pesar

Senses

1. 1.

   to weigh

   to determine the weight of something on a scale

2. 2.

   to weigh (figuratively)

   to consider carefully; to have significance or influence

3. 3.

   to grieve; to sadden

   to cause sorrow or regret (usually with indirect object: 'me pesa')

Examples

• "Voy a pesar el equipaje antes de subirlo al avión."

  I'm going to weigh the luggage before loading it on the plane.

• "Sus palabras pesaron mucho en mi decisión."

  His words carried considerable weight in my decision.

• "Me pesa haber llegado tarde a la reunión."

  I regret having arrived late to the meeting.

Usage

*Pesar* as a verb has both transitive (weigh, consider) and impersonal uses. The construction "me/te/le pesa" (it grieves/pains me/you/him) is idiomatic and very common in Spanish. Note the prepositional phrase *a pesar de* (in spite of, despite) which is a fixed expression derived from the noun *pesar* (sorrow, grief).