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aspirar

to aspire

verb as-pee-RAHR Less Common

Also means

to inhale

Usage Note

Aspirar means to aspire to something (aspirar a ser médico — 'to aspire to be a doctor') and also to inhale or suck up — aspirar el polvo ('to vacuum up the dust'). The noun aspiradora ('vacuum cleaner') comes from this root. The two senses rarely cause confusion in context.

Examples

"Aspira a terminar la carrera este año."

Natural Translation

She aspires to finish her degree this year.

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