afirmar

to affirm; to assert

verb ah-feer-MAHR Common

Origin: From Latin affirmare, 'to make firm, assert.'

Also means

to state

Usage Note

Afirmar is a formal register verb, common in journalism and academic writing, roughly equivalent to 'to state' or 'to claim.' In everyday speech decir is more natural. Afirmar contrasts with negar (to deny) in formal contexts. The derived noun afirmación means 'assertion' or 'statement,' and the adjective afirmativo gives us the phrase en caso afirmativo ('if yes, if affirmative').

Examples

"El ministro afirmó que los precios bajarán."

Natural Translation

The minister asserted that prices will fall.

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