Acaparar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
acaparar means "to hoard, to monopolise" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see acaparar with all the food in the market, the attention at the party, the library books and the fruit market — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo acaparo toda la comida del mercado. — "Every day, I hoard all the food in the market." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
acaparar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with acaparar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo acaparo toda la comida del mercado. — "Every day, I hoard all the food in the market." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo acaparé la atención en la fiesta. — "Yesterday, I hoarded the attention at the party." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo acaparaba los libros de la biblioteca. — "In the past, I used to hoard the library books." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros acapararemos el mercado de la fruta. — "Tomorrow, we will hoard the fruit market." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú acapararías toda la comida del mercado. — "If you could, you would hoard all the food in the market." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he acaparado la atención en la fiesta. — "I have hoarded the attention at the party." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él acapara los libros de la biblioteca. — "Normally, he/she hoards the library books." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él acaparó el mercado de la fruta. — "Yesterday, he/she hoarded the fruit market." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros acaparábamos toda la comida del mercado. — "In the past, we used to hoard all the food in the market." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo acapararé la atención en la fiesta. — "Tomorrow, I will hoard the attention at the party." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él acapare los libros de la biblioteca. — "I hope that he/she hoards the library books." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Acapara el mercado de la fruta! — "Hoard the fruit market!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using acaparar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: all the food in the market, the attention at the party, the library books and the fruit market.
Dialogue 1: talking about all the food in the market
Sofía: ¿Tú acaparas toda la comida del mercado? — "Do you hoard all the food in the market?" Diego: Sí, yo acaparo toda la comida del mercado. — "I hoard all the food in the market." Sofía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Diego: Ayer, yo acaparé la atención en la fiesta. — "Yesterday, I hoarded the attention at the party." Sofía: Mañana, nosotros acapararemos los libros de la biblioteca. — "Tomorrow, we will hoard the library books." Diego: Si pudiera, yo acapararía el mercado de la fruta. — "If I could, I would hoard the fruit market." Sofía: Antes, yo acaparaba la atención en la fiesta. — "In the past, I used to hoard the attention at the party." Diego: Yo he acaparado toda la comida del mercado. — "I have hoarded all the food in the market." Sofía: ¡Acapara los libros de la biblioteca! — "Hoard the library books!"
In this dialogue acaparar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about the library books
Sofía: Él acapara los libros de la biblioteca. — "he/she hoards the library books." Diego: ¿De verdad? ¿Él acapara los libros de la biblioteca todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she hoards the library books every day?" Sofía: Sí, y ellos acaparan el mercado de la fruta. — "they hoard the fruit market." Diego: Ayer, ellos acapararon los libros de la biblioteca. — "Yesterday, they hoarded the library books." Sofía: Espero que él acapare el mercado de la fruta. — "I hope that he/she hoards the fruit market." Diego: Mañana, él acaparará los libros de la biblioteca. — "Tomorrow, he/she will hoard the library books." Sofía: Antes, nosotros acaparábamos el mercado de la fruta. — "In the past, we used to hoard the fruit market." Diego: Nosotros acaparamos toda la comida del mercado también. — "we hoard all the food in the market too."
This dialogue shows acaparar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with acaparar
The errors learners actually make with acaparar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me acaparo toda la comida del mercado.
- Right: Yo acaparo toda la comida del mercado.
- Why: acaparar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo acaparo toda la comida del mercado. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo acaparar toda la comida del mercado.
- Right: Yo acaparo toda la comida del mercado.
- Why: The infinitive acaparar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form acaparo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo acaparo la atención en la fiesta.
- Right: Ayer, yo acaparé la atención en la fiesta.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo acaparé la atención en la fiesta. — "Yesterday, I hoarded the attention at the party."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy acaparado los libros de la biblioteca.
- Right: Estoy acaparando los libros de la biblioteca.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund acaparando for the progressive. The participle acaparado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he acaparado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros acapara toda la comida del mercado.
- Right: Nosotros acaparamos toda la comida del mercado.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes acaparamos, while acapara belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: acaparar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on acaparar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of acaparar in the present tense?
- (a) acaparo
- (b) acaparas
- (c) acapara
- (d) acaparamos
Answer: (a) acaparo. The yo form is acaparo.
2. What is the tú form of acaparar in the present tense?
- (a) acaparo
- (b) acapara
- (c) acaparamos
- (d) acaparas
Answer: (d) acaparas. The tú form is acaparas.
3. What is the él/ella form of acaparar in the present tense?
- (a) acaparas
- (b) acaparamos
- (c) acapara
- (d) acaparo
Answer: (c) acapara. The él/ella form is acapara.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ toda la comida del mercado.
- (a) acaparamos
- (b) acaparo
- (c) acaparas
- (d) acapara
Answer: (b) acaparo. The sentence needs the yo form acaparo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ la atención en la fiesta.
- (a) acaparé
- (b) acaparaste
- (c) acaparó
- (d) acaparamos
Answer: (a) acaparé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is acaparé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ los libros de la biblioteca.
- (a) acaparabas
- (b) acaparábamos
- (c) acaparabais
- (d) acaparaba
Answer: (d) acaparaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is acaparaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el mercado de la fruta.
- (a) acaparará
- (b) acapararemos
- (c) acapararé
- (d) acapararás
Answer: (c) acapararé. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is acapararé.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ toda la comida del mercado.
- (a) ha acaparado
- (b) hemos acaparado
- (c) he acaparado
- (d) has acaparado
Answer: (c) he acaparado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he acaparado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ los libros de la biblioteca.
- (a) acapare
- (b) acapares
- (c) acaparemos
- (d) acaparéis
Answer: (a) acapare. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is acapare.
10. What does acaparar mean in English?
- (a) to hoard, to monopolise
- (b) to get dirty
- (c) to be moved
- (d) to mistake
Answer: (a) to hoard, to monopolise. acaparar means "to hoard, to monopolise" in English.
Frequently asked questions about acaparar
What does acaparar mean?
acaparar means "to hoard, to monopolise" in English. Use it when you talk about all the food in the market, the attention at the party, the library books and the fruit market — for example: Cada día, yo acaparo toda la comida del mercado. — "Every day, I hoard all the food in the market."
Is there a reflexive form of acaparar?
No. acaparar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo acaparo toda la comida del mercado. — "Every day, I hoard all the food in the market."
What is the most common mistake with acaparar?
The tense, not the form. Learners use the present tense for yesterday, or the preterite for a habit. Remember: Cada día, yo acaparo toda la comida del mercado. — "Every day, I hoard all the food in the market." is a habit, while Ayer, yo acaparé toda la comida del mercado is one finished action.
How can I practise acaparar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.