Aclararse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
aclararse means "to clear up" 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 aclararse with the sky after the rain, the doubt with the example, his voice after coughing and the river water in summer — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo me aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia. — "Every day, I clear up the sky after the rain." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
aclararse in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with aclararse, 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 me aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia. — "Every day, I clear up the sky after the rain." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo me aclaré la duda con el ejemplo. — "Yesterday, I cleared up the doubt with the example." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo me aclaraba la voz después de toser. — "In the past, I used to clear up his voice after coughing." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros nos aclararemos el agua del río en verano. — "Tomorrow, we will clear up the river water in summer." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú te aclararías el cielo después de la lluvia. — "If you could, you would clear up the sky after the rain." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo me he aclarado la duda con el ejemplo. — "I have cleared up the doubt with the example." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él se aclara la voz después de toser. — "Normally, he/she clears up his voice after coughing." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él se aclaró el agua del río en verano. — "Yesterday, he/she cleared up the river water in summer." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros nos aclarábamos el cielo después de la lluvia. — "In the past, we used to clear up the sky after the rain." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo me aclararé la duda con el ejemplo. — "Tomorrow, I will clear up the doubt with the example." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él se aclare la voz después de toser. — "I hope that he/she clears up his voice after coughing." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡No te aclares el agua del río en verano! — "Do not clear up the river water in summer!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using aclararse naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the sky after the rain, the doubt with the example, his voice after coughing and the river water in summer.
Dialogue 1: talking about the sky after the rain
María: ¿Tú te aclaras el cielo después de la lluvia? — "Do you clear up the sky after the rain?" Carlos: Sí, yo me aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia. — "I clear up the sky after the rain." María: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Carlos: Ayer, yo me aclaré la duda con el ejemplo. — "Yesterday, I cleared up the doubt with the example." María: Mañana, nosotros nos aclararemos la voz después de toser. — "Tomorrow, we will clear up his voice after coughing." Carlos: Si pudiera, yo me aclararía el agua del río en verano. — "If I could, I would clear up the river water in summer." María: Antes, yo me aclaraba la duda con el ejemplo. — "In the past, I used to clear up the doubt with the example." Carlos: Yo me he aclarado el cielo después de la lluvia. — "I have cleared up the sky after the rain." María: ¡No te aclares la voz después de toser! — "Do not clear up his voice after coughing!"
In this dialogue aclararse 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 his voice after coughing
María: Él se aclara la voz después de toser. — "he/she clears up his voice after coughing." Carlos: ¿De verdad? ¿Él se aclara la voz después de toser todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she clears up his voice after coughing every day?" María: Sí, y ellos se aclaran el agua del río en verano. — "they clear up the river water in summer." Carlos: Ayer, ellos se aclararon la voz después de toser. — "Yesterday, they cleared up his voice after coughing." María: Espero que él se aclare el agua del río en verano. — "I hope that he/she clears up the river water in summer." Carlos: Mañana, él se aclarará la voz después de toser. — "Tomorrow, he/she will clear up his voice after coughing." María: Antes, nosotros nos aclarábamos el agua del río en verano. — "In the past, we used to clear up the river water in summer." Carlos: Nosotros nos aclaramos el cielo después de la lluvia también. — "we clear up the sky after the rain too."
This dialogue shows aclararse 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 aclararse
The errors learners actually make with aclararse in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia.
- Right: Yo me aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia.
- Why: aclararse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo aclararse el cielo después de la lluvia.
- Right: Yo me aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia.
- Why: The infinitive aclararse is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form aclaro.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me aclaro la duda con el ejemplo.
- Right: Ayer, yo me aclaré la duda con el ejemplo.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me aclaré la duda con el ejemplo. — "Yesterday, I cleared up the doubt with the example."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Me estoy aclarado la voz después de toser.
- Right: Me estoy aclarando la voz después de toser.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund aclarando for the progressive. The participle aclarado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (me he aclarado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos aclara el cielo después de la lluvia.
- Right: Nosotros nos aclaramos el cielo después de la lluvia.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes aclaramos, while aclara belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: aclararse in use
Test yourself with ten questions on aclararse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of aclararse in the present tense?
- (a) aclara
- (b) aclaramos
- (c) aclaro
- (d) aclaras
Answer: (c) aclaro. The yo form is aclaro.
2. What is the tú form of aclararse in the present tense?
- (a) aclaramos
- (b) aclaras
- (c) aclaro
- (d) aclara
Answer: (b) aclaras. The tú form is aclaras.
3. What is the él/ella form of aclararse in the present tense?
- (a) aclara
- (b) aclaro
- (c) aclaras
- (d) aclaramos
Answer: (a) aclara. The él/ella form is aclara.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ el cielo después de la lluvia.
- (a) aclaras
- (b) aclara
- (c) aclaramos
- (d) aclaro
Answer: (d) aclaro. The sentence needs the yo form aclaro.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ la duda con el ejemplo.
- (a) aclaró
- (b) aclaramos
- (c) aclaré
- (d) aclaraste
Answer: (c) aclaré. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is aclaré.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la voz después de toser.
- (a) aclarabais
- (b) aclaraba
- (c) aclarabas
- (d) aclarábamos
Answer: (b) aclaraba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is aclaraba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el agua del río en verano.
- (a) aclararé
- (b) aclararás
- (c) aclarará
- (d) aclararemos
Answer: (a) aclararé. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is aclararé.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el cielo después de la lluvia.
- (a) me he aclarado
- (b) te has aclarado
- (c) se ha aclarado
- (d) nos hemos aclarado
Answer: (a) me he aclarado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: me he aclarado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la voz después de toser.
- (a) aclaremos
- (b) aclaréis
- (c) aclare
- (d) aclares
Answer: (c) aclare. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is aclare.
10. What does aclararse mean in English?
- (a) to misplace
- (b) to get lost
- (c) to clear up
- (d) to exploit, to explode
Answer: (c) to clear up. aclararse means "to clear up" in English.
Frequently asked questions about aclararse
What does aclararse mean?
aclararse means "to clear up" in English. Use it when you talk about the sky after the rain, the doubt with the example, his voice after coughing and the river water in summer — for example: Cada día, yo me aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia. — "Every day, I clear up the sky after the rain."
Is aclararse reflexive?
Yes. aclararse is reflexive, so it always travels with a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Cada día, yo me aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia. — "Every day, I clear up the sky after the rain." If you drop the pronoun, the sentence is incomplete.
What is the most common mistake with aclararse?
Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Learners write the bare form — for example, Yo aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia — when the verb needs its pronoun: Cada día, yo me aclaro el cielo después de la lluvia. — "Every day, I clear up the sky after the rain." Keep the pronoun with the verb and the mistake disappears.
How can I practise aclararse?
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.