ignorar

to ignore

verb eeg-noh-RAHR Less Common

Origin: From Latin ignorare (not to know), from in- + gnarus (knowing).

Also means

to be unaware of

Usage Note

Ignorar is a significant false friend: in Spanish it primarily means 'to not know' or 'to be unaware of' (ignoro su paradero, 'I don't know their whereabouts') — not 'to deliberately disregard.' The sense of actively ignoring someone exists (me ignoró en la fiesta) but is secondary. English speakers routinely use it for the deliberate-snub sense, which is fine in Latin America, but the 'to be ignorant of' sense is the older and still common one.

Examples

"Ignoraba que el museo cerraba los lunes."

Natural Translation

She was unaware that the museum closed on Mondays.

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