Skip to main content

participar

verbUpper-intermediate

What does “participar” mean in English?

  1. to participate, to take part

    to participate, to take part (participar en — be involved in or take part in an activity or event)

Example sentences

  • Todos los alumnos deben participar en las actividades del grupo.

    All students must participate in the group activities.

  • España participó activamente en las negociaciones de paz.

    Spain participated actively in the peace negotiations.

  • ¿Te gustaría participar en el programa de intercambio?

    Would you like to take part in the exchange programme?

How to use it

participar en means 'to participate in' or 'to take part in'. It always takes the preposition en. Participar de is a less common construction meaning 'to share in' (a feeling, a belief). At B2, participar en is the dominant pattern.

Common mistake

English 'participate in' and 'take part in' both map to participar en. Learners sometimes use *participar a (from French participer à) — always en in Spanish.

Topics

Related Upper-intermediate words

Reference

This entry’s teaching guidance follows Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes (Instituto Cervantes), B2 Funciones 5.2.