Adecuar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

adecuar means "to adapt, to suit" 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. Adecuar means to adapt something to something else: adecuar el precio a su bolsillo, adecuar el texto al público. It takes a before the thing it is adapted to. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 adecuar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the adecuar present tense page.

adecuar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo adecúo el precio a su bolsillo — "I adapt the price to his pocket"
  2. Mi amigo adecúa el horario a sus clases — "My friend adapts the timetable to his classes"
  3. Mañana, tú adecuarás la ropa al clima — "Tomorrow, you will adapt the clothes to the climate"
  4. Yo adecuaría el texto al público si pudiera — "I would adapt the text to the audience if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo adecué el precio a su bolsillo — "Yesterday, I adapted the price to his pocket"
  2. Antes, nosotros adecuábamos el horario a sus clases — "Before, we used to adapt the timetable to his classes"
  3. Él ha adecuado la ropa al clima — "He has adapted the clothes to the climate"
  4. Yo ya había adecuado el texto al público antes de salir — "I already had adapted the text to the audience before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él adecúe el precio a su bolsillo — "I hope he adapts the price to his pocket"
  2. Si yo adecuara el horario a sus clases, todo cambiaría — "If I adapted the timetable to his classes, everything would change"
  3. Adecúa la ropa al clima. — "Adapt the clothes to the climate."
  4. Yo habría adecuado el texto al público con más tiempo — "I would have adapted the text to the audience with more time"

adecuar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use adecuar 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 it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo adecúo el precio a su bolsillo — "I adapt the price to his pocket"
  • Marcos: Él adecúa el horario a sus clases — "He adapts the timetable to his classes"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo adecué la ropa al clima — "Yesterday, I adapted the clothes to the climate"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú adecuarás el texto al público — "Tomorrow, you will adapt the text to the audience"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Adecúa su conducta a las normas. — "Adapt his behaviour to the rules."
  • Lucía: Él ha adecuado el precio a su bolsillo — "He has adapted the price to his pocket"
  • Marcos: Espero que él adecúe el horario a sus clases — "I hope he adapts the timetable to his classes"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo adecuaba la ropa al clima — "Before, I used to adapt the clothes to the climate"

Common mistakes with adecuar

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

✗ *Espero que él adecúa el texto al público

✓ Correct: Espero que él adecúe el texto al público

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él adecúe el texto al público — not the indicative Espero que él adecúa el texto al público.

✗ *Ayer, yo adecúo su conducta a las normas

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo adecué su conducta a las normas

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo adecué su conducta a las normas.

✗ *De niño, yo adecué el precio a su bolsillo todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo adecuaba el precio a su bolsillo todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo adecuaba el precio a su bolsillo todos los días.

✗ *Yo adecúo en la ropa al clima.

✓ Correct: Yo adecúo la ropa al clima.

adecuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo adecúo la ropa al clima.

✗ *Vosotros adecuais el horario a sus clases.

✓ Correct: Vosotros adecuáis el horario a sus clases.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: adecuáis, not adecuais.

Quiz: adecuar in use

Ten questions on adecuar — 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: Yo ______ el precio a su bolsillo — "I adapt the price to his pocket" (present) A. adecúas B. adecúa C. adecuamos D. adecúo

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el horario a sus clases — "Yesterday, I adapted the timetable to his classes" (preterite) A. adecué B. adecuaste C. adecuó D. adecuamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la ropa al clima — "Before, we used to adapt the clothes to the climate" (imperfect) A. adecuabas B. adecuabais C. adecuábamos D. adecuaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el texto al público — "Tomorrow, you will adapt the text to the audience" (future) A. adecuaré B. adecuará C. adecuaremos D. adecuarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ su conducta a las normas — "I would adapt his behaviour to the rules" (conditional) A. adecuaría B. adecuarías C. adecuaríamos D. adecuaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el precio a su bolsillo — "He has adapted the price to his pocket" (present perfect) A. ha adecuado B. he adecuado C. has adecuado D. hemos adecuado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el horario a sus clases — "I hope he adapts the timetable to his classes" (present subjunctive) A. adecúes B. adecuemos C. adecuéis D. adecúe

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la ropa al clima. — "Adapt the clothes to the climate." (affirmative imperative) A. adecuemos B. adecuad C. adecúa D. adecúe

  9. Which is the gerund of adecuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. adecué B. adecuando C. adecuado D. adecúo

  10. What does adecuar mean in English? A. to enjoy B. to cross C. to draw D. to adapt

Answer key

  1. adecúo — The present form for yo is adecúo.
  2. adecué — The preterite form for yo is adecué.
  3. adecuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is adecuábamos.
  4. adecuarás — The future form for tú is adecuarás.
  5. adecuaría — The conditional form for yo is adecuaría.
  6. ha adecuado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha adecuado.
  7. adecúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is adecúe.
  8. adecúa — The affirmative imperative form is adecúa.
  9. adecuando — The gerund of adecuar is adecuando: estoy adecuando. The participle adecuado is used with haber instead.
  10. to adapt — adecuar means to adapt.

Frequently asked questions

What does adecuar mean in English?

adecuar means to adapt, to suit. For example: Yo adecúo el precio a su bolsillo — "I adapt the price to his pocket". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with adecuar?

adecuar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is adecuar regular?

Yes. adecuar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise adecuar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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