What’s the difference between manifestar and demostrar?
Just here for the exercises? Click here.Introduction
The verbs manifestar and demostrar can be confusing for English speakers because they are false friends. Although they look similar to certain English words, they actually have different meanings: manifestar can be translated as express, and its reflexive form manifestarse can be translated as protest or demonstrate. Confusingly, demostrar is translated as prove. Learn to use these tricky words correctly with Lingolia’s quick and easy examples, then test your knowledge in the exercises.
Pablo ha pasado los últimos cuatro años preaparando su tesis sobre lenguas muertas. Ha hecho mucha investigación y ha escrito varios artículos. Él, junto a su profesora de antropología, quería demostrar que había descubierto una lengua de una tribu que nadie más conocía.
Hace unos días, salió en las noticias la ministra de educación anunciando recortes en las ayudas económicas a los departamentos de lingüística. Para mostrar su disconformidad, los estudiantes de la facultad de Pablo y de otras universidades del país han organizado una manifestación que saldrá de la Plaza del Sol el jueves a las once.
demostrar
- The verb demostrar can be translated as prove: it means to show the validity of something.
- Example:
- Pablo demostró con su investigación la existencia de una lengua muerta hasta entonces desconocida.With his investigation Pablo proved the existence of a previously unknown dead language.
- Word family:
- Noun: demostración. This is the Spanish equivalent of a proof (of a theory). This is typically used in scientific contexts to talk about proving a theory or concept through facts or experiments.
- Example:
- La demostración se realizó en un laboratorio de Ginebra.The proof happened in a lab in Geneva.
- Noun: demostración. This is the Spanish equivalent of a proof (of a theory). This is typically used in scientific contexts to talk about proving a theory or concept through facts or experiments.
manifestar
- The verb manifestar can be translated into English as express. It refers to the expression of an idea, fact or opinion.
- Example:
- Los estudiantes manifestaron su desacuerdo desde el primer momento.The students expressed their disagreement from the first moment.
- Word family:
- Reflexive verb: manifestarse (to protest/to demonstrate). The act of complaining publicly about something together with others who share the same opinion;
- Noun: manifestación (a protest/a demonstration). The act of coming together to publicly complain (taking to the streets, striking etc.)
- Noun: manifestante (a protester). The person who participates in a protest.
- Examples:
- Los estudiantes de las facultades de lingüística de todo el país se manifestaron en las plazas contra las medidas del Ministerio de Educación.Students from linguistics faculties all over the country protested in squares against the measures of the Ministry of Education.
- La manifestación dio comienzo a las 12 del medio día.The protest started at 12 in the afternoon.
- Algunos medios estimaron una participación de más de 100.000 manifestantes.Some publications estimate a turnout of more than 100,000 protesters.
False Friends
The verbs demostrar and manifestar resemble the English words demonstrate and manifest, however they have different meanings. We refer to such words as false friends.
- Example:
- There was an anti-Brexit demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament. → Había una manifestación contra el Brexit frente a las cámaras del Parlamento.
- not:
Había una demostración contra el Brexit - Los científicos demostraron la eficacia del medicamento en pacientes con Alzheimer. → The scientists proved the drug’s efficacy on Alzheimer patients.
- not:
The scientists demonstrated the drug’s efficacy
To translate demonstrate and manifest into Spanish we use the words mostrar and expresar respectively.
