Accionar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

accionar means “to activate, to operate” 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. Accionar means to activate or to operate, and it is the verb for switches, buttons, levers and mechanisms: you activate an alarm, operate a machine, press a trigger. It is a technical verb, common in manuals, engineering and safety instructions. 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 accionar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the accionar present tense page.

accionar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo acciono la alarma de incendios. — I activate the fire alarm.
  2. Él/Ella acciona el interruptor de la luz. — He activates the light switch.
  3. Nosotros/as accionamos la máquina con el botón rojo. — We activate the machine with the red button.
  4. Ellos/as accionan el freno de emergencia. — They activate the emergency brake.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo accioné la máquina con el botón rojo. — Yesterday, I activated the machine with the red button.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as accionábamos el freno de emergencia. — Before, We used to activate the emergency brake.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella accionó la alarma de incendios. — Yesterday, He activated the fire alarm.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as accionaban el interruptor de la luz. — As children, They used to activate the light switch.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú accionarás la alarma de incendios. — Tomorrow, You will activate the fire alarm.
  2. Yo accionaría el interruptor de la luz. — I would activate the light switch.
  3. Espero que él accione la máquina con el botón rojo. — I hope he activates the machine with the red button.
  4. Él/Ella ha accionado el freno de emergencia. — He has activated the emergency brake.

accionar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú accionas la alarma de incendios mañana? — Are you going to activate the fire alarm tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo acciono la alarma de incendios todos los días. — Yes, I activate the fire alarm every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana accionarás el interruptor de la luz? — And tomorrow, will you activate the light switch? Luis: Claro, mañana accionaré el interruptor de la luz sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will activate the light switch without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo accionaré la máquina con el botón rojo también. — Perfect. I will activate the machine with the red button too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer accioné la máquina con el botón rojo. — Yesterday, I activated the machine with the red button. Ana: ¿Y antes accionabas el freno de emergencia? — And before, did you use to activate the emergency brake? Luis: Sí, antes accionaba el freno de emergencia todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to activate the emergency brake every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos accionaron la alarma de incendios? — And did your brothers activated the fire alarm? Luis: Sí, ellos accionaron la alarma de incendios por la tarde. — Yes, they activated the fire alarm in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo acciona la alarma de incendios. — Right: Yo acciono la alarma de incendios. — The person matters: acciona is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acciono. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating accionar and activar as identical in every context. — Right: Accionar means to activate, to operate, while activar means to activate a device or system. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: accionar fits sentences such as Acciono la alarma de incendios, while activar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy accionado el interruptor de la luz. — Right: Yo he accionado el interruptor de la luz. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he accionado, has accionado, ha accionado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo accioné la máquina con el botón rojo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo accionaba la máquina con el botón rojo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (accionaba), not the preterite. The preterite (accioné) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el freno de emergencia. (present tense) A. accionan B. acciono C. accionas D. acciona

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la alarma de incendios. (preterite tense) A. accioné B. accionaste C. accionó D. accionamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el interruptor de la luz. (imperfect tense) A. accionábamos B. accionabais C. accionabas D. accionaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la máquina con el botón rojo. (future tense) A. accionaremos B. accionará C. accionaré D. accionarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el freno de emergencia. (conditional tense) A. accionaríamos B. accionaría C. accionarías D. accionaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la alarma de incendios. (present-perfect tense) A. has accionado B. ha accionado C. hemos accionado D. he accionado

  7. What does accionar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to activate, to operate D. to activate a device or system

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo accioné la máquina con el botón rojo. B. Yo acciona la alarma de incendios. C. Yo acciono la alarma de incendios. D. Él/Ella acciona el interruptor de la luz.

  9. Which is the gerund of accionar, used with estar for the progressive? A. accionando B. accionado C. acciono D. accioné

  10. Which is the past participle of accionar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. accionando B. acciono C. accioné D. accionado

Answer key

  1. accionan — The correct form here is accionan.
  2. accionamos — The correct form here is accionamos.
  3. accionabas — The correct form here is accionabas.
  4. accionará — The correct form here is accionará.
  5. accionaríamos — The correct form here is accionaríamos.
  6. he accionado — The correct form here is he accionado.
  7. to activate, to operate — Accionar means to activate, to operate. Activar means to activate a device or system, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo acciona la alarma de incendios. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo acciono la alarma de incendios.. The person matters: acciona is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acciono. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. accionando — The gerund of accionar is accionando: estoy accionando.
  10. accionado — The past participle of accionar is accionado: he accionado, has accionado, ha accionado.

Frequently asked questions

What does accionar mean?

Accionar means to activate, to operate. Accionar means to activate or to operate, and it is the verb for switches, buttons, levers and mechanisms: you activate an alarm, operate a machine, press a trigger. It is a technical verb, common in manuals, engineering and safety instructions.

When do people use accionar most?

People use accionar most in everyday situations such as Yo acciono la alarma de incendios. and Ayer, Yo accioné la máquina con el botón rojo.. 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 accionar and activar?

Accionar means to activate, to operate, while activar means to activate a device or system. 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 accionar?

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

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