rajar

Catalan

Etymology

From Old Catalan, from Latin radiāre. Doublet of radiar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [rəˈʒa]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [raˈd͡ʒaɾ]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [raˈʒa]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Verb

rajar (first-person singular present rajo, first-person singular preterite ragí, past participle rajat)

1. (intransitive) to flow, to stream

Conjugation

    Central Catalan conjugation of rajar (first conjugation, j-g alternation)

infinitive			rajar
gerund			rajant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		rajat		rajada
		plural		rajats		rajades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	rajo	rages	raja	ragem	rageu	ragen
	imperfect	rajava	rajaves	rajava	rajàvem	rajàveu	rajaven
	future	rajaré	rajaràs	rajarà	rajarem	rajareu	rajaran
	preterite	ragí	rajares	rajà	rajàrem	rajàreu	rajaren
	conditional	rajaria	rajaries	rajaria	rajaríem	rajaríeu	rajarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	ragi	ragis	ragi	ragem	rageu	ragin
	imperfect	ragés	ragessis	ragés	ragéssim	ragéssiu	ragessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	raja	ragi	ragem	rageu	ragin
	negative (no)	—	no ragis	no ragi	no ragem	no rageu	no ragin

Derived terms

• rajada

Related terms

• raig

Further reading

• “rajar”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “rajar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “rajar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “rajar”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Spanish

Etymology

Cross of rachar + ajar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /raˈxaɾ/ [raˈxaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: ra‧jar

Verb

rajar (first-person singular present rajo, first-person singular preterite rajé, past participle rajado)

1. to split, to rip, to tear, to slit
2. to stab
3. (colloquial) to sound off, mouth off
4. (colloquial) to snitch, denounce
5. (reflexive, colloquial) to back down, chicken out
6. (reflexive, colloquial) to evade, elude (from a fight, discussion, confrontation, etc.)

Conjugation

    Conjugation of rajar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			rajar
gerund			rajando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		rajado		rajada
		plural		rajados		rajadas
		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	rajo	rajastú rajásvos	raja	rajamos	rajáis	rajan
	imperfect	rajaba	rajabas	rajaba	rajábamos	rajabais	rajaban
	preterite	rajé	rajaste	rajó	rajamos	rajasteis	rajaron
	future	rajaré	rajarás	rajará	rajaremos	rajaréis	rajarán
	conditional	rajaría	rajarías	rajaría	rajaríamos	rajaríais	rajarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	raje	rajestú rajésvos2	raje	rajemos	rajéis	rajen
	imperfect (ra)	rajara	rajaras	rajara	rajáramos	rajarais	rajaran
	imperfect (se)	rajase	rajases	rajase	rajásemos	rajaseis	rajasen
	future1	rajare	rajares	rajare	rajáremos	rajareis	rajaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		rajatú rajávos	raje	rajemos	rajad	rajen
	negative		no rajes	no raje	no rajemos	no rajéis	no rajen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of rajar

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

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive rajar	dative	rajarme	rajarte	rajarle, rajarse	rajarnos	rajaros	rajarles, rajarse
	accusative	rajarme	rajarte	rajarlo, rajarla, rajarse	rajarnos	rajaros	rajarlos, rajarlas, rajarse
with gerund rajando	dative	rajándome	rajándote	rajándole, rajándose	rajándonos	rajándoos	rajándoles, rajándose
	accusative	rajándome	rajándote	rajándolo, rajándola, rajándose	rajándonos	rajándoos	rajándolos, rajándolas, rajándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative raja	dative	rájame	rájate	rájale	rájanos	not used	rájales
	accusative	rájame	rájate	rájalo, rájala	rájanos	not used	rájalos, rájalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative rajá	dative	rajame	rajate	rajale	rajanos	not used	rajales
	accusative	rajame	rajate	rajalo, rajala	rajanos	not used	rajalos, rajalas
with formal second-person singular imperative raje	dative	rájeme	not used	rájele, rájese	rájenos	not used	rájeles
	accusative	rájeme	not used	rájelo, rájela, rájese	rájenos	not used	rájelos, rájelas
with first-person plural imperative rajemos	dative	not used	rajémoste	rajémosle	rajémonos	rajémoos	rajémosles
	accusative	not used	rajémoste	rajémoslo, rajémosla	rajémonos	rajémoos	rajémoslos, rajémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative rajad	dative	rajadme	not used	rajadle	rajadnos	rajaos	rajadles
	accusative	rajadme	not used	rajadlo, rajadla	rajadnos	rajaos	rajadlos, rajadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative rajen	dative	rájenme	not used	rájenle	rájennos	not used	rájenles, rájense
	accusative	rájenme	not used	rájenlo, rájenla	rájennos	not used	rájenlos, rájenlas, rájense

Derived terms

• a rompe y raja
• rajadura
• rajón

Descendants

• → Belizean Creole: rompeh raaheh

Further reading

• “rajar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “rajar”, 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