-functional, not perceptual. In formal writing, the register distinction matters: comentar and notar are fine in spoken/informal writing, but observar signals academic or institutional register. Using it in casual emails or speech sounds stiff.