Adiestrar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

adiestrar means “to train (an animal)” 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. Adiestrar means to train an animal, to teach a dog, a horse or a falcon to obey commands or perform tasks. It is used in dog training, horse riding and working animals, and it is fully regular. 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 adiestrar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the adiestrar present tense page.

adiestrar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes. — “I train the dog to obey orders.”
  2. Él adiestra al caballo para el salto. — “He trains the horse for jumping.”
  3. Nosotros adiestramos al halcón para la caza. — “We train the falcon for hunting.”
  4. Ellos adiestran al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño. — “They train the guide dog to help its owner.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo adiestré al caballo para el salto. — “Yesterday, I trained the horse for jumping.”
  2. Antes, nosotros adiestrábamos al halcón para la caza. — “Before, we used to train the falcon for hunting.”
  3. Él adiestró al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño. — “He trained the guide dog to help its owner.”
  4. Yo ya había adiestrado al perro para obedecer órdenes antes de salir. — “I had already trained the dog to obey orders before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú adiestrarás al perro para obedecer órdenes. — “Tomorrow, you will train the dog to obey orders.”
  2. Yo adiestraría al caballo para el salto si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would train the horse for jumping if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha adiestrado al halcón para la caza. — “He has trained the falcon for hunting.”
  4. Espero que él adiestre al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño. — “I hope he trains the guide dog to help its owner.”

adiestrar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use adiestrar 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 adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes. — “I train the dog to obey orders.”
  • Bea: Él adiestra al caballo para el salto. — “He trains the horse for jumping.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo adiestré al caballo para el salto. — “Yesterday, I trained the horse for jumping.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú adiestrarás al perro para obedecer órdenes. — “Tomorrow, you will train the dog to obey orders.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros adiestramos al halcón para la caza. — “We train the falcon for hunting.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros adiestrábamos al halcón para la caza. — “Before, we used to train the falcon for hunting.”
  • Luis: Yo adiestraría al caballo para el salto si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would train the horse for jumping if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él adiestre al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño. — “I hope he trains the guide dog to help its owner.”

A short scene with adiestrar

A short scene shows how adiestrar works across the day. In the morning: Adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes. In the afternoon: Adiestra al caballo para el salto. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, adiestré al halcón para la caza. And tomorrow: Mañana, adiestraré al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how adiestrar 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 adiestrar

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

✗ Yo adiestra al perro para obedecer órdenes.

✓ Correct: Yo adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes.

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

✗ Ayer yo adiestro al caballo para el salto.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo adiestré al caballo para el salto.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: adiestro is happening now, while adiestré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating adiestrar and enseñar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Adiestrar means to train (an animal), while enseñar means to teach.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: adiestrar fits sentences such as Adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes, while enseñar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy adiestrado al caballo para el salto.

✓ Correct: Yo he adiestrado al caballo para el salto.

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

✗ De niño, yo adiestré al halcón para la caza todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo adiestraba al halcón para la caza todos los días.

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

Quiz: adiestrar in use

Ten questions on adiestrar — 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 ______ al caballo para el salto. — “He/she trains the horse for jumping.”

  • a) adiestra
  • b) adiestro
  • c) adiestras
  • d) adiestramos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ al halcón para la caza. — “Yesterday, I trained the falcon for hunting.”

  • a) adiestraste
  • b) adiestró
  • c) adiestraron
  • d) adiestré

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to train the guide dog to help its owner when they were young.”

  • a) adiestrabas
  • b) adiestrábamos
  • c) adiestraban
  • d) adiestraba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ al perro para obedecer órdenes. — “Tomorrow, we will train the dog to obey orders.”

  • a) adiestrarán
  • b) adiestraremos
  • c) adiestraré
  • d) adiestrarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al caballo para el salto si pudiera. — “He would train the horse for jumping if he could.”

  • a) adiestraría
  • b) adiestrarías
  • c) adiestraríamos
  • d) adiestro

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al halcón para la caza. — “I have trained the falcon for hunting.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño. — “I hope you train the guide dog to help its owner.”

  • a) adiestremos
  • b) adiestro
  • c) adiestres
  • d) adiestre

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

  • a) adiestré
  • b) adiestrado
  • c) adiestrando
  • d) adiestro

9. What does adiestrar mean in English?

  • a) to train (an animal)
  • b) to teach
  • c) to pay, to fertilise
  • d) to button up, to fasten

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él adiestra al caballo para el salto.
  • b) Él adiestro al caballo para el salto.
  • c) Nosotros adiestra al halcón para la caza.
  • d) Yo adiestra al perro para obedecer órdenes.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  9. a) to train (an animal) — adiestrar means to train (an animal). The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él adiestra al caballo para el salto. — Él adiestra al caballo para el salto. 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 adiestrar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes and Adiestra al caballo para el salto. 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 adiestrar and enseñar?

Adiestrar means “to train (an animal)”, while enseñar means “to teach”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use adiestrar when you mean “to train (an animal)” and enseñar when you mean “to teach”.

Which tense do I need most with adiestrar?

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

Adiestrar 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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