liberar
Lemma Details
Translation: to free; to liberate; to release; to set free; to unleash
Part of Speech: verb
Etymology: From Latin 'liberare' meaning 'to set free', which derives from 'liber' meaning 'free'. This shares the same Latin root as English words like 'liberty', 'liberal', and 'liberation'. The concept of freedom is central to this word's meaning across languages.
Commonality: 80%
Guessability: 90%
Register: neutral
Example Usage
El gobierno decidió liberar a los prisioneros políticos.
The government decided to free the political prisoners.
Necesito liberar espacio en mi teléfono.
I need to free up space on my phone.
La meditación me ayuda a liberar el estrés.
Meditation helps me release stress.
Los científicos liberaron a los animales en su hábitat natural.
The scientists released the animals into their natural habitat.
Mnemonics
- Think of 'liberty' in English - liberar is to give liberty to someone or something.
- Imagine a bird being released from a cage - that's 'liberar' in action.
- The 'liber' in 'liberar' sounds like 'liberty' - both relate to freedom.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Antonyms
Cultural Context
The concept of 'liberar' has strong political and social connotations in Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in contexts of historical struggles against dictatorships, colonialism, and oppression. It's often used in political discourse and social movements.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'liberar' means 'to free' or 'to release', 'deliberar' means 'to deliberate' or 'to consider carefully'.
Confused word:
El jurado necesita deliberar antes de dar su veredicto.
The jury needs to deliberate before giving their verdict.
Notes: Both words share the Latin root 'liber', but 'deliberar' comes from 'deliberare' meaning 'to consider carefully'.
Mnemonic: 'Deliberar' has 'de-' added to the beginning, which changes the meaning from 'freeing' to 'thinking through' something.
Explanation: 'Liberar' is to free someone or something else, while 'librarse' (reflexive) means to free oneself or to escape from something.
Confused word:
Finalmente me libré de esa responsabilidad.
I finally freed myself from that responsibility.
Notes: Both relate to freedom but differ in who receives the action.
Mnemonic: Think of 'librarse' as 'to free oneself' (reflexive) versus 'liberar' as 'to free others' (transitive).