completar

Completar is a verb used in Spanish and Portuguese with several related meanings centered on finishing, filling in, or making something whole. It can refer to completing a task, filling out a form, or reaching a required amount or age. In technical contexts, it can denote the process of constructing a completion of a structure, such as a space or a dataset.

Etymology and cognates: Completar derives from the Latin completare, formed from com- (together) and plere (to fill). Related forms appear in many Romance languages, such as French completer and Italian completare.

Portuguese usage: In Portuguese, completar is a regular -ar verb used transitively with a direct object. It commonly means to finish something, to turn a person’s age, or to fill in information: "vou completar 30 anos," "completar o relatório," or "completar um formulário." The language distinguishes between the participle completo (adjective) and completado (past participle in some constructions), and uses completando for the gerund.

Spanish usage: In Spanish, completar also means to finish or fill in. It is used with tasks, forms, or data: "completar un formulario," "completar la tarea." It can imply fulfilling all steps or requirements. Note that although related, cumplir is a separate verb that more often conveys fulfilling duties, obligations, or birthdays.

Other uses: In mathematics and logic, completación or completion describes the process of constructing a complete object from a given one, such as completing a metric space. In everyday language, completar frequently connotes adding the final details needed to make something whole or precise.