What does imponer in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word imponer in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use imponer in Spanish.

The word imponer in Spanish means give, impose, command, lay, prevail, be in fashion, win, be needed, impose yourself, deposit, put, force, train, coach, assert your authority, impose order, impose fines, lay down the law. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word imponer

give

verbo transitivo (obligar a hacer) (task, duty)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Te impondré un castigo por llegar tarde.
I'm going to give you a punishment for arriving late.

impose

verbo transitivo (ejercer poder)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Soy tu padre, y te voy a imponer mi voluntad.
I'm your father and I'm going to impose my will on you.

command

verbo transitivo (infundir un sentimiento) (respect)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Su presencia impone respeto, la verdad. Da algo de miedo.
His presence truly commands respect. He's a little scary.

lay

verbo transitivo (religión: bendecir) (religion)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
El obispo impondrá las manos sobre el pecador.
The Bishop will lay his hands on the sinner.

prevail

verbo pronominal (someter)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Los ejércitos suelen imponerse por la fuerza.
Armies usually prevail by force.

be in fashion

verbo pronominal (estar de moda)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Este verano se impondrá la falda larga.
Long skirts will be in fashion this summer.

win

verbo pronominal (ganar)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Su pericia le hará imponerse sobre los demás contrincantes.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. He's going to win. I'm sure of it.

be needed

verbo pronominal (ser necesario)

Se impone un aumento de salarios urgente.
A ceasefire is needed.

impose yourself

verbo pronominal (derecho: hacer valer autoridad o poder) (forcefully)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
El representante legal se impuso sobre el gerente de la firma.
The legal representative imposed himself on the manager of the company.

deposit, put

verbo transitivo (ES (depositar dinero en el banco) (money)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Tiene usted que imponer algo de dinero en su cuenta, que está en números rojos.
You've got to deposit (or: put) some money into your account. You're in the red.

force

(obligar a algo)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
El jefe impuso a sus empleados el uso de un horrible uniforme.
The boss forced his employees to wear a horrible uniform.

train, coach

(adiestrar a alguien) (instruct)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Juan impuso a su hijo como un futbolista.
Juan trained (or: coached) his son as a footballer.

assert your authority

locución verbal (disciplinar)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
El profesor impuso autoridad en la clase.
The teacher asserted his authority in class.

impose order

locución verbal (frenar disturbios)

La policía impuso el orden.
The police imposed order.

impose fines

locución verbal (multar)

La policía de tránsito impone multas en las calles.
The traffic police imposes fines on the streets.

lay down the law

locución verbal (ser autoritario)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
El jefe siempre impone su criterio.
The boss always lays down the law.

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of imponer in Spanish, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in Spanish.

Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.