postergar

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin postergāre, from Latin post (“after”) + tergum (“back, back side”).

Verb

postergar (first-person singular present postergo, first-person singular preterite posterguí, past participle postergat)(transitive)

1. to postpone, defer (to delay or put off an event for later)

   Synonym: posposar

2. to pass over (to disregard someone)
   • 1982, Lluís Solé i Sabarís, La vida atzarosa del geòleg barceloní Carles de Gimbernat (1768-1834):

     El seu pare, vell i decrèpit es veu postergat per enveges professionals i acusat d'afrancesat.

     His father, old and decrepit, sees himself being passed over due to professional grudges and accusations of being an afrancesado.

Conjugation

    Conjugation of postergar (first conjugation, g-gu alternation)

infinitive			postergar
gerund			postergant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		postergat		postergada
		plural		postergats		postergades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	postergo	postergues	posterga	posterguem	postergueu	posterguen
	imperfect	postergava	postergaves	postergava	postergàvem	postergàveu	postergaven
	future	postergaré	postergaràs	postergarà	postergarem	postergareu	postergaran
	preterite	posterguí	postergares	postergà	postergàrem	postergàreu	postergaren
	conditional	postergaria	postergaries	postergaria	postergaríem	postergaríeu	postergarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	postergui	posterguis	postergui	posterguem	postergueu	posterguin
	imperfect	postergués	posterguessis	postergués	posterguéssim	posterguéssiu	posterguessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	posterga	postergui	posterguem	postergueu	posterguin
	negative (no)	—	no posterguis	no postergui	no posterguem	no postergueu	no posterguin

Derived terms

• postergable
• postergació

Further reading

• “postergar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin postergāre, from Latin post (“after”) + tergum (“back, back side”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pos.teʁˈɡa(ʁ)/ [pos.teɦˈɡa(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pos.teʁˈɡa(ʁ)/ [pos.teɦˈɡa(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /pos.teɾˈɡa(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /poʃ.teʁˈɡa(ʁ)/ [poʃ.teʁˈɡa(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /pos.teɻˈɡa(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /puʃ.tɨɾˈɡaɾ/ [puʃ.tɨɾˈɣaɾ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /puʃ.tɨɾˈɡaɾ/ [puʃ.tɨɾˈɣaɾ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /puʃ.tɨɾˈɡa.ɾi/ [puʃ.tɨɾˈɣa.ɾi]

Verb

postergar (first-person singular present postergo, first-person singular preterite posterguei, past participle postergado)

1. to postpone (to delay or put off an event for later)

   Synonyms: procrastinar, protelar, adiar

Conjugation

    Conjugation of postergar (g-gu alternation) (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	postergar
Personal	postergar	postergares	postergar	postergarmos	postergardes	postergarem
Gerund
	postergando
Past participle
Masculine	postergado			postergados
Feminine	postergada			postergadas
Indicative
Present	postergo	postergas	posterga	postergamos	postergais	postergam
Imperfect	postergava	postergavas	postergava	postergávamos	postergáveis	postergavam
Preterite	posterguei	postergaste	postergou	postergamos1, postergámos2	postergastes	postergaram
Pluperfect	postergara	postergaras	postergara	postergáramos	postergáreis	postergaram
Future	postergarei	postergarás	postergará	postergaremos	postergareis	postergarão
Conditional	postergaria	postergarias	postergaria	postergaríamos	postergaríeis	postergariam
Subjunctive
Present	postergue	postergues	postergue	posterguemos	postergueis	posterguem
Imperfect	postergasse	postergasses	postergasse	postergássemos	postergásseis	postergassem
Future	postergar	postergares	postergar	postergarmos	postergardes	postergarem
Imperative
Affirmative		posterga	postergue	posterguemos	postergai	posterguem
Negative (não)		não postergues	não postergue	não posterguemos	não postergueis	não posterguem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin postergāre, from Latin post (“after”) + tergum (“back, back side”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /posteɾˈɡaɾ/ [pos.t̪eɾˈɣ̞aɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: pos‧ter‧gar

Verb

postergar (first-person singular present postergo, first-person singular preterite postergué, past participle postergado)

1. (transitive) to postpone

Conjugation

    Conjugation of postergar (g-gu alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			postergar
gerund			postergando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		postergado		postergada
		plural		postergados		postergadas
		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	postergo	postergastú postergásvos	posterga	postergamos	postergáis	postergan
	imperfect	postergaba	postergabas	postergaba	postergábamos	postergabais	postergaban
	preterite	postergué	postergaste	postergó	postergamos	postergasteis	postergaron
	future	postergaré	postergarás	postergará	postergaremos	postergaréis	postergarán
	conditional	postergaría	postergarías	postergaría	postergaríamos	postergaríais	postergarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	postergue	posterguestú posterguésvos2	postergue	posterguemos	posterguéis	posterguen
	imperfect (ra)	postergara	postergaras	postergara	postergáramos	postergarais	postergaran
	imperfect (se)	postergase	postergases	postergase	postergásemos	postergaseis	postergasen
	future1	postergare	postergares	postergare	postergáremos	postergareis	postergaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		postergatú postergávos	postergue	posterguemos	postergad	posterguen
	negative		no postergues	no postergue	no posterguemos	no posterguéis	no posterguen

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

    Selected combined forms of postergar (g-gu alternation)

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 postergar	dative	postergarme	postergarte	postergarle, postergarse	postergarnos	postergaros	postergarles, postergarse
	accusative	postergarme	postergarte	postergarlo, postergarla, postergarse	postergarnos	postergaros	postergarlos, postergarlas, postergarse
with gerund postergando	dative	postergándome	postergándote	postergándole, postergándose	postergándonos	postergándoos	postergándoles, postergándose
	accusative	postergándome	postergándote	postergándolo, postergándola, postergándose	postergándonos	postergándoos	postergándolos, postergándolas, postergándose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative posterga	dative	postérgame	postérgate	postérgale	postérganos	not used	postérgales
	accusative	postérgame	postérgate	postérgalo, postérgala	postérganos	not used	postérgalos, postérgalas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative postergá	dative	postergame	postergate	postergale	posterganos	not used	postergales
	accusative	postergame	postergate	postergalo, postergala	posterganos	not used	postergalos, postergalas
with formal second-person singular imperative postergue	dative	postérgueme	not used	postérguele, postérguese	postérguenos	not used	postérgueles
	accusative	postérgueme	not used	postérguelo, postérguela, postérguese	postérguenos	not used	postérguelos, postérguelas
with first-person plural imperative posterguemos	dative	not used	posterguémoste	posterguémosle	posterguémonos	posterguémoos	posterguémosles
	accusative	not used	posterguémoste	posterguémoslo, posterguémosla	posterguémonos	posterguémoos	posterguémoslos, posterguémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative postergad	dative	postergadme	not used	postergadle	postergadnos	postergaos	postergadles
	accusative	postergadme	not used	postergadlo, postergadla	postergadnos	postergaos	postergadlos, postergadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative posterguen	dative	postérguenme	not used	postérguenle	postérguennos	not used	postérguenles, postérguense
	accusative	postérguenme	not used	postérguenlo, postérguenla	postérguennos	not used	postérguenlos, postérguenlas, postérguense

Related terms

• postergación
• tergiversar

 

Further reading

• “postergar”, 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