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enseñar

to teach

verb en-seh-NYAHR Less Common
Communication Speech

Origin: From Latin insignare (to mark, designate), from in- + signum (sign).

Also means

to show

Usage Note

Enseñar covers both 'to teach' (enseña matemáticas = she teaches maths) and 'to show' (me enseñó el camino = she showed me the way). The 'show' sense is more common in Spain; Latin America tends to use mostrar for showing. Do not confuse with aprender (to learn) — learners sometimes swap them. Enseñanza is the noun meaning 'teaching' or 'education'.

Examples

"Mi madre me enseñó a cocinar."

Natural Translation

My mother taught me to cook.

Literal Translation

My mother me taught to to-cook.

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