crear
Lemma Details
Translation: to create; to make; to establish; to form; to generate; to produce
Part of Speech: verb
Etymology: Crear comes from Latin 'creare' meaning 'to make, produce, create'. This shares the same Latin root as the English word 'create'. The Latin 'creare' is related to 'crescere' (to grow), which gave English words like 'increase', 'crescendo', and 'crescent'. Understanding this connection helps remember that crear involves bringing something new into existence.
Commonality: 90%
Guessability: 90%
Register: neutral
Example Usage
El artista crea una obra maestra.
The artist creates a masterpiece.
Necesitamos crear nuevas soluciones para este problema.
We need to create new solutions for this problem.
La empresa creó cien nuevos empleos.
The company created one hundred new jobs.
Vamos a crear un ambiente agradable para la fiesta.
We're going to create a pleasant atmosphere for the party.
El gobierno creó una nueva ley para proteger el medio ambiente.
The government created a new law to protect the environment.
Mnemonics
- Sounds like 'create' in English - they mean the same thing!
- Think of a 'creative' person who is always able to 'crear' new things.
- Remember the phrase 'crear es poder' (to create is power) to associate the verb with its meaning of bringing things into existence.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Cultural Context
Crear is widely used in Spanish in contexts ranging from artistic creation to business development. In Latin American countries, the concept of 'crear oportunidades' (creating opportunities) is often emphasized in educational and economic discourse.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'crear' means 'to create', 'creer' means 'to believe'. They look similar but have completely different meanings and conjugations.
This word:
Voy a crear un nuevo diseño para la página web.
I'm going to create a new design for the website.
Notes: Crear is a regular -ar verb, while creer is irregular in some forms. In the first person present tense, 'creo' can mean both 'I create' and 'I believe', so context is important.
Mnemonic: Crear ends with 'ar' like 'art' - you create art. Creer ends with 'er' like 'error' - beliefs can sometimes be errors.
Explanation: Crear means 'to create' while crecer means 'to grow'. They share etymological roots but have distinct meanings.
Confused word:
Los niños crecen muy rápido.
Children grow very quickly.
Notes: Both words come from related Latin roots, but crear focuses on bringing something new into existence, while crecer focuses on development and increase in size.
Mnemonic: Crecer has a 'c' in the middle like 'increase' - things increase when they grow.