Adelgazar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

adelgazar means "to lose weight" 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. Adelgazar means "to lose weight" — and, as a transitive verb, "to make (something) thinner". It is the opposite of engordar, and the two are usually learned as a pair: engordas en Navidad, adelgazas en enero. The present tense is completely regular: adelgazo, adelgazas, adelgaza, adelgazamos, adelgazáis, adelgazan. The spelling change (z to c) appears only in the preterite yo form — adelgacé — to keep the soft c sound, so it never affects the present tense on this page. It is also used for clothes that make you look slimmer (este vestido adelgaza, this dress is slimming). Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, 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 adelgazar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the adelgazar present tense page.

adelgazar in everyday use: examples with translations

Losing weight

  1. Yo adelgazo con dieta y ejercicio. — "I lose weight with diet and exercise."
  2. Tú adelgazas dos kilos al mes. — "You lose two kilos a month."
  3. Este año yo adelgacé cinco kilos. — "This year I lost five kilos."
  4. De joven, yo adelgazaba fácilmente. — "When I was young, I used to lose weight easily."

Slimming clothes

  1. Este vestido adelgaza mucho. — "This dress is very slimming."
  2. El negro adelgaza mucho. — "Black is very slimming."
  3. Yo adelgazaré dos kilos este mes. — "I will lose two kilos this month."
  4. Yo he adelgazado tres kilos. — "I have lost three kilos."

Losing weight slowly

  1. Nosotros adelgazamos poco a poco. — "We lose weight little by little."
  2. Ellos adelgazan en enero. — "They lose weight in January."
  3. Yo adelgazaría más si dejara el azúcar. — "I would lose more weight if I gave up sugar."
  4. Vosotros adelgazáis en verano. — "You lose weight in summer."

adelgazar in conversation

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

At the gym, two friends talk about diets.

  • Ana: Yo adelgazo con dieta y ejercicio. — "I lose weight with diet and exercise."
  • Bea: ¿Tú adelgazas dos kilos al mes? — "Do you lose two kilos a month?"
  • Ana: Nosotros adelgazamos poco a poco. — "We lose weight little by little."
  • Bea: Este año yo adelgacé cinco kilos. — "This year I lost five kilos."

Trying on a black dress.

  • Dependienta: Este vestido adelgaza mucho. — "This dress is very slimming."
  • Cliente: El negro adelgaza mucho. — "Black is very slimming."
  • Dependienta: Tú adelgazas muy rápido. — "You lose weight very fast."
  • Cliente: Yo adelgazaré dos kilos este mes. — "I will lose two kilos this month."

Common mistakes with adelgazar

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

✗ *Yo adelgazo a dos kilos al mes (adding a before the amount).

✓ Correct: Tú adelgazas dos kilos al mes.

The amount is a direct object with no preposition: adelgazar dos kilos, not adelgazar a dos kilos.

✗ *Tú adelgaces dos kilos al mes (using the subjunctive form as a present).

✓ Correct: Tú adelgazas dos kilos al mes.

Adelgaces is the present subjunctive. The present indicative for tú is adelgazas, with a z.

✗ *Vosotros adelgazáis en verano (written without the accent: adelgazais).

✓ Correct: Vosotros adelgazáis en verano.

Adelgazáis needs the written accent on the á.

✗ *Nosotros adelgazamos a haciendo deporte.

✓ Correct: Nosotros adelgazamos haciendo deporte.

The gerund follows directly: adelgazar haciendo deporte, with no preposition between them.

Quiz: adelgazar in use

Ten questions on adelgazar — 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 ______ con dieta y ejercicio. — "I lose weight with diet and exercise."

  • a) adelgaza
  • b) adelgazo
  • c) adelgazas
  • d) adelgacé

2. Complete the sentence: Este año yo ______ cinco kilos. — "This year I lost five kilos."

  • a) adelgacé
  • b) adelgazaste
  • c) adelgazo
  • d) adelgazó

3. Complete the sentence: El negro ______ mucho. — "Black is very slimming."

  • a) adelgazas
  • b) adelgaza
  • c) adelgazo
  • d) adelgazó

4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ poco a poco. — "We lose weight little by little."

  • a) adelgazas
  • b) adelgazamos
  • c) adelgazamos
  • d) adelgazo

5. Which is the correct present tense form of adelgazar for yo?

  • a) adelgazamos
  • b) adelgazo
  • c) adelgaza
  • d) adelgazas

6. Which is the correct present tense form of adelgazar for tú?

  • a) adelgazas
  • b) adelgazamos
  • c) adelgaza
  • d) adelgazo

7. Which is the correct present tense form of adelgazar for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) adelgazo
  • b) adelgazan
  • c) adelgaza
  • d) adelgazas

8. Which sentence uses adelgazar correctly?

  • a) Nosotros adelgaza haciendo deporte.
  • b) Nosotros adelgazábamos haciendo deporte.
  • c) Nosotros adelgazamos haciendo deporte.

9. What is the past participle of adelgazar?

  • a) adelgazo
  • b) adelgazó
  • c) adelgazado
  • d) adelgazando

10. What does adelgazar mean in English?

  • a) to go
  • b) to have
  • c) to lose weight
  • d) to gain weight

Answer key

  1. b) adelgazo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: adelgazo.

  2. a) adelgacé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: adelgacé.

  3. b) adelgaza — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: adelgaza.

  4. b) adelgazamos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form in the present: adelgazamos.

  5. b) adelgazo — The present tense form for yo is adelgazo.

  6. a) adelgazas — The present tense form for tú is adelgazas.

  7. b) adelgazan — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is adelgazan.

  8. c) Nosotros adelgazamos haciendo deporte. — Nosotros adelgazamos haciendo deporte. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. c) adelgazado — The past participle is adelgazado. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he adelgazado, has adelgazado, ha adelgazado.

  10. c) to lose weight — adelgazar means "to lose weight".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use adelgazar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as adelgazar dos kilos and adelgazar con dieta. 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 adelgazar and engordar?

adelgazar means "to lose weight", while engordar means "to gain weight". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use adelgazar when you mean "to lose weight" and engordar when you mean "to gain weight".

Which tense do I need most with adelgazar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use adelgazar 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 adelgazar formal or informal?

adelgazar 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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