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contestar

to answer

verb kon-tes-TAHR Less Common

Also means

to reply

Usage Note

Contestar means to answer or reply and takes a direct object: contestar el teléfono (to answer the phone), contestar una pregunta (to answer a question). In Spain it can also mean to talk back or argue disrespectfully (no me contestes así = don't answer back like that), a sense less common in Latin America. The more neutral synonym responder is preferred in formal writing.

Examples

"Nadie contestó cuando llamé a la puerta."

Natural Translation

Nobody answered when I knocked on the door.

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