verb

animar

cheer · cheer up · liven up · dare

Hacer que alguien se sienta más feliz, con más energía o con ganas de hacer algo.

Definition & meaning

Animar is a regular Spanish verb with several related meanings:

To encourage, cheer up, or give someone confidence
- Su mensaje me animó mucho. — “His message encouraged me a lot.”
- It can mean helping someone feel more positive or hopeful.
To motivate or urge someone to do something
The construction animar a alguien a hacer algo means “to encourage someone to do something.”
- La animó a estudiar en el extranjero. — “She encouraged her to study abroad.”
To liven up or enliven something
- La música animó la fiesta. — “The music livened up the party.”
- It can also describe making an atmosphere more lively.
To animate
In art, film, or computing, animar means “to animate” or “to bring images or characters to life.”
- El artista anima personajes para una película. — “The artist animates characters for a film.”

The reflexive form animarse means to cheer up, to make up one’s mind, or to dare to do something.

Por fin se animó a hablar. — “He finally dared to speak.”

Grammar & Word origin

Animar is a regular -ar verb.

Infinitive: animar
Gerund: animando
Past participle: animado
Present tense: yo animo, tú animas, él/ella anima
Reflexive form: animarse

Its most common grammatical patterns are:

animar a alguien — to encourage someone
animar a alguien a hacer algo — to encourage someone to do something
animar algo — to liven up or animate something
animarse a hacer algo — to dare or decide to do something

It comes from the Latin verb animare, meaning “to give life or spirit,” derived from anima, “soul,” “breath,” or “life.” This is related to the Spanish noun ánimo , meaning “spirit,” “morale,” or “encouragement.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

alentar — to encourage or support; often sounds somewhat more formal than animar.
estimular — to stimulate or motivate; emphasizes creating interest, effort, or activity.
motivar — to motivate; focuses on giving someone a reason or incentive to act.
entusiasmar — to excite or inspire enthusiasm; stronger and more emotionally positive than animar.
alegrar — to make happy or cheer someone up; focuses more on happiness than on motivation.
avivar — to enliven or intensify something, such as a discussion, fire, or atmosphere.

Antonyms

desanimar — to discourage or demoralize; the most direct antonym of animar.
disuadir — to dissuade or talk someone out of doing something; opposite to encouraging someone to act.
desalentar — to discourage or weaken someone’s motivation; often more formal than desanimar.
entristecer — to sadden; opposite to the “cheer up” sense, but not necessarily to the “motivate” sense.