Indagar

Indagar is a verb used in Spanish and Portuguese with meanings centered on investigation and inquiry. In both languages, it denotes seeking information through questions or examination, often in formal, investigative, or bureaucratic contexts. In Spanish, indagar is common in journalism, research, and law enforcement to mean conducting a thorough inquiry. In Portuguese, the term likewise refers to questioning or probing, though for broader investigations the verb investigar is also used and indagar can carry a slightly more direct sense of interrogation.

Etymology and range: The verb derives from Latin indagare, meaning to search out or inquire. The modern forms in Spanish and Portuguese were established in the medieval period and persist with similar senses: to examine, to determine facts, to interrogate or question.

Conjugation and forms: In Spanish, indagar is regular: present indicative indago, indagas, indaga, indagamos, indagáis, indagan. In Portuguese, it is a regular -ar verb: eu indago, tu indagas, ele indaga, nós indagamos, vós indagais, eles indagam. The participle is indagado and the gerund indagando. Noun forms include indagación in Spanish and indagação in Portuguese, both meaning an inquiry or investigation.

Usage notes: Indagar usually implies a methodical or formal inquiry and can carry a sense of probing, depending on context. It is often preferred in legal, journalistic, or scholarly language. Synonyms include investigar and averiguar in both languages, while perguntar in Portuguese or preguntar in Spanish more directly mean “to ask a question” rather than to conduct an investigation.

See also: investigación, indagación, indagação.