jalar

Spanish

Etymology

From halar. Compare English haul.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xaˈlaɾ/ [xaˈlaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: ja‧lar

Verb

jalar (first-person singular present jalo, first-person singular preterite jalé, past participle jalado)

1. (transitive) to pull

   Synonym: halar

2. (transitive, familiar) to draw (in); to attract

   El circo jala a todos los hijos del pueblo.

   The circus draws all the town's children.

   Las dramatizaciones lo jalan.

   The plays appeal to him.

3. (transitive, familiar) to eat with great appetite
4. (intransitive) to pull (together)
5. (intransitive, familiar) to hurry along; to get along
6. (intransitive, Mexico, familiar) to function properly; to be in working order
7. (intransitive, Mexico) to work, to have a job
8. (Peru, transitive) to fail (an exam, a subject or an academic year at school or university)

   Asu mano, jalé tres cursos este ciclo, weón.

   Jeez man, I've failed three subjects this semester, bro

   Ojalá no jale el examen de mañana.

   I hope I don't fail tomorrow's exam

9. (transitive, Mexico, vulgar, slang, reflexive, often with la, of a man) to masturbate

Conjugation

infinitive			jalar
gerund			jalando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		jalado		jalada
		plural		jalados		jaladas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	jalo	jalastú jalásvos	jala	jalamos	jaláis	jalan
	imperfect	jalaba	jalabas	jalaba	jalábamos	jalabais	jalaban
	preterite	jalé	jalaste	jaló	jalamos	jalasteis	jalaron
	future	jalaré	jalarás	jalará	jalaremos	jalaréis	jalarán
	conditional	jalaría	jalarías	jalaría	jalaríamos	jalaríais	jalarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	jale	jalestú jalésvos2	jale	jalemos	jaléis	jalen
	imperfect (ra)	jalara	jalaras	jalara	jaláramos	jalarais	jalaran
	imperfect (se)	jalase	jalases	jalase	jalásemos	jalaseis	jalasen
	future1	jalare	jalares	jalare	jaláremos	jalareis	jalaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		jalatú jalávos	jale	jalemos	jalad	jalen
	negative		no jales	no jale	no jalemos	no jaléis	no jalen

    Conjugation of jalar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive jalar	dative	jalarme	jalarte	jalarle, jalarse	jalarnos	jalaros	jalarles, jalarse
	accusative	jalarme	jalarte	jalarlo, jalarla, jalarse	jalarnos	jalaros	jalarlos, jalarlas, jalarse
with gerund jalando	dative	jalándome	jalándote	jalándole, jalándose	jalándonos	jalándoos	jalándoles, jalándose
	accusative	jalándome	jalándote	jalándolo, jalándola, jalándose	jalándonos	jalándoos	jalándolos, jalándolas, jalándose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative jala	dative	jálame	jálate	jálale	jálanos	not used	jálales
	accusative	jálame	jálate	jálalo, jálala	jálanos	not used	jálalos, jálalas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative jalá	dative	jalame	jalate	jalale	jalanos	not used	jalales
	accusative	jalame	jalate	jalalo, jalala	jalanos	not used	jalalos, jalalas
with formal second-person singular imperative jale	dative	jáleme	not used	jálele, jálese	jálenos	not used	jáleles
	accusative	jáleme	not used	jálelo, jálela, jálese	jálenos	not used	jálelos, jálelas
with first-person plural imperative jalemos	dative	not used	jalémoste	jalémosle	jalémonos	jalémoos	jalémosles
	accusative	not used	jalémoste	jalémoslo, jalémosla	jalémonos	jalémoos	jalémoslos, jalémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative jalad	dative	jaladme	not used	jaladle	jaladnos	jalaos	jaladles
	accusative	jaladme	not used	jaladlo, jaladla	jaladnos	jalaos	jaladlos, jaladlas
with formal second-person plural imperative jalen	dative	jálenme	not used	jálenle	jálennos	not used	jálenles, jálense
	accusative	jálenme	not used	jálenlo, jálenla	jálennos	not used	jálenlos, jálenlas, jálense

    Selected combined forms of jalar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

Derived terms

• jalar el ganso

Further reading

• “jalar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
• “jalar”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010