rayar

Old Occitan

Alternative forms

• rajar

Etymology

From Latin radiāre. Gallo-Romance cognate with Old French raier.

Verb

rayar

1. (usually of the Sun) to shine; to emit light

Related terms

• rai (noun)

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “radiāre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 10: R, page 15 (lists Old Occitan as raiar)

Spanish

Etymology

• From Latin radiāre. Equivalent to rayo +‎ -ar. Doublet of radiar. Cognate with English radiate.
• (drive crazy): Of when a phonograph record (or a compact disc) got scratched (broken record) and repeats the same fragment over and over again.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /raˈʝaɾ/ [raˈʝaɾ]

• IPA^(key): /raˈʝaɾ/ [raˈʝaɾ] (everywhere but Pampas and southern Argentina, Uruguay, northern Mexico, Yucatán and Central America (except Panama))
• IPA^(key): /raˈʃaɾ/ [raˈʃaɾ] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /raˈʒaɾ/ [raˈʒaɾ] (elsewhere in Pampas and southern Argentina, Uruguay)
• IPA^(key): /raˈjaɾ/ [raˈjaɾ] (northern Mexico, Yucatán, Central America (except Panama))

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: ra‧yar
• Homophone: (ll-y neutralization) rallar

Verb

rayar (first-person singular present rayo, first-person singular preterite rayé, past participle rayado)

1. to scratch, gouge

   Synonym: rascar

2. to line, mark
3. to verge (on)
4. (reflexive, colloquial) to drive crazy, to go crazy, to freak out (to annoy or irritate, cause someone to become insane)

Conjugation

    Conjugation of rayar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			rayar
gerund			rayando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		rayado		rayada
		plural		rayados		rayadas
		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	rayo	rayastú rayásvos	raya	rayamos	rayáis	rayan
	imperfect	rayaba	rayabas	rayaba	rayábamos	rayabais	rayaban
	preterite	rayé	rayaste	rayó	rayamos	rayasteis	rayaron
	future	rayaré	rayarás	rayará	rayaremos	rayaréis	rayarán
	conditional	rayaría	rayarías	rayaría	rayaríamos	rayaríais	rayarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	raye	rayestú rayésvos2	raye	rayemos	rayéis	rayen
	imperfect (ra)	rayara	rayaras	rayara	rayáramos	rayarais	rayaran
	imperfect (se)	rayase	rayases	rayase	rayásemos	rayaseis	rayasen
	future1	rayare	rayares	rayare	rayáremos	rayareis	rayaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		rayatú rayávos	raye	rayemos	rayad	rayen
	negative		no rayes	no raye	no rayemos	no rayéis	no rayen

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

    Selected combined forms of rayar

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 rayar	dative	rayarme	rayarte	rayarle, rayarse	rayarnos	rayaros	rayarles, rayarse
	accusative	rayarme	rayarte	rayarlo, rayarla, rayarse	rayarnos	rayaros	rayarlos, rayarlas, rayarse
with gerund rayando	dative	rayándome	rayándote	rayándole, rayándose	rayándonos	rayándoos	rayándoles, rayándose
	accusative	rayándome	rayándote	rayándolo, rayándola, rayándose	rayándonos	rayándoos	rayándolos, rayándolas, rayándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative raya	dative	ráyame	ráyate	ráyale	ráyanos	not used	ráyales
	accusative	ráyame	ráyate	ráyalo, ráyala	ráyanos	not used	ráyalos, ráyalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative rayá	dative	rayame	rayate	rayale	rayanos	not used	rayales
	accusative	rayame	rayate	rayalo, rayala	rayanos	not used	rayalos, rayalas
with formal second-person singular imperative raye	dative	ráyeme	not used	ráyele, ráyese	ráyenos	not used	ráyeles
	accusative	ráyeme	not used	ráyelo, ráyela, ráyese	ráyenos	not used	ráyelos, ráyelas
with first-person plural imperative rayemos	dative	not used	rayémoste	rayémosle	rayémonos	rayémoos	rayémosles
	accusative	not used	rayémoste	rayémoslo, rayémosla	rayémonos	rayémoos	rayémoslos, rayémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative rayad	dative	rayadme	not used	rayadle	rayadnos	rayaos	rayadles
	accusative	rayadme	not used	rayadlo, rayadla	rayadnos	rayaos	rayadlos, rayadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative rayen	dative	ráyenme	not used	ráyenle	ráyennos	not used	ráyenles, ráyense
	accusative	ráyenme	not used	ráyenlo, ráyenla	ráyennos	not used	ráyenlos, ráyenlas, ráyense

Derived terms

• rayar la luz de la razón

Related terms

• raya
• rayo
• subrayar

See also

• raer
• rasguñar

Further reading

• “rayar”, 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