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obedecer

to obey

verb oh-beh-deh-SEHR Less Common
People & Society Values

Origin: From Latin oboedire (to listen to, comply with).

Usage Note

Obedecer has an irregular first-person singular present: yo obedezco (the -zco pattern shared with conocer and crecer). It takes a direct object without a preposition: obedecer las normas, obedecer a sus padres. In a less obvious use, obedecer a followed by an abstract noun means 'to be due to': esto obedece a razones económicas = this is due to economic reasons.

Examples

"Los soldados deben obedecer las órdenes del capitán."

Natural Translation

Soldiers must obey the captain's orders.

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