Abarcar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

abarcar means “to cover, to encompass” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Abarcar means to cover or to encompass, and it is used for things that stretch over a space, a period or a subject: a bridge covers a river, a book covers a whole century, a law covers every worker. It also means to take in with the arms or with the eyes, as in abarcar con la mirada. It is a wide, general verb for scope and coverage. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of abarcar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the abarcar present tense page.

abarcar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with abarcar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo abarco toda la historia del siglo. — I cover the whole history of the century.
  2. Él/Ella abarca desde el río hasta la montaña. — He covers from the river to the mountain.
  3. Nosotros/as abarcamos muchos temas en un solo libro. — We cover many topics in a single book.
  4. Ellos/as abarcan toda la ciudad con la mirada. — They cover the whole city with one look.

In the past

Four sentences with abarcar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo abarqué muchos temas en un solo libro. — Yesterday, I covered many topics in a single book.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as abarcábamos toda la ciudad con la mirada. — Before, We used to cover the whole city with one look.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella abarcó toda la historia del siglo. — Yesterday, He covered the whole history of the century.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as abarcaban desde el río hasta la montaña. — As children, They used to cover from the river to the mountain.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with abarcar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú abarcarás toda la historia del siglo. — Tomorrow, You will cover the whole history of the century.
  2. Yo abarcaría desde el río hasta la montaña. — I would cover from the river to the mountain.
  3. Espero que él abarque muchos temas en un solo libro. — I hope he covers many topics in a single book.
  4. Él/Ella ha abarcado toda la ciudad con la mirada. — He has covered the whole city with one look.

abarcar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú abarcas toda la historia del siglo mañana? — Are you going to cover the whole history of the century tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo abarco toda la historia del siglo todos los días. — Yes, I cover the whole history of the century every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana abarcarás desde el río hasta la montaña? — And tomorrow, will you cover from the river to the mountain? Luis: Claro, mañana abarcaré desde el río hasta la montaña sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will cover from the river to the mountain without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo abarcaré muchos temas en un solo libro también. — Perfect. I will cover many topics in a single book too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer abarqué muchos temas en un solo libro. — Yesterday, I covered many topics in a single book. Ana: ¿Y antes abarcabas toda la ciudad con la mirada? — And before, did you use to cover the whole city with one look? Luis: Sí, antes abarcaba toda la ciudad con la mirada todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to cover the whole city with one look every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos abarcaron toda la historia del siglo? — And did your brothers covered the whole history of the century? Luis: Sí, ellos abarcaron toda la historia del siglo por la tarde. — Yes, they covered the whole history of the century in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo abarca toda la historia del siglo. — Right: Yo abarco toda la historia del siglo. — The person matters: abarca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abarco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo abarcé muchos temas en un solo libro. — Right: Ayer, yo abarqué muchos temas en un solo libro. — Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is abarqué, never abarcé.
  3. Wrong: Treating abarcar and cubrir as identical in every context. — Right: Abarcar means to cover, to encompass, while cubrir means to cover something physically. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: abarcar fits sentences such as Abarco toda la historia del siglo, while cubrir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy abarcado desde el río hasta la montaña. — Right: Yo he abarcado desde el río hasta la montaña. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he abarcado, has abarcado, ha abarcado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo abarqué muchos temas en un solo libro todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo abarcaba muchos temas en un solo libro todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (abarcaba), not the preterite. The preterite (abarqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on abarcar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ toda la ciudad con la mirada. (present tense) A. abarcan B. abarco C. abarcas D. abarca

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ toda la historia del siglo. (preterite tense) A. abarqué B. abarcaste C. abarcó D. abarcamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ desde el río hasta la montaña. (imperfect tense) A. abarcábamos B. abarcabais C. abarcabas D. abarcaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ muchos temas en un solo libro. (future tense) A. abarcaremos B. abarcará C. abarcaré D. abarcarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ toda la ciudad con la mirada. (conditional tense) A. abarcaríamos B. abarcaría C. abarcarías D. abarcaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ toda la historia del siglo. (present-perfect tense) A. has abarcado B. ha abarcado C. hemos abarcado D. he abarcado

  7. What does abarcar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to cover, to encompass D. to cover something physically

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo abarqué muchos temas en un solo libro. B. Yo abarca toda la historia del siglo. C. Yo abarco toda la historia del siglo. D. Él/Ella abarca desde el río hasta la montaña.

  9. Which is the gerund of abarcar, used with estar for the progressive? A. abarcando B. abarcado C. abarco D. abarqué

  10. Which is the past participle of abarcar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. abarcando B. abarco C. abarqué D. abarcado

Answer key

  1. abarcan — The correct form here is abarcan.
  2. abarcamos — The correct form here is abarcamos.
  3. abarcabas — The correct form here is abarcabas.
  4. abarcará — The correct form here is abarcará.
  5. abarcaríamos — The correct form here is abarcaríamos.
  6. he abarcado — The correct form here is he abarcado.
  7. to cover, to encompass — Abarcar means to cover, to encompass. Cubrir means to cover something physically, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo abarca toda la historia del siglo. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo abarco toda la historia del siglo.. The person matters: abarca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abarco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. abarcando — The gerund of abarcar is abarcando: estoy abarcando.
  10. abarcado — The past participle of abarcar is abarcado: he abarcado, has abarcado, ha abarcado.

Frequently asked questions

What does abarcar mean?

Abarcar means to cover, to encompass. Abarcar means to cover or to encompass, and it is used for things that stretch over a space, a period or a subject: a bridge covers a river, a book covers a whole century, a law covers every worker. It also means to take in with the arms or with the eyes, as in abarcar con la mirada. It is a wide, general verb for scope and coverage.

When do people use abarcar most?

People use abarcar most in everyday situations such as Yo abarco toda la historia del siglo. and Ayer, Yo abarqué muchos temas en un solo libro.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between abarcar and cubrir?

Abarcar means to cover, to encompass, while cubrir means to cover something physically. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of abarcar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of abarcar as your reference, the abarcar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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