For some students, it has been an “aha” moment.

As someone who has helped hundreds of people understand these verbs, I know that they are a headache at first. I think one of the problems is that when they are taught, they are taught without any connection or relation to your native language.

If your native language is English, Spanish reflexive verbs probably feel strange at first… but they can also feel surprisingly familiar if you look at them from the right angle.

Here’s the key idea:

Many Spanish reflexive verbs work very similarly to get in English.

In this post you’ll learn:

• What reflexive verbs really are (without heavy grammar)

• How they connect to get in English

• Lots of exercises to help everything click

What is a reflexive verb?

A reflexive verb in Spanish uses a reflexive pronoun. The reflexive pronouns are:

• me

• te

• se

• nos

• os

• se

Examples:

• levantarse → me levanto (I get up)

• vestirse → me visto (I get dressed)

• sentirse → me siento bien (I feel good)

As you can see, these verbs have “se” at the end. That “se” indicates that they are reflexive verbs. And that ‘se’ will change depending on the subject of the sentence. If the subject of the sentence is “yo” (I), the reflexive pronoun will be “me”; if it is “tú” (you), it will be “te”, etc. You can see it in full in the table below:

Note that the verb levantar is conjugated normally: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The added bonus of its conjugation is that we add the reflexive pronoun before it (me, te, se, nos, os, se). Remember, too, that personal pronoun (yo, tú, él/ella, etc.)s are not mandatory in Spanish. We saw all of this in our lesson on the present tense.

Now, let’s think in English terms.

The key connection: get in English

In English, we often use get to express changes of state:

• I get tired

• I get dressed

• I get angry

• I get ready

Spanish often expresses the same ideas with reflexive verbs:

• I get tired → me canso

• I get dressed → me visto

• I get angry → me enfado / me enojo

• I get ready → me preparo

Helpful mental shortcut:

If you can say get + adjective / participle in English, Spanish will often use a reflexive verb.

This is not a perfect rule, but it works remarkably well.

Reflexive vs non‑reflexive verbs (same verb, different meaning)

This is one of the most important ideas to understand reflexive verbs, and also one of the easiest once you see the pattern.

Many Spanish verbs exist in two versions:

• a non‑reflexive version (no pronoun)

• a reflexive version (with me, te, se…)

The difference is usually about focus or change of state.

Non‑reflexive verb: the action itself

The verb simply describes what you do.

• cepillar – to brush (something)

• levantar – to lift / raise (something or someone)

• dormir – to sleep

• sentar – to seat someone

Examples:

• Cepillo el pelo de mi hija – I brush my daughter’s hair

• Levanto peso en el gimnasio – I lift weights at the gym

• Duermo a mis hijos con música – I put my children to sleep with music

• Siento al niño en la silla – I sit the boy in the chair.

Reflexive verb: the action affects you

The reflexive form focuses on your personal experience or a change.

• cepillarse – to brush yourself

• levantarse – to get up

• dormirse – to fall asleep

• sentarse – to sit down

Examples:

• Me cepillo el pelo – I brush my hair

• Me levanto a las siete – I get up at seven

• Me duermo rápido – I fall asleep quickly

• Me siento en la silla – I sit down on the chair.

Comparing normal verbs with reflexive verbs is a good way to better understand the latter.

Now let’s see where we should place the reflexive pronoun.

Pronoun position

You can place the pronoun in different positions depending on the verb form.

Both options are correct:

1. Before the conjugated verb:

   Me levanto temprano. (I get up early.)

2. Attached to the infinitive, gerund or imperative:

• Voy a levantarme temprano (infinitive). (I am going to get up early).

• Estoy relajándome (gerund). (I am relaxing).

• Dame agua (imperative). (Give me water).

What is an infinitive, gerund, or imperative?

• Infinitive: the base form of the verb (to eat, to go → comer, ir).

• Gerund: the “-ing” form (eating, going → comiendo, yendo).

• Imperative: the command form (eat!, go! → come!, ve!).

Common reflexive verbs

Here is a list of very common reflexive verbs. You don’t need to memorize them all at once. Exposure and practice will do the work.

• acostarse – to go to bed

• acostumbrarse – to get used to

• afeitarse – to shave

• alegrarse – to be happy / to be glad

• bañarse – to take a bath

• cansarse – to get tired

• ducharse – to take a shower

• despertarse – to wake up

• enfadarse / enojarse – to get angry

• equivocarse – to make a mistake

• irse – to leave

• lavarse – to wash (oneself)

• levantarse – to get up

• maquillarse – to put on makeup

• preocuparse – to worry

• prepararse – to get ready

• quedarse – to stay

• relajarse – to relax

• sentarse – to sit down

• sentirse – to feel

• vestirse – to get dressed

✍️Let’s practice!

A. Complete with the correct pronoun. Answers in the footnotes1

1. Yo ___ levanto a las 6.

2. ¿A qué hora ___ despiertas?

3. Nosotros ___ relajamos los domingos.

4. Ella ___ siente muy bien hoy.

5. ¿Ustedes ___ aburren en casa?

6. Yo ___ preparo antes de salir.

7. ¿Tú ___ acuestas tarde?

8. Ellos ___ enfadan con facilidad.

9. Nosotros ___ acostumbramos al horario.

10. ¿Ellos ___ levantan temprano los fines de semana?

11. Yo ___ preocupo mucho por el trabajo.

12. Ella ___ maquilla todas las mañanas.

B. Translate into Spanish. Answers in the footnotes2

1. I get tired after work.

2. I get dressed quickly.

3. We get ready at home.

4. He gets angry very easily.

5. They get used to the schedule.

6. I worry a lot.

7. She sits down near the window.

8. We go to bed late.

9. Do you stay at home today?

10. They make mistakes sometimes.

11. I take a shower in the morning.

12. He feels nervous.

C. Choose the correct form. Answers in the footnotes3

1. Yo siempre ___ el pelo antes de salir. (I always brush my hair before leaving.)
   a) cepillo
   b) me cepillo

2. El padre ___ al niño a las ocho. (The father wakes the child up at eight o’clock.)
   a) levanta
   b) se levanta

3. Normalmente ___ a las siete de la mañana. (I usually get up at seven in the morning.)
   a) levanto
   b) me levanto

4. El bebé ___ muy rápido por la noche. (The baby falls asleep very quickly at night.)
   a) duerme
   b) se duerme

5. Yo ___ a mi padre porque él es muy mayor. (I shave my father because he is very old.)

   a) afeito

   b) se afeita

6. Después de comer, ___ en el sofá. (After eating, I sit down on the sofa.)
   a) siento
   b) me siento

7. Siempre ___ la chaqueta antes de salir. (I always put on my jacket before leaving.)
   a) pongo
   b) me pongo

8. El profesor ___ el libro sobre la mesa. (The teacher places the book on the table.)
   a) coloca
   b) se coloca

9. El camarero ___ a los clientes en la mesa. (The waiter seats the customers at the table.)
   a) sienta
   b) se sienta

10. Yo ___ a mis hijos para ir a la escuela. (I wake my children up to go to school.)

    a) se despiertan

    b) despierto

I hope this lesson has been very useful to you.

Hasta pronto,

Leo

This post is for all Spanish Makes Sense subscribers. If you want to learn Spanish step by step and enjoy the benefits of the Premium plan, I invite you to read the following post: Your Path to Fluency.

Last week we started studying verbs in the present tense. If you haven’t read the previous post, I recommend doing so before reading today’s post, as it builds on the content of the previous one:

As we saw, the present tense is the foundation of Spanish—and of any language. We use it to talk about our routines, preferences, work, plans, and everything that is happening right now.

We can even use the present tense to talk about the future when we add time expressions that refer to the future. For example, we can say “Yo como mañana” (“I’ll eat tomorrow”) without having to say “Yo voy a comer” (“I’m going to eat”).

As you can see, mastering the present tense is essential in Spanish.

Today we will focus on irregular verbs in the present tense. An irregular verb is a verb that does not follow the usual rules when we change it. Most verbs change in a predictable way, like adding the same endings, but irregular verbs are a little different and like to “break the rules.” They’re like the bad boys in the room. They change their form in special ways, so we can’t always guess how they look. That’s why we have to learn them one by one. Think of irregular verbs as words with their own personality: they still mean the same thing, but they change shape in a special way.

Understanding Present-Tense Irregular Verbs

Most “irregular” verbs in the present tense are not random. They follow very clear patterns. In this regard, it is good to consider the following ideas:

• Stem-changing verbs only change in some persons, never in nosotros or vosotros1.

• Many verbs share the same vowel change, which means once you learn the pattern, you unlock dozens of verbs.

• Some verbs are only irregular in the “yo” form — the rest of the verb is perfectly regular.

• Truly “chaotic” verbs are rare. Ir is the main one.

In this sense, it is good to try to notice patterns when studying these verbs. Because that takes some of the work off your memory.

Let’s see now the different stem changes.

1. Stem-changing verbs: e → ie

In these verbs, the “e” changes to “ie.” Except in nosotros and vosotros as we mentioned before.

Other verbs that follow the same pattern are:

• -ar: empezar (to begin / to start), fregar (to scrub / to wash dishes), pensar (to think), regar (to water), cerrar (to close)

• -er: entender (to understand), perder (to lose)

• -ir: mentir (to lie), preferir (to prefer)

Here we also have the verb venir but note that the first person (I) is different:

venir (to come): vengo, vienes, viene, viene, venimos, venís, vienen, vienen

2. Stem-changing verbs: e → i

In these verbs, the “e” changes to “i.”

Other verbs that follow the same pattern are:

• elegir (to choose / to elect)

• conseguir (to get / to obtain)

• freír (to fry)

• medir (to measure)

• reír (to laugh)

• repetir (to repeat)

• seguir (to follow / to continue)

• sonreír (to smile)

Here we also have the verb decir but note that the first person (I) is different:

decir (to say): digo, dices, dice, dice, decimos, decís, dicen, dicen

3. Stem-changing verbs: o / u → ue

Other verbs that follow the same pattern are:

• -ar: comprobar (to check / to verify), contar (to count / to tell), costar (to cost), encontrar (to find), recordar (to remember), sonar (to sound / to ring), volar (to fly)

• -er: morder (to bite), mover (to move), volver (to return / to come back), poder (to be able to / can)

• -ir: morir (to die)

Here we also have the verb oler. Pay attention to how nosotros and vosotros are different:

oler (to smell): huelo, hueles, huele, olemos, oléis, huelen

4. Irregular first person singular (yo)

These verbs are irregular only in the “yo” form.

dar (to give): doy, das, da, damos, dais, dan, dan

traer (to bring): traigo, traes, trae, traemos, traéis, traen, traen

hacer (to do/make): hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen, hacen

saber (to know - skills, information): sé, sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabéis, saben, saben

poner (to put): pongo, pones, pone, ponemos, ponéis, ponen, ponen

conocer (to know - people, places): conozco, conoces, conoce, conocemos, conocéis, conocen, conocen

conducir (to drive)2: conduzco, conduces, conduce, conducimos, conducís, conducen, conducen

• Other verbs that follow the same pattern as conducir are:
  parecer (to seem) and traducir (to translate)

5. Irregular yo + stem change

salir (to leave, to go out): salgo, sales, sale, salimos, salís, salen, salen

6. Irregular in all persons except nosotros / vosotros

huir (to flee): huyo, huyes, huye, huimos, huís, huyen, huyen

Also like huir: construir (to build), destruir (to destroy)

oír (to hear): oigo, oyes, oye, oímos, oís, oyen, oyen

Subscribe now

✍️Let’s practice!

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

A. Stem change: e → ie. Answers in the footnotes.3

1. Yo _______ (querer) aprender español.

2. Tú _______ (pensar) mucho antes de hablar.

3. Ella _______ (preferir) café por la mañana.

4. Nosotros _______ (querer) viajar a España.

5. Vosotros _______ (cerrar) la puerta por la noche.

6. Ellos _______ (entender) la explicación.

7. Yo _______ (empezar) la clase a las ocho.

8. Tú _______ (perder) las llaves otra vez.

9. Él _______ (mentir) a menudo.

10. Nosotros _______ (pensar) en el examen.

11. Vosotras _______ (querer) más tiempo.

12. Ellas _______ (preferir) estudiar solas.

13. Yo _______ (cerrar) el libro.

14. Tú _______ (entender) la diferencia.

15. Ellos _______ (empezar) hoy.

B. Stem change: e → i. Answers in the footnotes.4

16. Yo _______ (pedir) ayuda.

17. Tú _______ (seguir) al profesor.

18. Ella _______ (repetir) la frase.

19. Nosotros _______ (pedir) café.

20. Vosotros _______ (medir) la mesa.

21. Ellos _______ (decir) la verdad.

22. Yo _______ (elegir) este curso.

23. Tú _______ (reír) mucho.

24. Él _______ (seguir) las instrucciones.

25. Ellas _______ (pedir) más ejercicios.

C. Stem change: o / u → ue. Answers in the footnotes.5

26. Yo _______ (dormir) ocho horas.

27. Tú _______ (volver) a casa tarde.

28. Ella _______ (poder) venir hoy.

29. Nosotros _______ (dormir) poco.

30. Vosotros _______ (jugar) al fútbol.

31. Ellos _______ (recordar) el nombre.

32. Yo _______ (mover) la silla.

33. Tú _______ (contar) la historia.

34. Él _______ (morir) en la película.

35. Nosotros _______ (volar) mañana.

36. Vosotras _______ (jugar) mucho.

37. Ellas _______ (poder) ayudarte.

38. Yo _______ (sonar) raro.

39. Tú _______ (volver) temprano.

40. Ellos _______ (dormir) mal.

D. Irregular “yo” only. Answers in the footnotes.6

41. Yo _______ (hacer) la tarea.

42. Yo _______ (poner) el libro aquí.

43. Yo _______ (saber) la respuesta.

44. Yo _______ (traer) comida.

45. Yo _______ (dar) clases online.

46. Yo _______ (conocer) a María.

47. Yo _______ (conducir) poco.

48. Yo _______ (salir) tarde.

49. Tú _______ (hacer) ejercicio.

50. Nosotros _______ (poner) atención.

51. Ellos _______ (saber) la verdad.

52. Vosotros _______ (conocer) el lugar.

E. Other irregular patterns. Answers in the footnotes.7

53. Yo _______ (oír) música.

54. Tú _______ (oír) bien.

55. Ella _______ (huir) del problema.

56. Nosotros _______ (huir) juntos.

57. Yo _______ (ir) al trabajo.

58. Tú _______ (ir) a clase.

59. Vosotros _______ (ir) al cine.

60. Ellos _______ (ir) de viaje.

F. Mixed Exercises (a little bit of everything). Answers in the footnotes.8

61. Yo _______ temprano los lunes. (salir)

62. Ella _______ siempre la verdad. (decir)

63. Nosotros _______ mucho cuando viajamos. (dormir)

64. Tú _______ bien esta lección. (entender)

65. Ellos _______ el problema rápido. (resolver)

66. Yo _______ a mis estudiantes. (conocer)

67. Vosotros _______ tarde a clase. (llegar)

68. Ella _______ el libro en la mesa. (poner)

69. Nosotros _______ ayuda cuando la necesitamos. (pedir)

70. Tú _______ al trabajo en metro. (ir)

71. Ellas _______ café por la mañana. (preferir)

72. Yo _______ que es importante. (saber)

73. Él _______ la puerta con cuidado. (cerrar)

74. Vosotras _______ muy bien español. (hablar)

75. Nosotros _______ la lección ahora. (empezar)

G. Answer the question in a full sentence in Spanish. (If you want feedback, you can write them in the comments 😊)

1. ¿Qué cosas prefieres hacer los fines de semana?

2. ¿A dónde vas cuando necesitas hacer ejercicio?

3. ¿Cuántas horas duermes entre semana?

4. ¿Qué sabes hacer muy bien?

5. ¿Qué pides normalmente cuando vas a un café?

6. ¿Qué entiendes mejor: la gramática o las matemáticas?

7. ¿Qué quieres mejorar más en tu español ahora?

8. ¿Qué pones siempre en tu mochila o bolso?

9. ¿Qué oyes normalmente cuando trabajas o estudias?

10. ¿Qué traes contigo cuando viajas?

11. ¿Qué puede cambiar en tu vida si hablas bien español?

I hope you enjoyed today’s lesson. I had a good time making it.

¡Hasta pronto!

Leo

In this first part of the series, we’ll focus on regular verbs and a few essential irregular ones that every learner needs from day one. The goal is simple: give you clear rules, practical examples, and useful exercises so you can actually start using the Spanish present tense in real-life conversations.

Before we move on to today’s topic, I wanted to update you on what I mentioned in my last post. If you haven’t read it yet, I invite you to check it out here:

As I said in that post, I’ve been working on a resource that will be especially useful if you want to take Spanish seriously and need a clear structure.

Many readers and students tell me they want to learn, but they lack commitment and a solid plan, and they feel they’re not making progress.

That’s why I’ve decided to create a complete, structured, and progressive Spanish course.

This course is called El Curso 1.

It’s not a course for everyone, only for those who truly want to make real progress and commit to their learning. That’s why it will be available exclusively to my paid subscribers.

Here’s what you get when you become a paid subscriber of Spanish Makes Sense:

1. A new unit of El Curso 1 every week
   Starting Monday the 15th.

2. Exercises with every unit
   So you can reinforce what you learn right away.

3. The course chat
   A place where you can ask questions and get support.

4. A learning community moving in the same direction
   Because learning alone is harder. Learning together is powerful.

5. Real, visible progress
   The kind that slowly lets you say:
   “I can speak. I can understand. I can live in Spanish.”

If you already know you want to learn Spanish with me…
this is your moment to jump in.

Subscribe now

Now let’s continue with our topic for today.

Present Tense: Explanation and uses

The Spanish present indicative (el presente de indicativo) is the basic tense you use to talk about:

• habitual actions: things you do regularly.

• general truths: facts that are always true.

• actions happening now (not necessarily at this second, but in the present time).

• near future or planned events (especially in spoken Spanish).

• narration of recent events or summaries (like sports commentary or storytelling).

Forming the present — regular verbs

Spanish verbs end in -ar, -er, or -ir. To conjugate regular verbs, remove the ending and add the present endings, as shown in the table:

Note: In Latin American Spanish you won’t hear vosotros/as (“you” plural). Speakers use ustedes instead of vosotros/as. 

Basic irregular verbs

Some very common verbs are irregular in the present. I include these basic ones now (we’ll study many more irregulars in post 2):

• ser (to be — essential quality)

• estar (to be — location/temporary state)

• tener (to have)

• ir (to go)

• dar (to give)

• poder (can / to be able to)

• saber (to know facts / how to)

These verbs have irregular stems or irregular forms and must be memorized. We list the full present conjugations below for quick reference:

• ser: soy, eres, es, somos, (vosotros sois), son.
  Ejemplo: Soy profesora. (I am a teacher.)

• estar: estoy, estás, está, estamos, (vosotros estáis), están.
  Ejemplo: Estoy en casa. (I am at home.)

• tener: tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, (vosotros tenéis), tienen.
  Ejemplo: Tengo una pregunta. (I have a question.)

• ir: voy, vas, va, vamos, (vosotros vais), van.
  Ejemplo: Voy al mercado. (I go to the market / I’m going to the market.)

• dar: doy, das, da, damos, (vosotros dais), dan.
  Ejemplo: Te doy el libro. (I give you the book.)

• poder: puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, (vosotros podéis), pueden.
  Ejemplo: Puedo ayudar. (I can help.)

• saber: sé, sabes, sabe, sabemos, (vosotros sabéis), saben.
  Ejemplo: Sé la respuesta. (I know the answer.)

Examples

To practice your pronunciation and comprehension, I recommend reading these sentences aloud and trying to understand the meaning without looking at the translation.

1. Yo hablo español todos los días. (I speak Spanish every day.)

2. Ella come arroz con pollo. (She eats rice with chicken.)

3. Nosotros vivimos en la ciudad. (We live in the city.)

4. Tú eres muy amable. (You are very kind.)

5. Ellos están cansados hoy. (They are tired today.)

6. Tengo1 tres clases esta semana. (I have three classes this week.)

7. Voy al cine esta noche. (I’m going to the cinema tonight.)

8. Te doy mi número. (I give you my number.)

9. ¿Puedes cerrar la puerta? (Can you close the door?)

10. Sabemos la respuesta correcta. (We know the correct answer.)

✍️Let’s practice!

A. Multiple choice: choose the correct conjugation. Answers in the footnotes. 2

1. Yo ___ (hablar)

   a) habla b) hablo c) hablamos

2. Tú ___ (comer)

   a) comes b) como c) come

3. Él ___ (vivir)

   a) vivo b) vivís c) vive

4. Nosotros ___ (ser)

   a) somos b) soy c) son

5. Ella ___ (estar)

   a) están b) estás c) está

6. Yo ___ (tener)

   a) tienes b) tengo c) tiene

7. Tú ___ (ir)

   a) vas b) voy c) van

8. Él ___ (dar)

   a) doy b) da c) das

9. Nosotros ___ (poder)

   a) podemos b) pueden c) puedo

10. Ustedes ___ (saber)

    a) sabemos b) saben c) sé

B. Fill in the blank with the correct present form (use the infinitive given). Answers in the footnotes. 3

1. (hablar) Nosotros _______ español.

2. (comer) Ella _______ una ensalada.

3. (vivir) Nosotros _______ en Buenos Aires.

4. (ser) Tú _______ estudiante.

5. (estar) Él _______ en la oficina.

6. (tener) Ustedes _______ tres preguntas.

7. (ir) Yo _______ al trabajo en bicicleta.

8. (dar) Ella me _______ un regalo.

9. (poder) ¿Tú _______ ayudarme?

10. (saber) Nosotros no _______ la dirección.

C. Translate to Spanish (present). Answers in the footnotes.4

1. I speak with my friend.

2. She eats fish.

3. We live near the school.

4. You (tú) are my classmate.

5. He is at the hotel.

6. I have a pen.

7. They go to the university.

8. I give you the keys.

9. Can she come tomorrow?

10. Do you (ustedes) know the phone number?

D. Complete the sentence naturally (use any appropriate present verb from the list). Answers in the footnotes.5

1. Cada mañana yo _______ (levantarse / tomar / desayunar).

2. Los domingos ella _______ (caminar / leer).

3. ¿A qué hora tú _______ al trabajo? (llegar / empezar)

4. En mi casa nosotros _______ la cena juntos. (hacer / comer)

5. Ellos siempre _______ la verdad. (decir / saber)

6. Yo _______ que estudiar hoy. (tener / necesitar)

7. Tú _______ muy bien el español. (hablar / aprender)

8. ¿Dónde _______ ustedes los libros? (poner / tener)

9. Él no _______ salir hoy. (poder / querer)

10. Nosotros _______ la lección ahora. (empezar / entender)

E. Make negative sentences (use the verb in parentheses). Answers in the footnotes.6

1. (hablar) Yo no _______ con ella ahora.

2. (comer) Él no _______ carne.

3. (vivir) Nosotros no _______ en México.

4. (ser) Tú no _______ el dueño.

5. (estar) Ella no _______ disponible.

6. (tener) Yo no _______ tiempo.

7. (ir) Ustedes no _______ al concierto.

8. (dar) Él no me _______ permiso.

9. (poder) Nosotros no _______ terminar hoy.

10. (saber) Tú no _______ la respuesta.

F. Correct the mistake (each sentence has one wrong present form; write correct form). Answers in the footnotes.7

1. Ellas habla español. → _______

2. Tú comemos arroz. → _______

3. Ella vivo en Lima. → _______

4. Nosotros es profesores. → _______

5. Él están feliz. → _______

6. Yo tienes dos hermanos. → _______

7. Ellos va al museo. → _______

8. Tú doy un consejo. → _______

9. Nosotros no puede ir. → _______

10. Ella saben la lección. → _______

G. Reorder the words to make a correct sentence. Answers in the footnotes8

1. (hoy / estudio / yo / español) → _______

2. (tarde / ellos / vuelven) → _______

3. (libro / compro / yo / un) → _______

4. (en / vive / María / Chile) → _______

5. (la / cocina / mi madre / hace) → _______

6. (puedo / ¿/ ayudar / yo / ? ) → _______

7. (nosotros / hablamos / por teléfono) → _______

8. (mañana / vas / ¿/ a la / ? ) — (this uses ir + a + infinitive: ¿Vas a la... ?)

9. (no / entiendo / yo) → _______

10. (ellos / saben / la / respuesta) → _______

H. Short answer practice. Answer the question in a full sentence in Spanish. (If you want feedback, you can write them in the comments)

1. ¿Qué haces todos los días?

2. ¿Dónde vives?

3. ¿Tienes hermanos?

4. ¿Qué sabes hacer bien?

5. ¿Qué comes normalmente para el almuerzo?

6. ¿Cuál es tu profesión?

7. ¿Qué comes normalmente?

Remember to ask me any questions you may have.

¡Hasta pronto!,

Leo

When we combine the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) and the preterite (pretérito perfecto simple) in one sentence, we’re framing two time layers:

• The imperfect paints the background: an action or state that was ongoing, habitual, or in progress at a certain moment in the past. It does not emphasize the start or end.
  “I was walking home” / “I used to walk” / “It was raining.”

• The preterite marks the foreground event: a completed action that happened (often interrupting the background).
  “María called.” / “The phone rang.” / “The lights went out.”

Let’s look at the different combination possibilities we have based on these two past tenses:

1. Ongoing action (imperfect) + interrupting event (preterite)
   Yo caminaba a casa cuando María me llamó.
   (I was walking home when María called me.)

2. Parallel background actions (both imperfect) + new event (preterite)
   Yo leía y él cocinaba cuando se apagó la luz.
   (I was reading and he was cooking when the power went out.)

3. Scene setting (imperfect) + sequence of events (preterite)
   Hacía frío y llovía; de pronto, empezó el concierto y todos aplaudieron.
   (It was cold and raining; suddenly, the concert started and everyone applauded.)

Therefore:

• Use imperfecto to set the scene or describe what was happening.

• Use pretérito perfecto simple to report what happened (the event that moves the story forward).

Examples

1. Cuando iba a mi casa, María me llamó. (When I was going home, María called me.)

2. Yo estudiaba en la biblioteca cuando apagaron las luces. (I was studying in the library when they turned off the lights.)

3. Mientras llovía, se cortó la electricidad. (While it was raining, the power went out.)

4. Mi abuela cocinaba cuando llegaron mis primos. (My grandmother was cooking when my cousins arrived.)

5. Dormíamos y, de repente, tocó el timbre. (We were sleeping and, suddenly, the doorbell rang.)

6. Ellos hablaban por teléfono cuando empezó la reunión. (They were talking on the phone when the meeting started.)

7. Yo manejaba y vi un accidente en la esquina. (I was driving and I saw an accident on the corner.)

8. Los niños jugaban afuera cuando empezó a nevar. (The children were playing outside when it started to snow.)

9. Leía el periódico cuando recibí tu mensaje. (I was reading the newspaper when I received your message.)

10. Mientras preparaba el café, sonó mi celular. (While I was making coffee, my cell phone rang.)

Subscribe now

✍️ Let’s practice!

A. Complete with imperfecto or pretérito perfecto simple. Answers in the footnotes.1

1. Yo (leer) ______ el informe cuando (llegar) ______ el jefe.

2. Ellos (charlar) ______ en la sala cuando (empezar) ______ la película.

3. Nosotros (caminar) ______ por el parque cuando (oír) ______ un grito.

4. Tú (cocinar) ______ pasta cuando (apagar) ______ el gas.

5. (Llover) ______ mucho cuando (aterrizar) ______ el avión.

6. Ella (estudiar) ______ medicina cuando (decidir) ______ cambiar de carrera.

7. Ustedes (dormir) ______ y (sonar) ______ la alarma.

8. (Hacer) ______ frío cuando (cerrar) ______ la tienda.

9. Yo (manejar) ______ hacia el trabajo cuando (ver) ______ el accidente.

10. (Ser) ______ de noche cuando (empezar) ______ el concierto.

B. Choose the correct option. Answers in the footnotes.2

1. Cuando (iba / fui) al banco, (perdí / perdía) mi tarjeta.

2. (Sonó / sonaba) el teléfono mientras (estudiábamos / estudiamos).

3. (Hacía / Hizo) calor cuando (entró / entraba) el director.

4. Yo (caminaba / caminé) por la calle cuando (empezó / empezaba) a llover.

5. Cuando la clase (empezó / empezaba), ellos (charlaban / charlaron) en el fondo.

6. (Llovía / Llovió) y de pronto la carretera (se cerró / se cerraba).

7. Nosotros (trabajábamos / trabajamos) cuando el sistema (falló / fallaba).

8. Cuando tú (leías / leíste), tu hermano (apareció / aparecía).

9. (Era / Fue) tarde cuando el bus (llegó / llegaba).

10. (Conducía / Conduje) por la autopista cuando (vi / veía) un accidente.

C. Translate into Spanish using both tenses. Answers in the footnotes.3

1. I was cooking when my friend called me.

2. We were walking when it started to rain.

3. She was studying when the internet went out.

4. They were sleeping when the alarm rang.

5. I was driving when I saw you.

6. The children were playing when it started to snow.

7. He was reading when the phone rang.

8. We were talking when the meeting began.

9. I was washing the dishes when the light went out.

10. She was writing when her computer crashed.

D. Combine the two clauses with cuando, mientras, or an equivalent connector. Use the imperfecto for the background and the pretérito perfecto simple for the event. Answers in the footnotes.4

1. Yo / leer el libro. — Apagaron la luz.

   Example: Leía el libro cuando apagaron la luz

2. Ella / cocinar. — Llegaron sus amigos.

3. Nosotros / caminar por el centro. — Empezó la tormenta.

4. Tú / hablar con tu mamá. — Se cayó la llamada.

5. Ellos / trabajar en la oficina. — Se fue la electricidad.

6. El profesor / explicar el tema. — Sonó el timbre.

7. Ustedes / esperar el bus. — Llegó el chofer.

8. Mi abuela / ver la televisión. — Tocaron la puerta.

9. Los niños / jugar en el jardín. — Empezó a granizar.

10. Yo / escribir un correo. — Recibí tu mensaje.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to text me. I’ll be happy to answer them.

Hasta pronto,

Leo

Did you know that you can learn Spanish without spending a penny? In my Guide to Learning Spanish I share dozens of free resources. Download it now here.

As you probably know, in Spanish we have different ways of talking about things that happened in the past.

We can talk about a specific event that happened in the past as a one-off occurrence, and for that we use the pretérito perfecto simple (simple past is called in English). That was the subject of our first post in this series:

We can also talk about things we used to do in the past or describe how something was in the past, and for that we use the pretérito imperfecto1, which we looked at in our second post:

And we can also talk in general terms about experiences we have had in the past. These experiences began in the past and continue to this day. For that, we use the pretérito perfecto compuesto (present perfect tense is called in English), which is the tense we are going to study today.

Explanation and uses

The pretérito perfecto compuesto (called the present perfect in English) is formed with present of haber + past participle (e.g., he comido, has vivido). It links past actions to the present.

We use the pretérito perfecto compuesto for:

1. Life experiences (ever/never): ¿Alguna vez has viajado a Perú? (Have you ever traveled to Peru?)

2. Recent past with present relevance: Ya he enviado el correo. (I have already sent the email.)

3. Unfinished time frames: Esta semana hemos tenido tres reuniones. (This week we have had three meetings.)

LatAm note: In much of Latin America, speakers frequently use the pretérito perfecto simple (also called pretérito indefinido) instead of the pretérito perfeto compuesto for very recent actions (e.g., Ayer ya envié el correo). The present perfect is still common for life experience and unfinished periods (este año, esta semana), and in formal/written contexts.

Formation

We need the verb “to have” conjugated plus the past participle of the verb we are using. As follows:

Let’s not forget that there are also irregular participles:

• abrir (to open) → abierto

• cubrir (to cover) → cubierto

• decir (to say / to tell) → dicho

• hacer (to do / to make) → hecho

• poner (to put / to place) → puesto

• ver (to see) → visto

• volver (to return / to come back) → vuelto

• escribir (to write) → escrito

• romper (to break) → roto

• morir (to die) → muerto

• resolver (to solve / to resolve) → resuelto

• imprimir (to print) → impreso

• descubrir (to discover) → descubierto

• devolver (to return [something] / to give back) → devuelto

• componer (to compose / to make up) → compuesto

• prever (to foresee / to anticipate) → previsto

The following charts may be useful to help you see this more clearly:

Common time expressions (triggers)

When we use the pretérito perfecto compuesto, we usually use the following expressions of time. They are like triggers; if you pay attention to them, you will be able to use the past tense correctly, so it is good to learn them well:

• ya = already

• todavía no = not yet

• alguna vez = ever / once

• nunca / jamás = never

• recientemente = recently

• últimamente = lately

• hasta ahora = until now / so far

• este / esta (mes, año, semana) = this month / this year / this week

• hoy = today

• en mi vida = in my life

Examples

Let’s now look at this past tense in context with a few examples:

• ¿Alguna vez has visitado Argentina? (Have you ever visited Argentina?)

• No, todavía no he ido. (No, I haven’t gone yet.)

• Este año hemos leído muchos libros. (This year we have read many books.)

• Ya he terminado el informe. (I’ve already finished the report.)

• Mi hermana ha aprendido a manejar. (My sister has learned to drive.)

• Últimamente no he dormido bien. (Lately I haven’t slept well.)

• ¿Has visto mi celular? (Have you seen my phone?)

• Nunca hemos probado ese plato. (We have never tried that dish.)

• El equipo ha ganado el torneo. (The team has won the tournament.)

• Han abierto una cafetería nueva en la esquina. (They have opened a new café on the corner.)

Subscribe now

✍️ Let’s practice!

A. Conjugate using pretérito perfecto compuesto. Answers in the footnotes.2

1. Yo __________ (enviar) el documento.

2. ¿Tú ya __________ (probar) el mate?

3. Nosotros __________ (visitar) Bogotá varias veces.

4. Mi prima __________ (aprender) portugués.

5. Ustedes no __________ (terminar) la tarea.

6. ¿__________ (ver, tú) esa serie?

7. Ellos __________ (abrir) la tienda temprano.

8. Últimamente yo no __________ (tener) tiempo.

9. ¿__________ (leer, ustedes) el artículo de hoy?

10. Mi profesor __________ (decir) que no hay clase.

B. Choose the right participle. Answers in the footnotes.3

1. Él ha (roto / rompado) el vaso.

2. Nosotros hemos (escrito / escribido) una reseña.

3. ¿Has (visto / veído) esta película?

4. Ustedes han (hecho / hacido) demasiado.

5. Yo no he (puesto / ponido) la mesa.

6. Ellos han (vuelto / volvado) tarde.

7. Mi abuela ha (muerto / morido).

8. ¿Han (dicho / decido) la verdad?

9. Siempre hemos (cubierto / cubrido) el tema.

10. ¿Has (leído / leyendo) el correo?

C. Translate into Spanish using pretérito perfecto compuesto. Answers in the footnotes.4

1. I have never been to Chile.

2. Have you already finished?

3. We have visited that museum several times.

4. She has opened the window.

5. They haven’t called me yet.

6. Lately I have felt tired.

7. My parents have written to me.

8. Have you ever tried ceviche?

9. He has said that he can’t come.

10. We have lived here for many years.

D. Rewrite with ya / todavía no / nunca / alguna vez using pretérito perfecto compuesto. Answers in the footnotes5.

1. (ya) — Terminar el informe → ________________________________

2. (todavía no) — Llamar a tu mamá → __________________________

3. (nunca) — Probar sushi → _________________________________

4. (alguna vez) — Ir a Machu Picchu → _________________________

5. (ya) — Ver esa serie → _____________________________________

6. (todavía no) — Pagar la factura → ___________________________

7. (nunca) — Conducir un auto → _____________________________

8. (alguna vez) — Conocer a un famoso → ______________________

9. (ya) — Empezar el curso → _________________________________

10. (todavía no) — Visitar Buenos Aires → ______________________

I hope you found this lesson useful. With this lesson and the previous two, you have everything you need to speak in the past tense in Spanish (hurray!).

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me. I’ll be happy to answer them.

See you soon,

Leo

P.S.: This article is part of a four-part series on the past. You can read the last one here:

Did you know that you can learn Spanish without spending a penny? In my Guide to Learning Spanish I share dozens of free resources. Download it now here.

In our previous post, we covered the simple past tense. If you haven’t seen it yet, I invite you to take a look here:

Now let’s tackle the imperfect tense (pretérito imperfecto), which describes past actions or states without focusing on their beginning or end. It presents the past as ongoing, habitual, repeated, or background information rather than a completed event.

Explanation and uses

We use it for:

• Habitual or repeated actions in the past: actions you used to do regularly.
  Example:

  • Cuando era niño, jugaba con mis amigos en el parque todos los días.

    (When I was a child, I used to play with my friends in the park every day.)

• Background description: setting the scene, describing people, places, weather, time, age.

  Example:

  • La casa era grande, tenía un jardín enorme y las montañas se veían desde la ventana.
    (The house was big, had a huge garden, and the mountains could be seen from the window.)

• Ongoing past actions: an action that was in progress (often interrupted by a past simple).

  Example

  • Cocinaba la cena cuando llegó mi hermano.
    (I was cooking dinner when my brother arrived.)

• Mental states and feelings in the past: beliefs, desires, intentions, physical or emotional states.

  Examples:

  • Pensaba que el viaje era una buena idea.
    (I thought the trip was a good idea.)

  • Queríamos comprar una casa cerca del mar.
    (We wanted to buy a house near the sea.)

• Plans or intentions in the past: actions that someone intended to take, but did not necessarily take.

  Example:

  • Iba a ir al cine, pero me enfermé.
    (I was going to go to the movies, but I got sick.)

  • Iba a comer con mis amigos, pero cancelaron la cena.
    (I was going to eat with my friends, but they canceled the dinner.)

• Polite requests or soft statements in past narrative contexts (less common).

  Example:

  • Quería pedirte un favor, si tenías un momento.

  • (I wanted to ask you a favor, if you had a moment.)

Contrast with the simple past tense

To clarify the difference between this tense and the simple past tense, consider the following examples:

• Imperfect = ongoing / habitual / background: Yo leía mientras él cocinaba. (I was reading while he was cooking.)

• Preterite = completed / specific events: Leí el libro. (I finished reading the book.)

Formation

Regular verbs

Irregular verbs

One great thing about learning the imperfect tense is that there are only three irregular verbs: ir, ser and ver.

Common time expressions (triggers)

When we use the pretérito imperfecto, we usually use the following expressions of time. They are like triggers; if you pay attention to them, you will be able to use the past tense correctly, so it is good to learn them well:

• siempre = always

• a menudo = often

• frecuentemente = frequently

• normalmente = usually

• de niño/a/ de pequeño/a = as a child

• cuando era joven = when I was young

• cada día = every day

• todos los veranos = every summer

• mientras = while

• muchas veces = many times

• generalmente = generally

Examples

Let’s now look at this past tense in context with a few examples:

• Cuando era niño, jugaba en la calle todos los días. (When I was a child, I used to play in the street every day.)

• Siempre estudiábamos en la biblioteca por la tarde. (We always studied in the library in the afternoon.)

• Ella leía un libro mientras yo cocinaba. (She was reading a book while I was cooking.)

• A menudo íbamos a la casa de mi abuela. (We often went to my grandmother’s house.)

• Hacía mucho calor ese verano. (It was very hot that summer.)

• Él tenía miedo de los perros cuando era pequeño. (He was afraid of dogs when he was little.)

• De joven, mi padre trabajaba en una fábrica. (When he was young, my father worked in a factory.)

• Mientras estudiabas, sonó el teléfono. (While you were studying, the phone rang.)

• Los niños miraban la tele todas las tardes. (The children watched TV every afternoon.)

• Siempre me sentía feliz en esas vacaciones. (I always felt happy on those vacations.)

Subscribe now

✍️ Let’s practice!

A. Put the words in order to form sentences in the imperfect tense. Answers in the footnotes.1

1. / cuando / niño / vivía / yo / en / España

2. / siempre / estudiábamos / en / la / tarde / por

3. / veía / dibujitos / todos / los / días / ella

4. / íbamos / cada / verano / a / la / playa / nosotros

5. / trabajaba / mi / padre / en / la / fábrica

6. / yo / cenaba / mientras / leías / tú

7. / eran / muy / amables / los / vecinos

8. / dormíamos / temprano / por / las / noches

9. / comían / helado / frecuentemente / ellos

10. / él / tocaba / la / guitarra / a / menudo

B. Complete with the imperfect tense. Answers in the footnotes.2

1. Cuando era niña, yo (ir) ______ a la playa cada verano.

2. Antes, tú (jugar) ______ con muñecas.

3. Nosotros (trabajar) ______ en la misma empresa desde 2005.

4. Ella siempre (leer) ______ antes de dormir.

5. De pequeño, Juan (tener) ______ un perro.

6. Cada noche yo (mirar) ______ la televisión.

7. Ustedes (estudiar) ______ en la universidad.

8. Ellos (ser) ______ muy amigos.

9. Mientras ella (cocinar) ______, yo (poner) ______ la mesa.

10. Nosotros nunca (ir) ______ a la playa cuando éramos chicos.

C. Choose the correct option. Answers in the footnotes.3

1. Ayer yo (iba / fui) al supermercado cuando me llamó.

2. Cuando era joven, (salía / salí) todas las noches.

3. Mientras él (leía / leyó), sonó la alarma.

4. El año pasado, (viajábamos / viajamos) a Perú una vez.

5. Antes, ella (trabajaba / trabajó) en ese café.

6. Anoche, (veíamos / vimos) una película completa.

7. Cada verano, (íbamos / fuimos) a la casa del lago.

8. De niño, (comía / comí) mucho helado.

9. Entonces, yo (hablaba / hablé) por teléfono y corté la llamada.

10. Cuando (éramos / fuimos) jóvenes, vivíamos en Madrid.

D. Translate into Spanish using the imperfect tense. Answers in the footnotes.4

1. I used to read before sleeping.

2. We were always hungry in the afternoons.

3. She was cooking while he was studying.

4. When I was a child, I watched cartoons.

5. They used to go to the mountains every winter.

6. He felt sick often.

7. You (singular) were friendly with everyone.

8. We were living in that house at that time.

9. The teacher used to explain the lessons slowly.

10. I was reading when the electricity went out

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to text me. I’ll be happy to answer them.

Hasta pronto,

Leo

P.S.: This article is part of a four-part series on the past. You can read the next one here:

Just like in English, Spanish has different past tenses that depend on the perspective from which we present events.

The main difference is that, in English, some of these distinctions are not explicitly marked, you often use the same tense where Spanish uses several.

In Spanish, we can express different nuances depending on how we view the past:

• If we want to say that an event happened at a specific moment, we use the simple past tense (pretérito perfecto simple).

  • Example: Ayer comí pizza (Yesterday I ate pizza.)

• If we want to say that something happened repeatedly in the past, or describe how things used to be, we use the imperfect tense (pretérito imperfecto).

  • Example 1: El año pasado iba al gimnasio tres veces por semana. (Last year I went to the gym three times a week.)

  • Example 2: Cuando era niño, mi casa era de color verde y tenía tres dormitorios. (When I was a child, my house was green and had three bedrooms.)

• Finally, if we want to say that an event started in the past but continues into the present, we use the present perfect tense (pretérito perfecto compuesto).

  • Example: He viajado a muchos países. (I have travelled to many countries). This means: I started traveling in the past, and I still do today.

Subscribe now

Explanation and uses

The pretérito perfecto simple (often called pretérito indefinido) is the simple past tense used to describe actions that were completed at a definite point in the past.

We use the pretérito perfecto simple to talk about:

• Completed actions with a clear beginning/end:

  • Example: Llegué a las 8 (I arrived at 8).

• Actions that occurred once or a specific number of times:

  • Fui dos veces a Lima (I went to Lima twice).

• Sequences of past actions:

  • Se levantó, desayunó y salió de la casa (He got up, had breakfast, and left the house).

• Actions that interrupt an ongoing action (the interrupted action usually in the imperfect):

  • Yo leía cuando sonó el teléfono (I was reading when the phone rang).

• Changes of state (sudden or completed):

  • Se enojó (He got angry).

Formation

Regular verbs

Below you can see how we conjugate regular verbs.

Some verbs need to be written differently in order to be pronounced correctly:

Keep the following in mind:

• In -AR verbs, the first person singular (yo) ends in -é, not -í.

  • Example: Hablé con mi profesora. (I spoke with my teacher.)

• In -ER and -IR verbs, endings are identical.

  • Example: Comí temprano. / Viví en México dos años.

• Note that the accent marks are essential (é, ó, í, etc.) because they distinguish past forms from present ones.

  • “Hablo” (I speak) ≠ “Habló” (He/she spoke).

Irregular verbs. Orthographic & stem-change issues

The pretérito perfecto simple is the past tense with the most irregular verbs. You will need to practice constantly to master them.

Common time expressions (triggers)

When we use the pretérito perfecto simple, we usually use the following expressions of time. They are like triggers; if you pay attention to them, you will be able to use the past tense correctly, so it is good to learn them well:

• ayer, anoche, anteayer, el otro día, la semana pasada, el mes/año pasado, en 2010, hace dos días, ayer por la tarde, el lunes pasado.

Examples

Let’s now look at this past tense in context with a few examples:

• Ayer fui al cine. (Yesterday I went to the cinema.)

• El año pasado viajamos a México. (Last year we traveled to Mexico.)

• Compré un libro y lo leí en dos días. (I bought a book and read it in two days.)

• María llamó a Juan y le dijo la verdad. (María called Juan and told him the truth.)

• Ellos no vinieron a la fiesta. (They didn’t come to the party.)

• ¿Qué hiciste ayer? (What did you do yesterday?)

• Empecé a trabajar a las ocho. (I started working at eight.)

• Lo encontré en la plaza. (I found him in the square.)

• La película terminó tarde. (The movie ended late.)

• Tuvimos mucha hambre después del viaje. (We were very hungry after the trip.)

• No pude abrir la puerta. (I couldn’t open the door.)

• Juan dijo la verdad. (Juan told the truth.)

• Ella durmió ocho horas. (She slept eight hours.)

• Llegaste tarde a la reunión. (You arrived late to the meeting.)

• Ellos estudiaron toda la noche. (They studied all night.)

You’ve studied the theory and seen numerous examples. Are you ready to practice?

Keep in mind that the first few times, it’s good to have the conjugation tables handy. Then, little by little, you’ll learn those conjugations by heart. You’ll be surprised how quickly you learn them. Our brains love patterns!

✍️Let’s practice!

A. Complete with the pretérito perfecto simple. Answers in the footnotes. 1

1. Ayer yo (trabajar) ______ hasta las 8.

2. El lunes ellos (llegar) ______ tarde.

3. Nosotros (comer) ______ en ese restaurante.

4. ¿Tú (ver) ______ la película?

5. Ella (leer) ______ el libro en dos días.

6. Los niños (dormir) ______ bien anoche.

7. Yo no (poder) ______ abrir la ventana.

8. María (hacer) ______ la tarea ayer.

9. Ustedes (decir) ______ la verdad.

10. Él (empezar) ______ a estudiar a las seis.

B. Elige la opción correcta (a / b / c). Answers in the footnotes.2

1. Yo ____ al mercado. (a) fui (b) iba (c) voy

2. Ella ____ la carta ayer. (a) escribió (b) escribía (c) escribe

3. Nosotros ____ la fiesta a las nueve. (a) empezamos (b) empezábamos (c) empezaremos

4. Tú ____ conmigo anoche. (a) saliste (b) salías (c) sales

5. Ellos no ____ la verdad. (a) supieron (b) sabían (c) saben

6. ¿Qué ____ ustedes? (a) hicieron (b) hacían (c) hacen

7. Yo ____ el libro en una semana. (a) terminé (b) terminaba (c) termino

8. Ella ____ tarde. (A) llegó (B) llegaba (C) llega

9. Nosotros no ____ encontrar el mapa. (A) pudimos (B) podíamos (C) podemos

10. Él ____ la mesa. (A) puso (B) ponía (C) pone

C. Translate into Spanish using the pretérito perfecto simple. Answers in the footnotes.3

1. Yesterday I called my mother.

2. They bought a new house last year.

3. She didn’t come to class yesterday.

4. We finished the project on Friday.

5. Did you see the game last night?

6. John told me the news.

7. I couldn’t find my keys.

8. The concert started at nine.

9. He slept ten hours.

10. María arrived late.

D. Arrange the words to form sentences. Answers in the footnotes. 4

1. / anoche / fui / al / cine / yo

2. / compró / un / coche / ella / nuevo

3. / estudiaron / examen / para / el / ellos

4. / llegó / tarde / él / a / la / reunión

5. / vimos / una / película / muy / buena

6. / rompiste / ¿/ la / ventana / tú /?

7. / cociné / ayer / para / mis / padres

8. / cantaron / en / la / fiesta / todos

9. / terminé / el / proyecto / el / viernes

10. / me / llamaste / por / teléfono / ayer

E. Answer briefly using the pretérito perfecto simple

1. ¿Qué hiciste ayer por la tarde?

2. ¿Adónde fuiste el último fin de semana?

3. ¿Qué comiste para la cena anoche?

4. ¿Con quién hablaste esta mañana?

5. ¿Cuándo conociste a tu mejor amigo/a?

6. ¿Qué regalo recibiste en tu último cumpleaños?

7. ¿A qué hora te levantaste ayer?

8. ¿Qué película viste recientemente?

9. ¿Qué compraste la última vez que saliste de compras?

10. ¿Cómo celebraste la última fiesta importante?

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to text me. I’ll be happy to answer them.

Hasta pronto,

Leo

P.S.: This article is part of a four-part series on the past. You can read the next one here:

Did you know that you can learn Spanish without spending a penny? In my Guide to Learning Spanish I share dozens of free resources. Download it now here.

If you are an English speaker learning Spanish, you may notice that ir/venir and llevar/traer do not always match perfectly with go/come and take/bring. The logic behind these verbs is similar, but Spanish tends to be more precise, while English allows more flexibility.

Ir vs Come

• In Spanish, ir means moving away from the speaker, and venir means moving toward the speaker.

• In English, however, come can refer to movement toward the listener or toward a shared location, even if the speaker is not there.

  • Are you coming to the party? → ¿Vas a la fiesta?

  • I’m coming! → ¡Voy! (not “Vengo”).

Llevar vs Bring

• In Spanish, llevar = to take something away, and traer = to bring something closer.

Flexibility in English

• English uses come and bring more broadly, focusing on the listener’s perspective or the destination.

• Spanish speakers, on the other hand, make a sharper distinction: ir vs. venir and llevar vs. traer.

Let’s now take a closer look at how these pairs work.

Closer Look To Ir vs Venir

• Ir = to go → movement away from the speaker’s current location toward another place.
  Example function: you or someone goes from A to B (not toward the speaker).

• Venir = to come → movement toward the speaker or a place associated with the speaker/listener).
  Use venir when the endpoint of the movement is the speaker’s (or listener’s) location, or when you imagine the speaker/listener as the reference point.

Quick check: Ask “¿Hacia dónde? (Where to?)” If the action moves to where I am (or will be) → venir. If it moves to some other place → ir.

Examples Ir vs Venir

• Voy al supermercado. (I’m going to the supermarket.)

• ¿Vienes a mi casa esta tarde? (Are you coming to my house this afternoon?)

• Ella fue a Madrid el año pasado. (She went to Madrid last year.)

• Ven aquí, por favor. (Come here, please.)

• Mañana vendré a verte. (I will come to see you tomorrow.)

• Vamos a la playa el domingo. (We’re going to the beach on Sunday.)

• ¿Por qué no viniste a la reunión? (Why didn’t you come to the meeting?)

• Se fue sin decir nada. (He/she left without saying anything.)

Llevar vs Traer

• Llevar = to take → move something or someone away from the speaker’s current point of reference toward another destination.

• Traer = to bring → move something or someone toward the speaker’s (or listener’s) location.

Practical tip: If the object/ person ends up with the speaker → traer. If it ends up somewhere else (away from speaker) → llevar.

Examples Llevar vs Traer

• Llevo los platos a la cocina. (I take the dishes to the kitchen.)

• ¿Puedes traerme un vaso de agua? (Can you bring me a glass of water?)

• Ella llevó a su hermano al médico. (She took her brother to the doctor.)

• Traje el informe a la oficina. (I brought the report to the office.)

• Llevaré el ordenador al taller mañana. (I will take the computer to the repair shop tomorrow.)

• Trae tus libros cuando vengas. (Bring your books when you come.)

• Me llevaste por sorpresa. (You took me by surprise.)

• Él se trajo comida para todos. (He brought food for everyone.)

Other important notes: The point of reference can shift. If you speak from the future location (“I’ll be at the party”), someone could say “Ven a la fiesta” meaning “come to the place where I’ll be.”

Subscribe now

✍️ Let’s practice!

Exercise 1: Fill in with ir or venir. You can look at the English translation to know which verb to use. Answers in the footnotes.1

1. María ____ a la fiesta esta noche. (María is coming to the party tonight.)

2. Nosotros ____ al parque después del trabajo. (We are going to the park after work.)

3. ¿Tú ____ con nosotros al cine? (Are you coming with us to the cinema?)

4. Ellos no ____ porque estaban enfermos. (They didn’t come because they were sick)

5. Yo ____ mañana a tu oficina a las nueve. (I will come to your office tomorrow at nine.)

6. Juan ____ hacia la salida cuando escuchó el ruido. (Juan went toward the exit when he heard the noise.)

7. ¿Por qué no ____ a la reunión? (Why didn’t you come to the meeting?)

8. Ella ____ corriendo cuando la llamé. (She was coming (ongoing action) when I called her.)

9. Nosotros vamos a casa ahora. ¿Tú ___ con nosotros? (We’re going home now. Are you coming with us?)

10. Después de cenar, él ____ a casa de sus padres. (After dinner, he went to his parents’ house.)

Exercise 2: Fill in with “take” or “bring.” You can look at the English translation to know which verb to use. Answers in the footnotes.2

1. ¿Me puedes ____ el teléfono, por favor? (Can you bring me the phone, please?)

2. Yo siempre ____ a mis amigos al aeropuerto. (I always take my friends to the airport.)

3. Ella ____ los juguetes al cajón. (She took the toys to the drawer.)

4. Cuando vengas, no olvides ____ los documentos. (When you come, don’t forget to bring the documents.)

5. ¿Quién ____ la comida a la fiesta de mi casa? (Who is bringing food to the party at my house?)

6. Pedro ____ su guitarra a la clase (yo estoy en la clase). (Pedro brought his guitar to class.)

7. Por favor, ____ este paquete a la oficina de correos. (Please take this package to the post office.)

8. ¿Puedes ____ un poco de azúcar cuando vengas? (Can you bring some sugar when you come?)

9. Ellos nos ____ regalos. (They brought us gifts.)

10. Yo ____ a mi sobrino al colegio todas las mañanas. (I take my nephew to school every morning.)

Exercise 3: Choose between ir/venir/llevar/traer depending on the context. Remember to conjugate the verbs. You can look at the English translation to know which verb to use. Answers in the footnotes. 3

1. — ¿___ mañana a la fiesta? — Sí, (I) ___ (Are you coming to the party tomorrow? — Yes, I’m going.)

2. Por favor, ____ el informe al jefe antes de irte. (Please take the report to the boss before you leave.)

3. No olvides ____ la chaqueta cuando salgas; hace frío allá. (Don’t forget to take your jacket when you leave; it’s cold there.)

4. Si ____ a tu casa, te ____ unas sillas (If I come to your house, I’ll bring some chairs.)

5. Ellos ____ a España el próximo mes y nos ____ fotos. (They are coming to Spain next month and will bring us photos.)

6. ¿Me ____ a la estación en diez minutos? (Will you take me to the station in ten minutes?)

7. Voy a la tienda; ¿quieres que te ____ algo? (I’m going to the store; do you want me to bring you anything?)

8. ¿Tú ____ conmigo al cine? (Are you coming with me to the movies?)

9. Ella no puede venir; tuvo que ____ a su madre al hospital. (She can’t come; she had to take her mother to the hospital.)

10. Yo ____ a ayudarte. (I’ll come to help you [The speaker moves toward the listener].)

Exercise 4: Translate into Spanish. Answers in the footnotes. 4

1. I’m coming right now.

2. Are you going to the supermarket?

3. She is bringing her book to class.

4. We are coming with you.

5. They are going to the park this afternoon.

6. He is bringing a cake to the party.

7. I’m going to the doctor tomorrow.

8. Are you coming to my house later?

9. She is going to Spain next year.

10. We are bringing our friends to the concert.

Final tips and common mistakes

• Always ask yourself: where does the action end up? If the final destination is where I am → venir/traer. If it is somewhere else → ir/llevar.

• Remember that llevar and traer also have non-directional uses (llevar = to wear, to carry habitually). Pay attention to the context.

Conclusion

I know this topic can be somewhat confusing and tricky. I hope the exercises have helped you gain more confidence. Keep practicing and try to use what you’ve learned as much as possible. That’s the only way it will become second nature.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me.

Hasta la próxima,

Leo

Did you know that you can learn Spanish without spending a penny? In my Guide to Learning Spanish I share dozens of free resources. Download it now here.

What are Direct vs Indirect Object Pronouns?

In Spanish (as in English), there are direct objects and indirect objects.

• In a sentence a direct object answers “what?” or “whom?” — the thing/person directly affected by the verb. If you need to review this topic, I recommend my lesson Finally Understand lo, la, los, las.

• In a sentence an indirect object answers “to whom?” or “for whom?” — the person or thing that receives the benefits from the action.

Here’s an example:

• I give the book to María.

  • Direct Object (DO): the book (What do I give?)

  • Indirect Object (IO): María (To whom do I give it?)

If we replace those with pronouns: I give it to her. (“it” = DO, “her” = IO)

Now let's look at the list of indirect pronouns.

Spanish Indirect Object Pronouns

How Indirect Pronouns Compare with Direct Object Pronouns

• Direct pronouns answer what / whom.

• Indirect pronouns answer to whom / for whom.

• If you compare direct and indirect pronouns many pronouns overlap (me, te, nos, os), but for third person, direct uses lo / la / los / las, indirect uses le / les.

Subscribe now

Word Order & Usage Rules in Spanish

Now let's see where we place indirect object pronouns in a sentence. These rules are similar to those for direct object pronouns:

1. With a conjugated verb → pronoun comes before the conjugated verb.

   • Te doy el libro. (I give you the book.)

   • Le explico la lección. (I explain the lesson to him/her.)

2. With an infinitive / verb phrase → you can either place the pronoun before the conjugated verb, or attach it to the end of the infinitive.

   • Voy a darte noticias. / Te voy a dar noticias. (I’m going to give you news.)

3. With progressive (gerund) forms → similar flexibility; pronoun before the auxiliary or attached to the gerund.

   • Estoy explicándoselo. / Se lo estoy explicando. (I’m explaining it to him/her.)

4. With imperative (commands):

   • Affirmative commands → attach the pronoun to the end of the verb.

     • Dímelo. (Tell it to me.)

     • Hazle un favor. (Do him/her a favor.)

   • Negative commands → pronoun goes before the verb.

     • No le digas la verdad. (Don’t tell the truth to him/her.)

     • No nos des problemas. (Don’t give us problems.)

5. When you have both direct and indirect object pronouns in the same sentence, the indirect object pronoun comes first. But there’s a very important adjustment: if both pronouns would start with “l” (i.e. le/les + lo/la/los/las), then le/les changes to se for euphony.

   • Yo le doy el libro. → Yo se lo doy. (I give it to him/her.)

   • Ellos les muestran las fotos. → Ellos se las muestran. (They show them to them.)

And that's all you need to know about indirect object pronouns in Spanish! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know. Now let's put what we've learned into practice.

✍️ Let's practice!

Exercise 1: Identify DO / IO

Say what is the direct object and what is the indirect object. The answers are in the footnotes1.

1. Él le da un anillo. (He gives her a ring).

2. She tells us the truth. (Ella nos cuenta la verdad).

3. They show Juan the photos. (Le enseñan las fotos a Juan).

4. I write a letter to my mother. (Le escribo una carta a mi madre).

5. You send them the invitation. (Tú les envías la invitación.)

Exercise 2: Choose the correct indirect object pronoun

Pick the correct indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les) to complete the sentence. Answers are in the footnotes2.

1. Yo ___ doy el regalo. (to you, informal)

2. Ella ___ explica la lección. (to him/her)

3. Ellos ___ mandan cartas. (to us)

4. Tú ___ prestas tu coche. (to them)

5. Nosotros ___ llevamos el postre. (to you all)

6. Vosotros ___ escribís correos electrónicos. (to me)

Exercise 3: Translate into Spanish.

Answers are in the footnotes3. Keep in mind that there are many synonyms. Therefore, your answer may not be exactly the same as the answers provided. However, the pronouns must be the same.

1. I tell her the story.

2. They give us the tickets.

3. We send him a gift.

4. You (plural) explain it to them.

5. She will show you (singular) the way.

6. Give me the book! (affirmative tú command)

Exercise 4: Combine DO + IO Pronouns

Rewrite each, replacing direct and indirect objects with pronouns, paying attention to the “se + lo/la/los/las” rule. This may be the most difficult one. Take your time. Answers are in the footnotes4.

1. Yo doy el libro a María.

2. Él envía la carta a sus padres.

3. Te presto los zapatos.

4. Le regalo un coche a Juan.

Think of it as gradually putting together the pieces of a puzzle—the puzzle of how sentences are built in Spanish.

First, let’s talk about what a direct object actually is.

In both English and Spanish, the direct object is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb.

For example, in English you might say:

• I see the book.

But if you want to continue and say you’re going to buy it, you wouldn’t repeat “the book”:

• I want to buy the book. ❌

You might say:

• I want to buy it. ✅

That’s where the direct object pronoun comes in.

Spanish works the same way:

• Veo el libro. → Lo quiero comprar.

• Or: Quiero comprarlo.

As you can see, in Spanish, the position of the direct object pronoun could be different than in English (e.g. Lo quiero comprar). If we spoke English as we speak Spanish, this would be “it I want to buy.” However, sometimes it is possible to place the pronoun after the noun, as we saw in the second example (Quiero comprarlo). We will see more of this very soon.

How to find the direct object

To find the direct object, we need to ask the verb “what?”

For example, if we have the following sentence:

• John compra un carro (John buys a car)

To find the direct object, we need to ask:

• ¿Qué compra John? (What does John buy?)

The answer to this question will give us the direct object. In this case, the answer is “the car.” Therefore, “the car” is the direct object.

Once we have located the direct object, we can replace it with the corresponding pronoun, depending on whether the word is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural.

In the following table, you can see the different possibilities.

Now let's see where we should place the direct object pronoun in the sentence.

Placement of Direct Object Pronouns

Depending on the verb, the pronoun can appear in different positions:

1. Before a conjugated verb

   • Lo veo. → I see it.

   • La escucho. → I listen to her / it.

2. With an infinitive or gerund (-ing verbs) → it can go either before or attached to the end of the infinitive/gerund.

   • Lo quiero comprar. / Quiero comprarlo. → I want to buy it.

   • La estoy leyendo. / Estoy leyéndola. → I’m reading it.

3. With commands (imperative) → the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb if the command is affirmative:

   • Cómpralo. → Buy it.

   • Léela. → Read it.

   Or before the verb, if the command is negative:

   • No lo compres. → Don’t buy it.

   • No la leas. → Don’t read it.

The Neuter Pronoun lo

Yes, in Spanish we have a pronoun that is neither masculine nor feminine, but neutral. For that, we use the word “lo” (yes, the same word we use for the masculine singular pronoun, but in a different context). “Lo” can replace an idea, situation, or statement, not a specific masculine noun.

• English: I don’t know it. (referring to “the answer” / “the truth”)

• Spanish: No lo sé.

• English: I don’t understand it. (the situation, the problem)

• Spanish: No lo entiendo.

• English: It’s true. → That’s true.

• Spanish: Es verdad. → Lo es.

• English: I want to explain it to you. (the matter, the idea)

• Spanish: Quiero explicártelo.

Think of neuter lo as meaning “it” in general, when you’re not pointing to a masculine/feminine word but to an idea or fact.

Subscribe now

✍️Let's practice!

1. Fill in the blanks

Replace the direct object with the correct pronoun. Answers in the footnotes1.

1. Leo el periódico. → ___ leo.

2. Miro la televisión. → ___ miro.

3. Escucho las canciones. → ___ escucho.

4. Llamo a mis amigos. → ___ llamo.

5. Compro el pan. → ___ compro.

6. Uso la computadora. → ___ uso.

7. Necesito los papeles. → ___ necesito.

8. Invito a María. → ___ invito.

9. Tengo las llaves. → ___ tengo.

10. No entiendo (the situation). → No ___ entiendo.

2. Choose the right answer

Pick the correct pronoun to replace the object. Answers in the footnotes2.

1. ¿Lees el libro? — Sí, ___ leo.
   a) la
   b) lo
   c) los

2. ¿Miras las fotos? — Sí, ___ miro.
   a) las
   b) lo
   c) la

3. ¿Compras los zapatos? — Sí, ___ compro.
   a) los
   b) la
   c) lo

4. ¿Conoces a Juan? — Sí, ___ conozco.
   a) lo
   b) la
   c) los

5. ¿Visitas a tus primas? — Sí, ___ visito.
   a) lo
   b) las
   c) los

6. ¿Escuchas la radio? — Sí, ___ escucho.
   a) la
   b) lo
   c) las

7. ¿Tienes los cuadernos? — Sí, ___ tengo.
   a) los
   b) la
   c) lo

8. ¿Invitas a Ana y Marta? — Sí, ___ invito.
   a) los
   b) la
   c) las

9. ¿Quieres ver la serie? — Sí, quiero ___ ver.
   a) la
   b) lo
   c) las

10. ¿Crees eso? — Sí, ___ creo.
    a) lo
    b) la
    c) los

3. Translation

Translate into Spanish using the correct pronoun. Answers in the footnotes.3

1. I see him. → ___

2. I see her. → ___

3. I see them (masculine). → ___

4. I see them (feminine). → ___

5. I don’t know it. (the answer) → ___

6. I don’t believe it. (the idea) → ___

7. Buy it! (the book, tú command) → ___

8. Don’t buy it! (the book, tú command) → ___

9. Read it! (the letter, usted command) → ___

10. Don’t read it! (the letter, usted command) → ___

4. Questions

Answer in Spanish with a direct object pronoun. Answers in the footnotes4.

1. ¿Lees el periódico todos los días?

2. ¿Miras películas en casa?

3. ¿Escuchas música en el coche?

4. ¿Tienes libros en español?

5. ¿Comes frutas todos los días?

6. ¿Invitas a tus amigos a tu casa?

7. ¿Usas la computadora mucho?

8. ¿Compras ropa en línea?

9. ¿Conoces a tus vecinos?

10. ¿Crees que el español es difícil? (Tip: Use “lo”)

With this, we have seen the direct object and how to replace it with direct object pronouns.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to text me.

In another class, we will see indirect object pronouns (le/les, etc.) that you have probably already seen somewhere.

Stay tuned!

Both verbs mean “hacer” in Spanish but their usage depends on the context:

• make a cake (to create something new)

• do homework (to carry out a task)

You can’t simply translate word for word—you have to learn which verb fits in which situation.

The same happens in Spanish with the verbs ser and estar. Both mean “to be,” but they are used in different contexts. And just like with make and do, there’s no one-size-fits-all shortcut. As with many things, the real shortcut is to study the theory and practice a lot. Practice is very important. Often, we don't understand the theory because we haven't practiced enough.

Why “permanent vs. temporary” is not enough

A very popular rule says:

• ser = permanent

• estar = temporary

At first glance, this seems logical, but it’s incomplete and often wrong.

Examples that break the rule:

• Elvis está muerto → Death is permanent, but we use estar.

• Soy estudiante → Being a student is temporary in life, but we use ser.

So the key is not about time. If there is a key, it’s about the nature of what you’re describing: is it a characteristic or a state?

When to use ser (what something is)

We use ser to describe or identify:

• Identity, profession, origin, nationality

  • Soy Leo. = I am Leo

  • Soy profesor. = I am a teacher.

  • Ella es mexicana. = She is Mexican.

  • Ella es de México. = She is from Mexico.

• Time, day, date, season

  • Son las tres. = It’s three o’clock.

  • Hoy es lunes. = Today is Monday.

  • Mañana es 2 de septiembre. = Tomorrow is September 2.

  • En agosto es verano. = August is summer.

• Location of events

  • La boda es en Madrid. = The wedding is in Madrid.

• Essential or defining characteristics

  • El agua es transparente. = Water is transparent.

  • Mi hermano es alto. = My brother is tall.

👉 Mnemonic trick: DOCTOR

• Date

• Occupation

• Characteristics

• Time

• Origin

• Relation

When to use estar (how something is / where it is)

We use estar to describe:

• Location (where someone or something is)

  • Estoy en casa. = I am at home.

  • El libro está en la mesa. = The book is on the table.

• Physical, mental, emotional states

  • Estoy cansado. = I am tired.

  • Ella está feliz. = She is happy.

• Actions in progress (present continuous)

  • Estamos estudiando. = We are studying.

• Results of a change or condition

  • La ventana está rota. = The window is broken.

👉 Mnemonic trick: PLACE

• Position

• Location

• Action

• Condition

• Emotion

Meaning changes with adjectives

Okay, this part can be especially difficult, but trust me, practice will make it easy. Some adjectives change meaning depending on whether you use ser or estar:

• Aburrido

  • Es aburrido = He is boring (by nature).

  • Está aburrido = He is bored (right now).

• Malo

  • Es malo = He is a bad person.

  • Está malo = He is sick.

• Guapo

  • Es guapa = She is pretty (in general).

  • Está guapa = She looks good today (more temporary).

• Seguro

  • Es seguro = He is safe/reliable.

  • Está seguro = He is sure/certain.

• Listo

  • Es lista = She is smart.

  • Está lista = She is ready.

✨ A clearer way to think about it

Instead of “permanent vs. temporary,” try this:

• Ser = what something is (identity, essence, definition).

• Estar = how something is / where something is (state, situation, location).

This way you avoid the traps of the myth.

Tips for beginners and intermediates

• Ask yourself: Am I talking about what it is (ser) or how/where it is (estar)?

• Use the acronyms DOCTOR and PLACE to remember the main rules.

• Pay attention to real examples: reading and listening will build intuition.

Conclusion

Just like with make and do in English, there’s no magic shortcut: it takes practice and exposure. But the more you use them in context, the more natural it will feel.

If anything is unclear, I will be happy to answer your questions.

Subscribe now

✍️ Now, let's practice!

Fill in the blanks (choose the correct form of ser or estar)

Complete the sentences with the correct conjugation. You can see the answers in the footnotes1.

1. Yo ___ estudiante de medicina. (I am a medical student.)

2. Nosotros ___ en casa ahora. (We are at home now.)

3. La fiesta ___ en la playa. (The party is on the beach.)

4. Hoy ___ martes. (Today is Tuesday.)

5. Ellos ___ muy cansados después del viaje. (They are very tired after the trip.)

6. El libro ___ de Juan. (The book belongs to Juan.)

7. El café ___ caliente. (The coffee is hot.)

8. Mis abuelos ___ españoles. (My grandparents are Spanish.)

9. La ventana ___ abierta. (The window is open.)

10. Tú ___ mi mejor amigo. (You are my best friend.)

Multiple choice

Choose the correct option (ser or estar). You can see the answers in the footnotes2.

1. Madrid ___ en España. (Madrid is in Spain.)

   • a) es

   • b) está

2. Mi hermana ___ inteligente y trabajadora. (My sister is intelligent and hardworking.)

   • a) es

   • b) está

3. Yo ___ preocupado por el examen. (I am worried about the exam.)

   • a) soy

   • b) estoy

4. La boda ___ el sábado. (The wedding is on Saturday.)

   • a) es

   • b) está

5. Mi coche ___ rojo. (My car is red.)

   • a) es

   • b) está

6. Ellos ___ muy contentos hoy. (They are very happy today.)

   • a) son

   • b) están

7. El cielo ___ azul. (The sky is blue.)

   • a) es

   • b) está

8. Nosotros ___ en clase ahora mismo. (We are in class right now.)

   • a) somos

   • b) estamos

9. La película ___ aburrida. (The movie is boring.)

   • a) es

   • b) está

10. Tú ___ listo para salir. (You are ready to go out.)

• a) eres

• b) estás

Translate into Spanish (choose correctly between ser or estar)

Answers in the footnotes3.

1. I am tired. (Yo ___ cansado/a.)

2. She is a doctor. (Ella ___ doctora.)

3. We are at the park. (Nosotros ___ en el parque.)

4. They are my friends. (Ellos ___ mis amigos.)

5. The door is closed. (La puerta ___ cerrada.)

6. Today is Monday. (Hoy ___ lunes.)

7. My parents are very kind. (Mis padres ___ muy amables.)

8. The children are at school. (Los niños ___ en la escuela.)

9. He is tall. (Él ___ alto.)

10. I am happy today. (___ feliz hoy.)

If you’d like even more practice, you can download a worksheet with 90 exercises here: Ser and Estar. 90 exercises.

After this lesson, you will have complete clarity on the use of these prepositions.

And with them, your communication and confidence when speaking Spanish will improve significantly.

This lesson is tailored for advanced beginners / intermediate students. If you are at an advanced level, you can try going directly to the exercises and comparing your own answers with the ones I provide at the bottom of the page. If there is a discrepancy, then go to the theory section and review it.

Why is por vs. para so confusing?

Frequently, por and para are translated as “for” in English, but the reality is that this is not accurate at all, since por and para can be translated into English in many different ways (for, to, because of, by, per, and many more). For this reason, without deliberate practice, it is difficult to master all of their uses. And that is precisely what we will do today. We will look at each of their uses and then put them into practice.

This lesson also includes a bonus: 5 strategies for mastering the use of por and para, where we will address the most common questions that these prepositions raise for learners, answering them one by one.

When do we use por?

In general, it indicates motivation, means, or substitution. When we use por, it is as if we are looking back into the past to find the reason for something. Below you can see all the uses:

• Cause, reason, or motivation
  Use por to express the motive behind an action.
  Examples:

  • Cogí el paraguas por la lluvia

    → I took the umbrella because of the rain.

  • Fue a la cárcel por robar un banco

    → He went to jail for robbing a bank.

  • No pudiste ir por estar enfermo

    → You couldn’t go because you were sick.

• Means by which (of transportation, communication)
  Indicates how something is done, using or via something.
  Example:

  • Viajaron por coche

    → They traveled by car.

  • Hablamos por teléfono

    → We talked on the phone.

• Movement through or by a general space or time / Time of day.
  Example:

  • Pasó por tu casa

    → He passed by your house.

  • Caminamos por el parque

    → We walked through the park.

  • Es por la mañana, por la tarde o por la noche.

    →It's in the morning, in the afternoon or in the evening.

• Preference ("por mí")
  Example:

  • Por mí, haz lo que quieras

    → As far as I’m concerned, you can do whatever you want.

• Duration or indefinite time
  Example:

  • Estudié español por dos años

    → I studied Spanish for two years.

  • Vivimos en México por seis meses

    → We lived in Mexico for six months.

• Exchange, substitution, rate, distribution (per)

  Example:

  • Te cambio mi libro por tu cuaderno.
    → I’ll trade you my book for your notebook.

  • La cena es 50 euros por persona.

    → Dinner is €50 per person.

• Agent in a passive construction (by)

  • El libro fue escrito por el novelista

    → The book was written by the novelist.

In a large number of idiomatic expressions:

• por ahora

  → for now, for the moment

• por allá

  → that way

• por casualidad

  → by (any) chance

• por cierto

  → by the way

• por desgracia

  → unfortunately

• por ejemplo

  → for example

• por eso

  → that's why

• por favor

  → please

• por fin

  → at last

• por fortuna

  → fortunately

• por igual

  → equally

• por lo menos

  → at least

• por lo tanto

  → therefore

• por otra parte

  → on the other hand

• por primera vez

  → for the first time

• por si (acaso)

  → (just) in case

• por suerte

  → luckily

• por supuesto

  → of course

• por un lado, por otro lado

  → on the one hand, on the other hand

Let's practice ✍️

A. Indicate which use of the preposition por corresponds to each sentence. You can see the answers in the footnotes1.

Example:

• Estudié por tres horas anoche

  → I studied for three hours last night.

  Use of por: Duration

1. Compré flores por su cumpleaños.
   → I bought flowers for her birthday.

2. Hablamos por Zoom ayer.
   → We talked via Zoom yesterday.

3. Pasé por el centro comercial.
   → I passed by the mall.

4. Por mí, podemos salir temprano.
   → As far as I’m concerned, we can leave early.

5. Trabajé por ocho horas seguidas.
   → I worked for eight hours straight.

6. Pagué diez dólares por este libro.
   → I paid ten dollars for this book.

7. La película fue dirigida por Almodóvar.
   → The movie was directed by Almodóvar.

8. Voy al trabajo por autobús.
   → I go to work by bus.

9. Lo hice por amor.
   → I did it out of love.

10. Está cerrado por vacaciones.
    → It’s closed due to vacations.

Subscribe now

When do we use para?

In general, it indicates destination, purpose, or objective. When using it, we think about the goal we have ahead of us. Below you can see all the uses:

• Direction toward a destination or goal

  • Estudio español para mejorar mi comunicación

    → I study Spanish to improve my communication.

  • Hace ejercicio para mantenerse en forma

    → She works out to stay in shape.

• Purpose, goal or destination toward a recipient

  • Este tren sale para Asturias

    → This train leaves for Asturias.

  • Este regalo es para ti

    → This gift is for you.

• Opinion

  • Para mí, esta película es la mejor.

    → For me, this movie is the best.

  • Para nosotros, el viaje fue inolvidable.

    → For us, the trip was unforgettable.

• Time limit, due date or deadline

  • El informe es para el viernes

    → The report is due by Friday.

  • La tarea es para mañana

    → The homework is for tomorrow.

• Comparison to normal expectation; opinion, point of view

  • Es muy paciente para ser tan joven.

    → She is very patient for being so young.

  • Habla muy rápido para tener solo seis años.
    → He speaks very fast for being only six years old.

Let's practice ✍️

Read each sentence in Spanish and determine the specific use of para. You can see the answers in the footnotes2.

Example:

• Compro flores para mis amigos

  → I buy flowers for my friends.

  Use of para: Destination toward a recipient

1. Compré este libro para aprender historia.

   → I bought this book to learn history.

2. Este paquete es para la Sra. López.

   → This package is for Mrs. López.

3. Para mí, el invierno es la mejor estación.

   → For me, winter is the best season.

4. La entrega es para el lunes sin falta.

   → The delivery is due by Monday without fail.

5. Habla muy bien español para ser turista.

   → He speaks Spanish very well for a tourist.

6. Salimos para el aeropuerto en diez minutos.

   → We’re leaving for the airport in ten minutes.

7. Trabaja mucho para ganar más dinero.

   → He works hard to earn more money.

8. Para ellos, la decisión fue injusta.

   → For them, the decision was unfair.

9. El pastel es para el cumpleaños de Ana.

   → The cake is for Ana’s birthday.

10. Escribe increíblemente bien para tener solo ocho años.

    → She writes incredibly well for an eight-year-old.

Bonus: 5 strategies for hacking por vs para

The following strategies are designed to resolve any confusion you may encounter when using por and para.

Strategy 1: Ask the magic question

• Why? (Because of) → por

  If you can replace it with “because of” use por

• What for? (In order to) → para

  If you can replace it with “in order to” use para

Examples:

• Estudio español por mi trabajo.
  → I study Spanish because of my job. (cause)

• Estudio español para viajar a México.
  → I study Spanish in order to travel to Mexico. (purpose)

• Lo hice por ti.

  → I did it because of you.

• Lo hice para ti.

  → I did it in order to give it to you.

• Lo hago para mejorar.

  → I do it (in order) to improve.

Strategy 2: Think of the journey vs. the goal

• Por = the path, the means, the cause.

• Para = the final goal, destination, or purpose.

Examples:

• Caminamos por el bosque.
  → We walked through the forest. (path)

• Caminamos para llegar a la playa.
  We walked to reach the beach. (goal)

Strategy 3: Think of time: duration vs. deadline

• Por = duration, approximate time

• Para = specific deadline

Examples

• Voy a Madrid por dos semanas.
  I’m going to Madrid for two weeks. (duration)

• La tarea es para mañana.
  The homework is for tomorrow. (deadline)

Strategy 4: Exchange and substitution vs. recipient

• Por = exchange, substitution

• Para = recipient

Examples:

• Te cambio mi café por tu té.
  → I’ll trade you my coffee for your tea. (exchange)

• Este regalo es para ti.
  → This gift is for you. (recipient)

Strategy 5: Learn fixed expressions

• Por: por favor, por ejemplo, por supuesto, gracias por

  → Please, for example, of course, thank you for

• Para: para siempre, para nada, para entonces

  → Forever, for nothing, by then

The following guiding questions can help you decide which preposition to use:

• ¿para qué? → What for? For what purpose or goal? In order to achieve what?

• ¿por qué? → Why? For what reason or motive? Because of what?

• ¿para dónde? → Where to? What is the final destination?

• ¿por dónde? → Through where? Along what path, route, or general area?

• ¿para quién? → For whom? Who is the intended recipient?

• ¿por quién? → By whom? For whose sake? Who is the agent or motivating factor?

In many situations, both prepositions are grammatically correct, but they express different ideas:

• I’m going toward the house
  → Voy hacia la casa (focus on the goal or destination)

  I’m going through the house
  → Voy por la casa (focus on moving inside it, roaming, or passing across)

• I’m doing this for María
  → Hago esto para María (she is the recipient, I intend to give it to her)

  I’m doing this because of María
  → Hago esto por María (she is the reason or motive, she wants or needs me to)

• He got money for the research
  → Consiguió dinero para la investigación (to carry it out, in order to do the research)

  He got money from the research
  → Consiguió dinero de la investigación (as a result of it, an exchange: he was paid after doing it)

Subscribe now

Exercises with Por vs Para ✍️

Fill in the blank with por or para as appropriate. Translation can help you. You can see the answers in the footnotes3.

1. Este regalo es ___ mi madre, espero que le guste.

   This gift is for my mother. I hope she likes it.

2. Caminamos ___ el centro histórico durante horas.

   We walked around the historic center for hours.

3. Necesito el informe ___ el lunes sin falta.

   I need the report by Monday without fail.

4. Gracias ___ ayudarme con la mudanza.

   Thank you for helping me with the move.

5. Salimos temprano ___ evitar el tráfico de la mañana.

   We left early to avoid the morning traffic.

6. Ese libro fue escrito ___ un famoso poeta chileno.

   That book was written by a famous Chilean poet.

7. Tengo que terminar la presentación ___ mañana.

   I have to finish the presentation tomorrow.

8. Te cambio mi café ___ tu té, ¿quieres?

   I'll trade you my coffee for your tea, would you like that?

9. Compré flores ___ celebrar tu cumpleaños.

   I bought flowers to celebrate your birthday.

10. Me gusta mucho viajar ___ avión.

    I really like traveling by plane.

11. ___ mí, esa decisión no tiene sentido.

    For me, that decision doesn't make sense.

12. Nos vemos ___ la tarde, ¿te parece bien?

    See you this afternoon, is that okay with you?

13. Viví en Argentina ___ seis meses y fue una experiencia increíble.

    I lived in Argentina for six months and it was an incredible experience.

14. Este tren va directo ___ Madrid, sin paradas intermedias.

    This train goes directly to Madrid, with no stops in between.

15. Ella habla muy bien inglés ___ haber estudiado solo un año.

    She speaks English very well for having studied it for only one year.

That's all for now. If you have any questions or anything is unclear, please ask me.

Hasta la próxima semana,

Leo

Sounds simple, right? But actually, this structure is one of the biggest headaches for Spanish learners, especially if your native language is English.

First of all, let's see a list of all the possibilities. Then we will study it in detail.

(A mí) me gusta/n

(A ti) te gusta/n

(A él/ella/usted) le gusta/n

(A nosotros) nos gusta/n

(A vosotros) os gusta/n

(A ellos/ellas/ustedes) les gusta/n

The part “a mí” and “me”, “a ti” and “te”, etc., both mean the same thing. It is like “to me” in English. “To me” is just a repetition to make it clear who we are referring to. For that reason, we can choose not to use it in our sentences, as we will see below.

Why is it so tricky?

In English, when you say “I like apples”, you are the subject, and apples are the object.

But in Spanish, it doesn't work that way. When we say “Me gustan las manzanas” (I like apples), it’s actually the apples that please you. What we’re really saying is something like: “The apples are pleasing to me.” So, as you can see, the structure changes completely.

How to say I like something:

There is a long version and a short version as we saw before. The long version consists of including a mí, a ti, a él/ella/usted, a nosotros, a vosotros, a él/ella/ustedes at the beginning of the sentence. The short version is not to include it. Example:

• A mí me gusta la pizza (long version).

• Me gusta la pizza (short version).

We can use the long version for:

1. Emphasize that we like something. It's like in English when we say “I DO like this or that”:

   • A mí me gustan las patatas fritas, pero a ti no. (I like french fries, but you don't.)

2. To say that someone else likes something. Or, also, to mention the name of the person who likes something:

• A ella le gusta el vino. (She likes wine.)

• A Pedro le gusta bailar. (Pedro likes to dance.)

“Gusta” or “Gustan”?

When we’re talking about a singular thing we use “gusta”:

• Me gusta el café. (I like coffee.)

• No te gusta la música. (You don't like music.)

When we’re talking about more than one thing we use “gustan”:

• No me gustan los libros. (I don't like books.)

• Te gustan los perros. (You like dogs.)

When we’re talking about an activity we use “gusta”:

• Me gusta leer. (I like to read.)

• ¿Te gusta caminar por la mañana? (Do you like to walk in the morning?)

It doesn't matter if the activity involves several things. We will use “gustar” in the singular in any case:

• Me gusta ver películas. (I like to watch movies.)

Note that in Spanish we use the article (el, la, los, las) to talk about things we like in general:

• Me gusta el deporte. (I like sports.)

• Me gustan las plantas. (I like plants.)

How to say you don't like something:

It's the same idea than before. Only we add “no” at the beginning:

• No me gusta correr. (I don't like to run.)

• No le gustan las ciudades grandes. (He doesn't like big cities.)

• No te gusta hablar por teléfono. (You don't like to talk on the phone.)

Subscribe now

Let's practice with a story!

Instructions:

1. Listen to the audio and follow the text.

2. Read the story aloud.

3. (Optional) Listen and repeat each sentence.

And you?

Answer this questions using me gusta / no me gusta:

• ¿Te gusta el café? (Do you like coffee?)

• ¿Te gustan los gatos o los perros? (Do you like cats or dogs?)

• ¿Te gusta leer? ¿Qué tipo de libros te gustan? (Do you like to read? What kind of books do you like?)

• ¿Te gusta la noche o el día? ¿Por qué? (Do you like night or day? Why?)

• ¿Qué más te gusta hacer? (What else do you like to do?)

• ¿Qué otras cosas te gustan? (What other things do you like?)

• ¿Qué cosas no te gustan? (What things don't you like?)

If you write your answers in the comments, I can give you feedback. Feel free to ask any questions.

Final tip:

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are our best teachers. Practice every chance you get. Listen, repeat and build your own sentences.

Hasta la próxima semana,

Leo

If you have a friend or family member who is learning Spanish, help them in their goal by sharing this article:

Share