Achacar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

achacar means “to blame, to attribute” 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. Achacar means to blame or to attribute, to say that something is someone's fault or is caused by something. It is used with a for the person blamed and is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e. 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 achacar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the achacar present tense page.

achacar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo achaco la culpa a su compañero. — “I blame the blame to his colleague.”
  2. Él achaca el error al cansancio. — “He blames the mistake to tiredness.”
  3. Nosotros achacamos el problema a la falta de tiempo. — “We blame the problem to lack of time.”
  4. Ellos achacan todo a la mala suerte. — “They blame everything to bad luck.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo achaqué el error al cansancio. — “Yesterday, I blamed the mistake to tiredness.”
  2. Antes, nosotros achacábamos el problema a la falta de tiempo. — “Before, we used to blame the problem to lack of time.”
  3. Él achacó todo a la mala suerte. — “He blamed everything to bad luck.”
  4. Yo ya había achacado la culpa a su compañero antes de salir. — “I had already blamed the blame to his colleague before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú achacarás la culpa a su compañero. — “Tomorrow, you will blame the blame to his colleague.”
  2. Yo achacaría el error al cansancio si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would blame the mistake to tiredness if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha achacado el problema a la falta de tiempo. — “He has blamed the problem to lack of time.”
  4. Espero que él achaque todo a la mala suerte. — “I hope he blames everything to bad luck.”

achacar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use achacar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo achaco la culpa a su compañero. — “I blame the blame to his colleague.”
  • Bea: Él achaca el error al cansancio. — “He blames the mistake to tiredness.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo achaqué el error al cansancio. — “Yesterday, I blamed the mistake to tiredness.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú achacarás la culpa a su compañero. — “Tomorrow, you will blame the blame to his colleague.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros achacamos el problema a la falta de tiempo. — “We blame the problem to lack of time.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros achacábamos el problema a la falta de tiempo. — “Before, we used to blame the problem to lack of time.”
  • Luis: Yo achacaría el error al cansancio si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would blame the mistake to tiredness if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él achaque todo a la mala suerte. — “I hope he blames everything to bad luck.”

A short scene with achacar

A short scene shows how achacar works across the day. In the morning: Achaco la culpa a su compañero. In the afternoon: Achaca el error al cansancio. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, achaqué el problema a la falta de tiempo. And tomorrow: Mañana, achacaré todo a la mala suerte. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how achacar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with achacar

The errors learners actually make with achacar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo achaca la culpa a su compañero.

✓ Correct: Yo achaco la culpa a su compañero.

The person matters: achaca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is achaco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Espero que yo achace el error al cansancio.

✓ Correct: Espero que yo achaque el error al cansancio.

Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is achaque, never achace.

✗ Treating achacar and culpar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Achacar means to blame, to attribute, while culpar means to blame someone.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: achacar fits sentences such as Achaco la culpa a su compañero, while culpar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy achacado el error al cansancio.

✓ Correct: Yo he achacado el error al cansancio.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he achacado, has achacado, ha achacado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo achaqué el problema a la falta de tiempo todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo achacaba el problema a la falta de tiempo todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (achacaba), not the preterite. The preterite (achaqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: achacar in use

Ten questions on achacar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el error al cansancio. — “He/she blames the mistake to tiredness.”

  • a) achaca
  • b) achaco
  • c) achacas
  • d) achacamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el problema a la falta de tiempo. — “Yesterday, I blamed the problem to lack of time.”

  • a) achacaste
  • b) achacó
  • c) achacaron
  • d) achaqué

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ todo a la mala suerte cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to blame everything to bad luck when they were young.”

  • a) achacabas
  • b) achacábamos
  • c) achacaban
  • d) achacaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la culpa a su compañero. — “Tomorrow, we will blame the blame to his colleague.”

  • a) achacarán
  • b) achacaremos
  • c) achacaré
  • d) achacarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el error al cansancio si pudiera. — “He would blame the mistake to tiredness if he could.”

  • a) achacaría
  • b) achacarías
  • c) achacaríamos
  • d) achaco

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el problema a la falta de tiempo. — “I have blamed the problem to lack of time.”

  • a) has achacado
  • b) ha achacado
  • c) han achacado
  • d) he achacado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ todo a la mala suerte. — “I hope you blame everything to bad luck.”

  • a) achaquemos
  • b) achaco
  • c) achaques
  • d) achaque

8. Which is the past participle of achacar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) achaqué
  • b) achacado
  • c) achacando
  • d) achaco

9. What does achacar mean in English?

  • a) to blame, to attribute
  • b) to blame someone
  • c) to welcome, to host
  • d) to take refuge, to avail oneself of

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él achaca el error al cansancio.
  • b) Él achaco el error al cansancio.
  • c) Nosotros achaca el problema a la falta de tiempo.
  • d) Yo achaca la culpa a su compañero.

Answer key

  1. a) achaca — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: achaca.

  2. d) achaqué — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: achaqué, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) achacaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: achacaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) achacaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: achacaremos.

  5. a) achacaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: achacaría.

  6. d) he achacado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he achacado, haber + achacado.

  7. c) achaques — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is achaques.

  8. b) achacado — The past participle is achacado: he achacado, has achacado, ha achacado. The gerund achacando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to blame, to attribute — achacar means to blame, to attribute. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él achaca el error al cansancio. — Él achaca el error al cansancio. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use achacar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Achaco la culpa a su compañero and Achaca el error al cansancio. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between achacar and culpar?

Achacar means “to blame, to attribute”, while culpar means “to blame someone”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use achacar when you mean “to blame, to attribute” and culpar when you mean “to blame someone”.

Which tense do I need most with achacar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use achacar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is achacar formal or informal?

Achacar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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