renunciar

What does “renunciar” mean in English?

1. to resign from, to give up

   to resign from, to give up (renunciar a algo); always followed by preposition a

Example sentences

• Carlos renunció al puesto después de que le dijeran que no iba a recibir el ascenso que le habían prometido hacía más de un año.

  Carlos resigned from the post after he was told he was not going to get the promotion they had promised him more than a year ago.

• Renuncié a la plaza de investigadora porque la beca no cubría los gastos de viaje y no podía permitirme vivir en otra ciudad.

  I resigned from the research position because the scholarship didn't cover travel costs and I couldn't afford to live in another city.

• Es una pena que hayas renunciado a esa oportunidad sin antes negociar las condiciones del contrato.

  It's a shame that you resigned from that opportunity without first negotiating the contract conditions.

How to use it

Renunciar means 'to resign' or 'to give up', and crucially takes the preposition a: renunciar a algo. This preposition is non-negotiable: renunciar al puesto (resign from the post), renunciar a la oferta (turn down the offer). The English construction 'resign from' may tempt learners to use de, but Spanish requires a throughout. Renunciar is slightly formal; the more colloquial equivalent in conversation is dimitir (resign from political/official posts) or irse (just leave). At B1 it commonly appears in professional and academic settings.