Spanish · Everyday Verbs
"to drive" in Spanish: manejar
manejar
Note: ES: conducir
To drive in Latin American Spanish is manejar. Say yo manejo and ¿sabes manejar? In Spain, conducir is the usual verb.
Offer
Yo manejo de ida si tú manejas de vuelta.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce manejar
Say it
mah-neh-HAHR / mah-NEH-hoh / mah-NEH-hah
/ma.ne.ˈxaɾ/
mah-neh-HAHR. Manejo is mah-NEH-hoh; maneja is mah-NEH-hah.
"to drive" in Spanish: quick reference
| Spanish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| manejar | to drive Latin America. | Latin America. |
| yo manejo | I drive First person. | First person. |
| ¿sabes manejar? | can you drive? Common question. | Common question. |
| manejamos | we drive Group present. | Group present. |
| conducir (Spain) | to drive Spain’s everyday verb. | Spain’s everyday verb. |
How to use manejar in real life
- 1Offer
Yo manejo de ida si tú manejas de vuelta.
I’ll drive there if you drive back.
Yo manejo / manejas.
- 2Habit
¿Manejas bien de noche?
Do you drive well at night?
Manejas.
- 3Trip
Manejamos seis horas hasta la playa.
We drove six hours to the beach.
Manejamos.
Mistakes English speakers make with manejar
Incorrect: Yo manejar mañana.
Correct: Yo manejo mañana. / Voy a manejar mañana.
Conjugate manejar or use ir + infinitive.
Incorrect: Yo conduzco en México (teaching manejar)
Correct: Yo manejo
Latin America’s everyday verb is manejar; conducir is mainly Spain.
Good to know
Good to knowManejar is the Latin American default for cars. Conducir is Spain’s usual verb. A license is often la licencia.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Sharing driving on a trip
ChatPal
¿Manejas la primera parte?
Will you drive the first stretch?
You
Manejo yo. Después manejas tú.
I’ll drive. Then you drive.
ChatPal
Trato hecho. Yo manejo después del almuerzo.
Deal. I’ll drive after lunch.
You
Perfecto. Cargo gasolina antes de salir.
Perfect. I’ll fill up before we leave.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to drive" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to drive" in Spanish
I drive?
Yo manejo.
Can you drive?
¿Sabes manejar?
Manejar or conducir?
Manejar in Latin America; conducir in Spain.
Stress on manejar?
mah-neh-HAHR — the j is like English h.
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