Raise Definition in Spanish | Real Meanings And Examples

In Spanish, “raise” can mean levantar, subir, aumentar, criar, or recaudar, picked by what goes up, grows, or gets collected.

You see “raise” and your brain wants one Spanish word. Spanish won’t play that way. English uses one verb for a bunch of moves: lifting an arm, boosting prices, bringing up a topic, raising kids, collecting money, even promoting someone. Spanish splits those into clean, specific verbs. Once you tie “raise” to the thing being raised, the right Spanish choice shows up fast.

This article gives you a clear map: what Spanish verb fits each meaning, how to spot the object that “raise” acts on, and the phrases that trip learners up. You’ll get short, usable patterns you can steal for writing, speaking, and translating.

Why Context Changes The Spanish Verb

English “raise” is a transitive verb. It needs an object: raise your hand, raise prices, raise a question. Spanish does the same in most cases, yet the verb changes with the category of object.

Start by asking one plain question: “What is being raised?” Your answer usually lands in one of these buckets: a body part or object moving upward, a number going up, a topic being brought up, a child or animal being raised, or money being collected. Each bucket points to a different Spanish verb family.

Raise Definition in Spanish With Real Context

Below are the Spanish verbs that match “raise,” grouped by meaning. You don’t need every option in every situation. You need the one that matches what “raise” is doing in your sentence.

Raise As Lift Or Move Up: Levantar, Alzar, Subir

When “raise” means lifting something physically, levantar is a steady first pick. It covers raising a hand, lifting a box, or raising a barrier. It’s the verb you’ll hear in daily speech and see in clear, direct writing.

Alzar can work in similar cases, with a tone that can feel a bit more formal in some contexts. Subir is common when the action feels like “make it higher” or “move it up,” like raising a blind or pulling up a zipper. The RAE definition of subir includes “making something reach a higher level,” which lines up with many “raise” sentences.

Quick Patterns For Physical Lifting

• Raise your hand → Levanta la mano.
• Raise the glass → Levanta el vaso.
• Raise the flag → Sube la bandera.
• Raise the curtain → Sube el telón.

One small trap: English sometimes uses “raise” where Spanish prefers a reflexive verb or a different frame. “Raise yourself up” is often “levantarte” or “ponerte de pie,” depending on the motion. Keep your eye on whether the thing going up is “it” or “you.”

Raise As Increase A Number: Subir, Aumentar, Elevar

When “raise” means increasing something measurable, Spanish often leans on “subir.” That includes prices, volume, temperature, taxes, fees, rates, and limits. This is why “raise the volume” is so often “subir el volumen.”

Aumentar is another clean option, especially in writing. Elevar can fit when the tone is more formal, like elevating risk or elevating a figure in a report. If you want one everyday default for “raise prices,” use “subir los precios.”

Quick Patterns For Increases

• Raise prices → Subir los precios.
• Raise the volume → Subir el volumen.
• Raise the limit → Aumentar el límite.
• Raise taxes → Subir los impuestos.

For salary, both “subir el sueldo” and “aumentar el sueldo” show up. In many workplaces you’ll hear “subida de sueldo” for “a raise” (noun). Context decides which sounds natural in your region.

Raise As Bring Up A Topic: Plantear, Mencionar, Sacar

English “raise a question” or “raise an issue” is not about lifting. It’s about putting a topic on the table. Spanish usually uses verbs like plantear (to pose), mencionar (to mention), or sacar (to bring up). These are the verbs you want in meetings, emails, and essays.

Try these patterns when you want neutral tone and clear intent:

• Raise a question → Plantear una pregunta.
• Raise an issue → Plantear un tema.
• Raise a concern → Mencionar una inquietud.
• Raise it in the meeting → Sacarlo en la reunión.

“Sacar” is common in casual speech. “Plantear” works well in formal writing. If you translate “raise” as “levantar” here, it can sound off or even bend the meaning.

Raise As Bring Up Children Or Animals: Criar

When “raise” means bringing up children, Spanish goes straight to criar. In many places, “criar” is used for children and animals. “Educar” can appear when the point is manners or schooling. “Criar” is the broad verb for raising kids day to day.

• She raised three children → Crió a tres hijos.
• They raise chickens → Crían gallinas.

Notice the accent shift in the past tense: “criar” becomes “crió” in the third person singular preterite. That little accent carries a lot of meaning, so it’s worth drilling.

Raise As Collect Money: Recaudar

For fundraising, “raise money” is “recaudar dinero.” This verb points to collecting funds for a cause, a project, or a bill. You’ll see it in news and nonprofit writing, and you’ll hear it in everyday talk around school events.

• Raise funds → Recaudar fondos.
• Raise money for charity → Recaudar dinero para una causa benéfica.

“Juntar dinero” can work in casual speech, like pooling money with friends. “Recaudar” fits better when the money is collected in an organized way.

Raise Definition In Spanish For Daily Situations

Here’s a practical way to choose the verb in seconds. Match your English sentence to the situation, then steal the Spanish pattern. If you can swap “raise” with “lift,” go with levantar or subir. If you can swap it with “increase,” go with subir, aumentar, or elevar. If you can swap it with “bring up,” go with plantear, mencionar, or sacar. If you can swap it with “bring up kids,” go with criar. If you can swap it with “collect,” go with recaudar.

Spanish also has set phrases where English “raise” hides inside a noun. “Get a raise” is often “recibir un aumento” or “tener un aumento.” “Raise your voice” is “levantar la voz.” “Raise your glass” is “levantar la copa.” These chunks are worth learning whole, since they show up in real speech.

Common Meanings Of “Raise” And The Spanish Verbs That Fit

The table below compresses the most frequent meanings into a fast reference. Use it when you’re translating, writing a caption, or trying to pick a verb on the fly.

English Use Of “Raise”	Spanish Verb Choice	Natural Spanish Pattern
Raise your hand	levantar	Levanta la mano.
Raise a flag / curtain	subir	Sube la bandera / el telón.
Raise prices	subir	Subir los precios.
Raise the volume	subir	Sube el volumen.
Raise salaries	subir / aumentar	Subir el sueldo / Aumentar el sueldo.
Raise a question	plantear	Plantear una pregunta.
Raise an issue	plantear / sacar	Plantear un tema / Sacar el tema.
Raise children	criar	Criar a los hijos.
Raise animals	criar	Criar ganado / Criar gallinas.
Raise money	recaudar	Recaudar fondos.

How To Avoid The Most Common Translation Errors

A lot of “raise” mistakes come from picking one Spanish verb and forcing it everywhere. A second batch comes from missing the object and choosing a verb that needs a different object. These quick checks keep you out of trouble.

Check The Object First

English can hide the object with a pronoun: “Raise it.” Spanish can’t. You need to know what “it” is. If it’s a number, “subirlo” or “aumentarlo” makes sense. If it’s a hand, “levántala.” If it’s a topic, “sácalo” or “plántéalo.” If you don’t know what “it” is, your translation will wobble.

Separate “Raise” From “Rise”

English learners mix these all the time: “The price raised” instead of “The price rose.” Spanish solves this by using different structures. A price rising is “subir” intransitively: “Los precios suben.” A person raising prices is transitive: “El banco sube los intereses,” as the RAE entry for subir shows in its usage notes.

Cambridge’s bilingual entry also flags that “raise” takes an object, which helps you spot when English wants “rise” instead. See Cambridge’s raise translation for that grammar cue and common senses.

Watch Collocations That Stay Fixed

Some English phrases sound normal with “raise,” yet Spanish has its own fixed chunk. “Raise your voice” is “levantar la voz,” not “subir la voz” in many contexts. “Raise a glass” leans on “levantar.” “Raise awareness” is often “crear conciencia” or “aumentar la conciencia,” depending on the sentence. Don’t chase word-for-word moves when Spanish already has a standard phrase.

Quick Choice Table For Writing And Speaking

Use this second table when you’re mid-sentence and you need a fast decision. It’s built around the question you can ask yourself in one breath: “What am I raising?”

What You’re Raising	Best Verb Family	Fast Self-Check
Something you can lift	levantar / alzar	Can you replace it with “lift”?
A setting or level	subir	Does it behave like volume, heat, or a slider?
A number in a policy or bill	subir / aumentar / elevar	Does it read like an increase on paper?
A topic in a talk or email	plantear / mencionar / sacar	Is the action “bring up”?
Kids, pets, livestock	criar	Is the meaning “bring up” over years?
Money for a cause	recaudar / juntar	Is the action “collect funds”?

Mini Cheat Sheet You Can Save

If you want one compact set of lines to memorize, use these. They cover a big share of real usage.

• Raise your hand → Levanta la mano.
• Raise the price → Sube el precio.
• Raise the volume → Sube el volumen.
• Raise a question → Plantea una pregunta.
• Raise the topic → Saca el tema.
• Raise children → Cría a los niños.
• Raise money → Recauda fondos.

One last tip: when you learn a new “raise” meaning, learn one full Spanish sentence with it. Your brain stores the verb choice with the object. That beats memorizing a list of translations with no hook.