simular
verbCEFR B2
What does “simular” mean in English?
to simulate, to model
to simulate, to model (simular + noun — reproduce conditions computationally or hypothetically)
Example sentences
El programa simula distintos escenarios económicos para ayudar a los responsables a tomar decisiones más fundamentadas.
The programme simulates different economic scenarios to help decision-makers take better-informed decisions.
El software puede simular el comportamiento del edificio ante un terremoto de magnitud siete.
The software can simulate the behaviour of the building in a magnitude-seven earthquake.
Simuló no haber leído el mensaje para evitar tener que responder de inmediato.
He feigned not having read the message to avoid having to reply immediately.
How to use it
Simular means 'to simulate' or 'to feign'. Technical sense: simular un escenario (simulate a scenario). Interpersonal sense: simular indiferencia (feign indifference). At B2, both are important. The technical sense appears in science, computing, and policy discourse; the interpersonal sense appears in narrative and social description. Contrast modelar (to model — create a mathematical model) and fingir (to pretend, always the deceptive interpersonal sense).
Common mistake
Simular (pretend/feign) is more formal than fingir but both work for the deceptive sense. In technical contexts, simular is the only natural choice — fingir a scenario sounds odd. Don't say *simular que + past compound in formal simulation contexts — use a noun object (simular el impacto, not *simular que el impacto ocurrió).