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verb

doblar

turn

Mover algo para que una parte de ello quede sobre otra, formando un ángulo o pliegue.

Definition & meaning

Doblar is a regular Spanish verb with several related meanings:

  1. To fold or bend something

    • To make something adopt a curved or folded shape.
    • Example: folding paper or bending a metal bar.

  2. To double

    • To make an amount twice as large.
    • Example: doubling a quantity, salary, or investment.

  3. To turn

    • To change direction, especially while walking or driving around a corner.
    • Example: turning left or right at an intersection.

  4. To dub

    • To replace the original voices in a film, television program, or video with voices in another language.

  5. To bend or give way physically

    • In the pronominal form doblarse , it can mean “to bend,” “to buckle,” or “to give way.”

  6. To work an additional shift

    • In some contexts, especially in workplace language, doblar can mean to work a double shift.

Grammar & Word origin

Doblar is a regular -ar verb.

  • yo doblo — I fold, double, or turn
  • tú doblas — you fold, double, or turn
  • él/ella dobla — he/she folds, doubles, or turns
  • pretérito: doblé — I folded, doubled, or turned
  • past participle: doblado — folded, doubled, or dubbed

It can be transitive, as in doblar una hoja una hoja , “to fold a sheet of paper,” or intransitive, as in doblar a la izquierda izquierda , “to turn left.”

The word comes from Vulgar Latin duplāre, derived from Latin duplus, meaning “double.” Its original connection with “doubling” expanded to include bending, folding, and turning.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

The appropriate synonym depends on the meaning:

  • plegar — “to fold”; more precise and somewhat more formal when referring to folding paper, fabric, or similar materials.
  • curvar — “to curve” or “to bend”; focuses on creating a curve rather than making a fold.
  • girar — “to turn” or “to rotate”; broader than doblar, which commonly refers to changing direction.
  • duplicar — “to duplicate” or “to double”; more formal and technical than doblar when increasing an amount twofold.
  • redoblar — “to redouble” or “to intensify”; implies increasing effort or intensity, not simply making something twice as large.
  • doblar la voz voz and hacer doblaje are related expressions for dubbing, but hacer doblaje emphasizes the activity or profession.

Antonyms

The antonym also depends on the sense:

  • desdoblar — “to unfold” or “to undo a fold”; the direct opposite of folding.
  • estirar — “to stretch out” or “to straighten”; opposite to bending or folding.
  • enderezar — “to straighten”; opposite to curving or bending.
  • mantener el rumbo — “to keep one’s course”; opposite to turning while traveling.
  • reducir — “to reduce”; opposite to doubling or increasing an amount.

Common phrases & collocations

  • doblar una hoja — to fold a sheet of paper
  • doblar la ropa — to fold clothes
  • doblar una esquina — to turn a corner
  • doblar a la derecha — to turn right
  • doblar la cantidad — to double the amount
  • doblar el sueldo — to double the salary
  • doblar una película — to dub a film
  • doblar una serie — to dub a series
  • doblarse de dolor — to double over in pain
  • doblar turno — to work a double shift

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Examples

Tienes que doblar a la derecha en la próxima calle.verb

You have to turn right at the next street.

Debes doblar en la segunda esquina para llegar.verb

You must turn at the second corner to arrive.

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