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deliberate and Spanish deliberar
In English
deliberate
intentional / on purpose
In Spanish
deliberar
debatir
Spanish "deliberar" means: to debate / to discuss
Why they get mixed up The Latin root "deliberare" meant to reflect before deciding. Spanish "deliberar" kept that sense of discussing and thinking it over. English "deliberate" as an adjective took on the sense of intentional, done on purpose.
If you want to say...
- deliberateintencional o pausado
- to deliberatedeliberar
- on purposea propósito
Examples
It was a deliberate lie.
Fue una mentira intencional.
She made a deliberate effort to help.
Hizo un esfuerzo deliberado por ayudar.
It was a deliberate attempt to confuse us.
Fue un intento deliberado de confundirnos.
She spoke in a slow, deliberate way.
Habló de manera lenta y pausada.
Common mistakes in Spanish
Incorrect: Rompió la ventana deliberando.
Correct: Rompió la ventana a propósito.
Deliberar means to debate or think carefully before deciding. For intentional, use deliberado or a propósito.
Incorrect: Deliberé insultarla.
Correct: La insulté a propósito.
Use "a propósito" or "adrede" for on purpose.
Phrases you will hear
- a deliberate lieuna mentira intencional
- a deliberate decisionuna decisión deliberada
- deliberatelya propósito
- the jury deliberatedel jurado deliberó
- a slow, deliberate paceun ritmo lento y pausado
- on purposea propósito
In a conversation
- A:
Did you break it on purpose?
¿Lo rompiste a propósito?
- B:
No, it wasn't deliberate.
No, no fue intencional.
- A:
The jury is still deliberating.
El jurado sigue deliberando.
- B:
I hope it's a fair decision.
Espero que sea una decisión justa.
Test yourself
"A deliberate mistake" is a mistake that is...
To remember it
Deliberate (adjective) = intentional/on purpose. To debate (Spanish "deliberar") = to debate.
Frequently asked questions
What does Spanish "deliberar" mean?
Spanish "deliberar" means "to debate / to discuss". It looks like the English "deliberate", which is exactly why it gets confused, but "deliberate" means "intentional / on purpose".
Does English "deliberate" mean the same as Spanish "deliberar"?
The Latin root "deliberare" meant to reflect before deciding. Spanish "deliberar" kept that sense of discussing and thinking it over. English "deliberate" as an adjective took on the sense of intentional, done on purpose.