Verbs Meaning 'To Introduce'

The verbs introducir and presentar are sometimes confused by Spanish students, not because their meanings are identical but because they can both be translated as "to introduce."

If you're introducing a person to another, use the verb presentar:

• Me gustaría presentarme. I would like to introduce myself.
• Quiero presentarte a mi amigo. I want to introduce you to my friend.
• No me presentaron a nadie. They didn't introduce me to anyone.

Presentar can be used similarly to introduce something to someone: Quiero presentarles un videoblog sobre mi viaje a Tallangatta. I want to introduce you to a videoblog about my trip to Tallangatta.

It may be no surprise that in the above examples, presentar can usually be translated by "to present" as well.

When "to introduce" means roughly "to insert" or "to institute," introducir is often used as a translation:

• Los países que introdujeron las reformas más radicales parecían beneficiarse más de las mismas. The countries that introduced the most radical reforms seemed to benefit the most from them.
• Introdujo la medicina homeopática en México. He introduced homeopathic medicine in Mexico.
• La compañía introdujo el primer equipo estéreo. The company introduced the first stereo sound system.

Note that introducir is conjugated irregularly, following the same pattern as conducir.