alabar

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish alabar, from Late Latin alapāri.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ə.ləˈβa]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ə.ləˈba]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [a.laˈbaɾ]

• Audio (Catalonia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a(ɾ)
• Hyphenation: a‧la‧bar

Verb

alabar (first-person singular present alabo, first-person singular preterite alabí, past participle alabat)

1. (transitive) to praise

   Synonym: lloar

Conjugation

    Conjugation of alabar (first conjugation)

infinitive			alabar
gerund			alabant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		alabat		alabada
		plural		alabats		alabades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	alabo	alabes	alaba	alabem	alabeu	alaben
	imperfect	alabava	alabaves	alabava	alabàvem	alabàveu	alabaven
	future	alabaré	alabaràs	alabarà	alabarem	alabareu	alabaran
	preterite	alabí	alabares	alabà	alabàrem	alabàreu	alabaren
	conditional	alabaria	alabaries	alabaria	alabaríem	alabaríeu	alabarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	alabi	alabis	alabi	alabem	alabeu	alabin
	imperfect	alabés	alabessis	alabés	alabéssim	alabéssiu	alabessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	alaba	alabi	alabem	alabeu	alabin
	negative (no)	—	no alabis	no alabi	no alabem	no alabeu	no alabin

Related terms

• alabança

Further reading

• “alabar” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “alabar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “alabar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “alabar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin alapārī (“to boast”), originally (in Plautus) “to slap”, which is probably related to Latin alapa (“box on the ear, blow with the hand”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alaˈbaɾ/ [a.laˈβ̞aɾ]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: a‧la‧bar

Verb

alabar (first-person singular present alabo, first-person singular preterite alabé, past participle alabado)

1. (transitive) to praise

   Synonyms: adular, aplaudir, celebrar, elogiar, encomiar, loar

   • 2018 July 24, Belén Remacha, “Rosalía lanza lo que parece un alegato contra la violencia machista y rompe internet”, in eldiario.es‎^[1]:

     Muchos, además de alabar la parte musical y visual, han entendido que el vídeo profundiza en los celos propios o ajenos de los que parece hablar la letra y trata de cómo salir de la violencia y dinámica machista de una relación.

     Many, in addition to praising the musical and visual part, have understood that the video delves into their own jealousy or that of others that the lyrics seem to talk about and deals with how to get out of the violence and macho dynamics of a relationship.

   • 2022 March 8, Macarena Vidal Liy, “El presidente de China, Xi Jinping, pide “contención máxima” en Ucrania para evitar que la situación quede “fuera de control””, in El País‎^[2], retrieved 2022-03-08:

     “China alaba los esfuerzos de mediación de Francia y Alemania en Ucrania. Permanecerá en comunicación y coordinación con ambas y con la UE y, a la luz de las necesidades de las partes implicadas, colaborará activamente con la comunidad internacional”, ha agregado Xi.

     “China praises the mediation efforts of France and Germany in Ukraine. It will remain in communication and coordination with both sides and with the EU, and in light of the needs of the parties involved, will actively collaborate with the international community," Xi added.

Conjugation

    Conjugation of alabar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			alabar
gerund			alabando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		alabado		alabada
		plural		alabados		alabadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	alabo	alabastú alabásvos	alaba	alabamos	alabáis	alaban
	imperfect	alababa	alababas	alababa	alabábamos	alababais	alababan
	preterite	alabé	alabaste	alabó	alabamos	alabasteis	alabaron
	future	alabaré	alabarás	alabará	alabaremos	alabaréis	alabarán
	conditional	alabaría	alabarías	alabaría	alabaríamos	alabaríais	alabarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	alabe	alabestú alabésvos2	alabe	alabemos	alabéis	alaben
	imperfect (ra)	alabara	alabaras	alabara	alabáramos	alabarais	alabaran
	imperfect (se)	alabase	alabases	alabase	alabásemos	alabaseis	alabasen
	future1	alabare	alabares	alabare	alabáremos	alabareis	alabaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		alabatú alabávos	alabe	alabemos	alabad	alaben
	negative		no alabes	no alabe	no alabemos	no alabéis	no alaben

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of alabar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive alabar
	dative	alabarme	alabarte	alabarle, alabarse	alabarnos	alabaros	alabarles, alabarse
	accusative	alabarme	alabarte	alabarlo, alabarla, alabarse	alabarnos	alabaros	alabarlos, alabarlas, alabarse
with gerund alabando
	dative	alabándome	alabándote	alabándole, alabándose	alabándonos	alabándoos	alabándoles, alabándose
	accusative	alabándome	alabándote	alabándolo, alabándola, alabándose	alabándonos	alabándoos	alabándolos, alabándolas, alabándose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative alaba
	dative	alábame	alábate	alábale	alábanos	not used	alábales
	accusative	alábame	alábate	alábalo, alábala	alábanos	not used	alábalos, alábalas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative alabá
	dative	alabame	alabate	alabale	alabanos	not used	alabales
	accusative	alabame	alabate	alabalo, alabala	alabanos	not used	alabalos, alabalas
with formal second-person singular imperative alabe
	dative	alábeme	not used	alábele, alábese	alábenos	not used	alábeles
	accusative	alábeme	not used	alábelo, alábela, alábese	alábenos	not used	alábelos, alábelas
with first-person plural imperative alabemos
	dative	not used	alabémoste	alabémosle	alabémonos	alabémoos	alabémosles
	accusative	not used	alabémoste	alabémoslo, alabémosla	alabémonos	alabémoos	alabémoslos, alabémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative alabad
	dative	alabadme	not used	alabadle	alabadnos	alabaos	alabadles
	accusative	alabadme	not used	alabadlo, alabadla	alabadnos	alabaos	alabadlos, alabadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative alaben
	dative	alábenme	not used	alábenle	alábennos	not used	alábenles, alábense
	accusative	alábenme	not used	alábenlo, alábenla	alábennos	not used	alábenlos, alábenlas, alábense

Derived terms

• alabable
• alabado sea Dios

 

Related terms

• alabanza

 

Descendants

• → Catalan: alabar

Further reading

• “alabar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014