What does prestar in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word prestar in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use prestar in Spanish.

The word prestar in Spanish means lend, give, provide, be party to, be open to, provide support, pay attention, give your approval, attach importance to, swear an oath, take an oath, listen carefully, pay attention to, serve, without listening to, without paying attention, without heeding. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word prestar

lend

verbo transitivo (dar por un tiempo)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Juan le prestó el coche a su hermano. María le prestó a Brenda su camisa.
Juan lent the car to his brother. Maria lent Brenda her shirt.

give, provide

verbo transitivo (dar algo inmaterial)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Hay que prestar ayuda al necesitado.
We must give (or: provide) help to a person who needs it.

be party to

(mostrar disposición)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
No quisimos prestarnos a las manipulaciones de la nueva directora. Pablo se prestó a ayudar a los damnificados.
We didn't want to be party to the new director's manipulations.

be open to

(dar motivo)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Las palabras del alcalde se prestaron a toda clase de críticas.
The mayor's words were open to all kinds of criticism.

provide support

locución verbal (ayudar, apoyar)

No dudes en llamarnos si tienes dudas: estamos aquí para prestar apoyo. La organización presta apoyo a los necesitados.
Do not hesitate to call us should you have any doubts: we are here to provide support.

pay attention

locución verbal (estar atento)

Si no prestas atención en clase, no puedes esperar que te vaya bien en los exámenes.
If you don't pay attention in class, you can't hope to do well in your exams.

give your approval

locución verbal (formal (manifestar aprobación)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Para que este proyecto pueda llevarse a cabo, el director debe prestar conformidad. El jefe prestó conformidad con la propuesta.
In order to proceed with the project, the director must give his approval.

attach importance to

(dar trascendencia)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Mi padre les presta importancia a los problemas de sus hijos. Pablo le presta gran importancia a la puntualidad.

swear an oath, take an oath

locución verbal (jurar)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
El presidente prestó juramento ante la Cámara.

listen carefully

locución verbal (escuchar con atención)

Hay que prestar oído en clase. María prestó oído a lo que le dijo su profesor.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. It's important to listen carefully to the coach's instructions.

pay attention to

(dar crédito, creer)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Es mejor que no prestes oídos a todo lo que se dice.

serve

locución verbal (servir)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Pedro prestó servicio en la empresa por 10 años.
Pedro served the company for 10 years.

without listening to, without paying attention, without heeding

locución adverbial (sin atender)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of prestar in Spanish, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in Spanish.

Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.