Skip to content

pretender

to try to

verb preh-ten-DEHR Less Common
Mind & Emotions Attitudes

Also means

to claim

Usage Note

Pretender is a classic false friend: it does NOT mean 'to pretend' (that is fingir or hacer como si). Its primary meaning is 'to try/intend to do something' (pretende ganar el concurso = 'he's trying to win the contest'). A secondary sense is 'to claim' or 'to aspire to' (pretende ser el mejor). English learners must memorise this distinction.

Examples

"Pretende terminar el proyecto antes del viernes."

Natural Translation

He intends to finish the project before Friday.

Literal Translation

He-intends to-finish the project before of-the Friday

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Spanish by topic