Polyglot Dictionary

complacer

/komplaˈseɾ/

verb C1

el (masc.) la (fem.)

Underline = a spelling pattern that usually signals that gender.

V Register Neutral Era Current Frequency Academic Domain General Tone Neutral

Forms

present (yo)
complazco
preterite (yo)
complací
past participle
complacido

Meaning

  1. to please

    • Quiere complacer a todos.

      He wants to please everybody.

V Category Action Concreteness Concrete Agency Voluntary Duration Durative Transitivity Transitive

Similar words

agradar

complacer means to please someone by fulfilling their wishes, often with effort to accommodate; agradar is more general and passive, simply being pleasing.

contentar

complacer implies more effort to please by fulfilling someone's wishes; contentar is a simpler satisfaction, making someone content.

Similar in other languages

Portuguese

agradar

agradar is the Portuguese word for the same thing — both mean "to please."

Portuguese

comprazer

comprazer is the Portuguese word for the same thing — both mean "to please."

Practice

1 What does complacer mean?

2 Fill the gap: Quiere ___ a todos.

3 Which fingerprint chart matches complacer?

verbirregular

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