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animar

to encourage

verb ah-nee-MAHR Less Common
Mind & Emotions Mental States

Also means

to cheer up

Usage Note

Animar has two distinct registers: formally it means to encourage or motivate (los animé a participar), while colloquially animarse means to cheer up or decide to join in ('¿te animas?' = 'are you up for it?'). The imperative ¡ánimo! is a standalone interjection of encouragement ('come on!' / 'cheer up!') heard constantly in everyday speech.

Examples

"Su discurso animó a todo el equipo."

Natural Translation

His speech encouraged the whole team.

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