Gritar

Gritar is a Spanish verb meaning to shout, to yell, or to cry out, typically expressing force, urgency, or strong emotion such as anger, fear, joy, or pain. It can describe raising one’s voice in conversation, during protests, sports events, or moments of distress.

Gritar can be transitive or intransitive. With a direct object, it means to shout something: gritar un insulto, gritar su nombre. It can also take a recipient: gritarle a alguien (to shout at someone). Intransitive uses convey the act of producing loud sound without specifying the content, as in gritar de rabia or gritar por ayuda. Common idioms include gritar a voces (to shout at the top of one’s lungs) and gritar de alegría (to shout with joy).

Conjugation follows the regular -ar pattern. In the present indicative: grito, gritas, grita, gritamos, gritáis, gritan. The preterite is grité, gritaste, gritó, gritamos, gritasteis, gritaron. The imperfect forms: gritaba, gritabas, gritaba, gritábamos, gritabais, gritaban. Subjunctive present: grite, grites, grite, gritemos, gritéis, griten. The affirmative imperative is grita (tú), grite (usted), gritad (vosotros), griten (ustedes); the negative imperative is no grites, no grite, no gritéis, no griten.

Etymology traces to Latin gritare, with the noun grito meaning “a shout.” Related terms include gritos (shouts) and the verb’s synonyms, such as chillar or vociferar in certain dialects, though each carries distinct nuance. In use, gritar is a straightforward, neutral label for producing a loud vocalization or directing one’s voice publicly or emotionally.