certificar
certify
Definition & meaning
Certificar is a regular Spanish verb meaning to certify, attest, verify, or officially confirm that something is true, accurate, valid, or compliant with a standard.
Its main uses include:
-
To officially confirm or attest to something
- El notario certificó la autenticidad del documento.
“The notary certified the authenticity of the document.”
- El notario certificó la autenticidad del documento.
-
To certify that something meets certain requirements or standards
- La empresa certifica la calidad de sus productos.
“The company certifies the quality of its products.”
- La empresa certifica la calidad de sus productos.
-
To send something by certified mail
- Voy a certificar la carta.
“I am going to send the letter by certified mail.”
- Voy a certificar la carta.
-
Certificarse can mean to obtain certification or to become certified
- La empresa se certificó según la norma internacional.
“The company became certified according to the international standard.”
- La empresa se certificó según la norma internacional.
It is commonly followed by que when introducing the statement being confirmed:
El informe certifica que el producto es seguro.
“The report certifies that the product is safe.”
Grammar & Word origin
Certificar is a regular -ar verb.
- yo certifico — I certify
- tú certificas — you certify
- él/ella certifica — he/she certifies
- pretérito: certifiqué — I certified
- past participle: certificado — certified
- gerund: certificando — certifying
It comes from Latin certificāre, meaning “to make certain” or “to confirm,” from certus, meaning “certain” or “sure,” combined with -ificar, a suffix meaning “to make” or “to cause to become.”
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- atestiguar — to testify or bear witness; emphasizes giving evidence based on knowledge or observation.
- confirmar — to confirm; broader and less necessarily formal or official than certificar.
- verificar — to verify or check whether something is correct; does not always involve issuing an official certification.
- acreditar — to accredit, establish, or prove; often used for qualifications, identity, or institutional recognition.
- validar — to validate; focuses on declaring something legally, technically, or procedurally acceptable.
Antonyms
There is no single exact antonym. Depending on the context, possible opposites include:
- negar — to deny that something is true.
- desmentir — to refute or contradict a claim.
- invalidar — to invalidate or declare something no longer valid.
- falsificar — to falsify or forge, especially a document or certification.
Common phrases & collocations
- certificar un documento — to certify a document
- certificar la autenticidad — to certify authenticity
- certificar la calidad — to certify quality
- certificar que algo es verdadero — to certify that something is true
- correo certificado — certified mail
- organismo certificador — certifying body or organization
- estar certificado — to be certified
- certificación oficial — official certification
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Examples
El doctor puede certificar mi salud.verb
The doctor can certify my health.
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