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alterar

Spanish, verb/alteˈɾaɾ/

alterar is a Spanish verb meaning “to alter, to change” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) defines it as “Cambiar la forma, esencia, estructura o composición de algo”.

What does alterar mean in English?

verb

  1. 1

    to alter, to change

  2. 2

    to upset

  3. 3

    to get angry, upset

Source: English Wiktionary, Spanish section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How Spanish dictionaries define it

verb: 1. Cambiar la forma, esencia, estructura o composición de algo. 2. Causar un cambio que perturba, estropea, daña o descompone. 3. Causar una emoción o preocupación fuerte, generalmente negativa, que afecta, perturba, agita, trastorna o inquieta el ánimo. 4. Producir enojo, impaciencia, agitación o irritación.

The definition in the Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), in Spanish.

Source: Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

Forms of alterar

  • altero first-person present singular
  • alteré first-person preterite singular
  • alterado participle past
  • alterando gerund
  • alterada feminine participle past
  • alterados masculine participle past
  • alteradas feminine participle past
  • alteras indicative informal present
  • alterás indicative informal present
  • altera indicative present singular
  • alteramos first-person indicative plural
  • alteráis indicative plural present
  • alteran indicative plural present
  • alteraba first-person imperfect indicative
  • alterabas imperfect indicative second-person
  • alterábamos first-person imperfect indicative
  • alterabais imperfect indicative plural
  • alteraban imperfect indicative plural

Source: English Wiktionary and Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).

How do you pronounce alterar?

  • /alteˈɾaɾ/
  • [al̪.t̪eˈɾaɾ]
  • [al̪t̪eˈɾaɾ]

Sources: English Wiktionary, Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.

English words that translate to alterar

Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.

How common is alterar in Spanish?

alterar appears 6.2 times per million words in written Spanish.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).