tragar
verbo transitivo
1 [+comida, bebida] to swallow
un poco de agua te ayudará a tragar la pastilla the tablet will be easier to swallow with a little water; nunca he visto a nadie tragar tanta comida I've never seen anyone put away so much food (familiar); le molesta la garganta al tragar saliva her throat bothers her when she swallows hard
me insultó, pero tragué saliva por respeto a su padre he insulted me, but I bit my tongue out of respect for his father
2 (absorber) to soak up
esta tierra traga el agua rápidamente this ground soaks the water up very quickly
3 (gastar) to use
este coche traga mucha gasolina this car uses a lot of petrol o guzzles (familiar) petrol
verbo pronominal
tragarse1 [+comida, bebida] to swallow
se lo tragó entero he swallowed it whole; el perro se ha tragado un hueso the dog has swallowed a bone; eso me lo trago en dos minutos I could put that away in no time (familiar)
3 [+teléfono, máquina] to swallow
la máquina del café se me ha tragado todas las monedas the coffee machine has swallowed all my change
4 (aguantar) [+insultos, reprimenda] to put up with
tuvo que tragarse las amenazas de su jefe he had to put up with his boss's threats; siempre tengo que tragarme los problemas de los demás I always have to sit and listen to other people's problems; pone la tele y se traga todo lo que le echen he puts the TV on and watches anything that's on