# acertar
## Galician
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /aθeɾˈtaɾ/ [a.θeɾˈt̪aɾ]
* IPA: (standard) /aθeɾˈtaɾ/ [a.θeɾˈt̪aɾ]
* IPA: (seseo) /aseɾˈtaɾ/ [a.seɾˈt̪aɾ]
* Rhymes: -aɾ
* Hyphenation: a‧cer‧tar

### Verb

acertar (first-person singular present acerto, first-person singular preterite acertei, past participle acertado)
* to guess

#### Conjugation

$^1$Less recommended.

### References

* “acertar”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

## Old Galician-Portuguese
### Etymology

From a- +‎ certo +‎ -ar.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /a.t͡seɾ.ˈtaɾ/
* Rhymes: -aɾ

### Verb

acertar
* to hit, to hit upon
* to be right

#### Descendants

* Galician: acertar
* Portuguese: acertar (see there for further descendants)

### Further reading

* Universo Cantigas - "acertar"

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese acertar. By surface analysis, a- +‎ certo +‎ -ar. Compare Galician and Spanish acertar and English ascertain.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /a.seʁˈta(ʁ)/ [a.sehˈta(h)]
* (Brazil) IPA: /a.seʁˈta(ʁ)/ [a.sehˈta(h)]
** (São Paulo) IPA: /a.seɾˈta(ɾ)/
** (Rio de Janeiro) IPA: /a.seʁˈta(ʁ)/ [a.seχˈta(χ)]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /a.seɻˈta(ɻ)/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ɐ.sɨɾˈtaɾ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ɐ.sɨɾˈtaɾ/
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /ɐ.sɨɾˈta.ɾi/
* Hyphenation: a‧cer‧tar

### Verb

acertar (first-person singular present acerto, first-person singular preterite acertei, past participle acertado)
* to adjust
* to regulate
* to hit (a target)
* (figurative) to be correct (about something)
* to coincide
* to pay, to settle (a bill etc.)

#### Conjugation

$^1$Brazilian Portuguese. $^2$European Portuguese.

#### Descendants

* Guinea-Bissau Creole: serta

### Further reading

* “acertar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
* “acertar”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
* “acertar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

## Spanish
### Etymology

From a- +‎ Latin certus +‎ -ar. Compare English ascertain.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Spain) /aθeɾˈtaɾ/ [a.θeɾˈt̪aɾ]
* IPA: (Latin America, Philippines) /aseɾˈtaɾ/ [a.seɾˈt̪aɾ]
* Audio (Venezuela):(file)
* Rhymes: -aɾ
* Syllabification: a‧cer‧tar

### Verb

acertar (first-person singular present acierto, first-person singular preterite acerté, past participle acertado)
* (transitive, intransitive) to hit, to hit upon
    La bala acertó al policía en la pierna.The bullet got the policeman in the leg.
* (transitive, intransitive) to be right
    Synonym: atinar
    Antonym: desacertar
    ¿Cuántas preguntas acertaste? –Ninguna.How many questions did you get right? –Zilch.
    El pronóstico del tiempo acertó hoy.Today's weather forecast proved right.

#### Conjugation

$^1$Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language. $^2$Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.
These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

#### Derived terms

* acertado
* acertar con (“to locate, find”)
* acertijo
* piensa mal y acertarás

#### Related terms

* acertante
* acierto

### Further reading

* “acertar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10