cantar
verb
1. to sing
use one's voice to produce music
Common combinations
- cantar una canción — to sing a song
- cantar en un coro — to sing in a choir
- cantar a capela — to sing a cappella
- Me gusta cantar en la ducha.I like to sing in the shower.
- Ana canta una canción de amor.Ana sings a love song.
- Cantamos juntos en la fiesta.We sang together at the party.
2. to sing, chirp
make melodic sounds, of birds and some animals
Common combinations
- cantar los pájaros — birds singing
- cantar el gallo — the rooster crowing
- cantar los grillos — crickets singing
- Los pájaros cantan al amanecer.The birds sing at dawn.
- El gallo canta antes de salir el sol.The rooster crows before sunrise.
- Se oyen cantar los grillos.You can hear the crickets singing.
3. to spill the beans, confess cantarle algo a alguien
informal · reveal information, usually under pressure
Common combinations
- cantar un secreto — to spill a secret
- cantar toda la verdad — to tell the whole truth
- hacer cantar a alguien — to make someone talk
- El detenido cantó durante el interrogatorio.The detainee spilled the beans during the interrogation.
- El ladrón cantó quién lo ayudó.The thief confessed who had helped him.
- La policía logró que el sospechoso cantara.The police managed to make the suspect talk.
Phrases with this word