Acompañar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

acompañar means “to accompany” 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. Acompañar means to accompany, and it is used for going with someone somewhere, for keeping someone company and for food that goes with a dish: you accompany a friend to the doctor, you accompany your grandmother on a walk, and rice accompanies fish. It is one of the most useful social verbs in Spanish. 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 acompañar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the acompañar present tense page.

acompañar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico. — I accompany my grandmother to the doctor.
  2. Él/Ella acompaña a mi amigo a la estación. — He accompanies my friend to the station.
  3. Nosotros/as acompañamos el pescado con arroz. — We accompany fish with rice.
  4. Ellos/as acompañan a mi hija a la escuela. — They accompany my daughter to school.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo acompañé el pescado con arroz. — Yesterday, I accompanied fish with rice.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as acompañábamos a mi hija a la escuela. — Before, We used to accompany my daughter to school.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella acompañó a mi abuela al médico. — Yesterday, He accompanied my grandmother to the doctor.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as acompañaban a mi amigo a la estación. — As children, They used to accompany my friend to the station.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú acompañarás a mi abuela al médico. — Tomorrow, You will accompany my grandmother to the doctor.
  2. Yo acompañaría a mi amigo a la estación. — I would accompany my friend to the station.
  3. Espero que él acompañe el pescado con arroz. — I hope he accompanies fish with rice.
  4. Él/Ella ha acompañado a mi hija a la escuela. — He has accompanied my daughter to school.

acompañar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú acompañas a mi abuela al médico mañana? — Are you going to accompany my grandmother to the doctor tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico todos los días. — Yes, I accompany my grandmother to the doctor every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana acompañarás a mi amigo a la estación? — And tomorrow, will you accompany my friend to the station? Luis: Claro, mañana acompañaré a mi amigo a la estación sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will accompany my friend to the station without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo acompañaré el pescado con arroz también. — Perfect. I will accompany fish with rice too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer acompañé el pescado con arroz. — Yesterday, I accompanied fish with rice. Ana: ¿Y antes acompañabas a mi hija a la escuela? — And before, did you use to accompany my daughter to school? Luis: Sí, antes acompañaba a mi hija a la escuela todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to accompany my daughter to school every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos acompañaron a mi abuela al médico? — And did your brothers accompanied my grandmother to the doctor? Luis: Sí, ellos acompañaron a mi abuela al médico por la tarde. — Yes, they accompanied my grandmother to the doctor in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo acompaña a mi abuela al médico. — Right: Yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico. — The person matters: acompaña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acompaño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating acompañar and seguir as identical in every context. — Right: Acompañar means to accompany, while seguir means to follow someone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acompañar fits sentences such as Acompaño a mi abuela al médico, while seguir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy acompañado a mi amigo a la estación. — Right: Yo he acompañado a mi amigo a la estación. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acompañado, has acompañado, ha acompañado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo acompañé el pescado con arroz todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo acompañaba el pescado con arroz todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (acompañaba), not the preterite. The preterite (acompañé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a mi hija a la escuela. (present tense) A. acompañan B. acompaño C. acompañas D. acompaña

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a mi abuela al médico. (preterite tense) A. acompañé B. acompañaste C. acompañó D. acompañamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ a mi amigo a la estación. (imperfect tense) A. acompañábamos B. acompañabais C. acompañabas D. acompañaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ el pescado con arroz. (future tense) A. acompañaremos B. acompañará C. acompañaré D. acompañarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a mi hija a la escuela. (conditional tense) A. acompañaríamos B. acompañaría C. acompañarías D. acompañaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a mi abuela al médico. (present-perfect tense) A. has acompañado B. ha acompañado C. hemos acompañado D. he acompañado

  7. What does acompañar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to accompany D. to follow someone

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo acompañé el pescado con arroz. B. Yo acompaña a mi abuela al médico. C. Yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico. D. Él/Ella acompaña a mi amigo a la estación.

  9. Which is the gerund of acompañar, used with estar for the progressive? A. acompañando B. acompañado C. acompaño D. acompañé

  10. Which is the past participle of acompañar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. acompañando B. acompaño C. acompañé D. acompañado

Answer key

  1. acompañan — The correct form here is acompañan.
  2. acompañamos — The correct form here is acompañamos.
  3. acompañabas — The correct form here is acompañabas.
  4. acompañará — The correct form here is acompañará.
  5. acompañaríamos — The correct form here is acompañaríamos.
  6. he acompañado — The correct form here is he acompañado.
  7. to accompany — Acompañar means to accompany. Seguir means to follow someone, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo acompaña a mi abuela al médico. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico.. The person matters: acompaña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acompaño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. acompañando — The gerund of acompañar is acompañando: estoy acompañando.
  10. acompañado — The past participle of acompañar is acompañado: he acompañado, has acompañado, ha acompañado.

Frequently asked questions

What does acompañar mean?

Acompañar means to accompany. Acompañar means to accompany, and it is used for going with someone somewhere, for keeping someone company and for food that goes with a dish: you accompany a friend to the doctor, you accompany your grandmother on a walk, and rice accompanies fish. It is one of the most useful social verbs in Spanish.

When do people use acompañar most?

People use acompañar most in everyday situations such as Yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico. and Ayer, Yo acompañé el pescado con arroz.. 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 acompañar and seguir?

Acompañar means to accompany, while seguir means to follow someone. 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 acompañar?

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

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