Adivinar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
adivinar means "to guess" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows adivinar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of adivinar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with adivinar
Guessing an answer
Adivinar means to guess something you do not know: adivino la respuesta, adivino el resultado. It is the verb of quizzes, games and exams, and it always implies uncertainty.
- Cada día, yo adivino el resultado del partido. — "Every day, I guess the result of the match."
- Hoy, él / ella adivina mi edad. — "Today, he / she guesses my age."
- Ayer, yo adiviné la respuesta correcta. — "Yesterday, I guessed the right answer."
- Antes, yo adivinaba el futuro. — "Before, I used to guess the future."
- Mañana, yo adivinaré el resultado del partido. — "Tomorrow, I will guess the result of the match."
- Hoy, yo he adivinado mi edad. — "Today, I have guessed my age."
Guessing the future
Adivinar el futuro is the fortune-teller's use: it means to predict what will happen. In everyday Spanish it is usually a joke, not a serious claim.
- Cada día, yo adivino la respuesta correcta. — "Every day, I guess the right answer."
- Hoy, él / ella adivina el futuro. — "Today, he / she guesses the future."
- Ayer, yo adiviné el resultado del partido. — "Yesterday, I guessed the result of the match."
- Antes, yo adivinaba mi edad. — "Before, I used to guess my age."
- Mañana, yo adivinaré la respuesta correcta. — "Tomorrow, I will guess the right answer."
- Hoy, yo he adivinado el futuro. — "Today, I have guessed the future."
Adivinar in conversation
The two dialogues below show adivinar in natural conversation. The first is about guessing an answer, and the second is about guessing the future. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú adivinas el resultado del partido? — "Do you guess the result of the match?"
- Sí, yo adivino el resultado del partido cada día. — "Yes, I guess the result of the match every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú adivinaste mi edad? — "And yesterday? Did you guess my age?"
- Sí, ayer yo adiviné mi edad. — "Yes, yesterday I guessed my age."
- Mañana yo adivinaré la respuesta correcta también. — "Tomorrow I will guess the right answer too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros adivináis la respuesta correcta? — "Do you guess the right answer?"
- Sí, nosotros adivinamos la respuesta correcta los fines de semana. — "Yes, we guess the right answer at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos adivinan el futuro? — "And them? Do they guess the future?"
- Sí, ellos adivinan el futuro también. — "Yes, they guess the future too."
- Mañana nosotros adivinaremos la respuesta correcta otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will guess the right answer again."
Common mistakes with adivinar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo adivino el resultado porque lo sé.
- Right: Yo adivino el resultado porque no lo sé.
- Why: Adivinar means to guess without knowing. If you know the answer, you do not adivinar it; you saber it.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Yo adivíno la respuesta.
- Right: Yo adivino la respuesta.
- Why: There is no accent on adivino. The stress falls naturally on the second syllable, and the spelling has no written accent.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Adivinar es lo mismo que saber.
- Right: Adivinar means to guess; saber means to know.
- Why: They are opposites in a way: saber is knowledge, adivinar is what you do when knowledge runs out.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo adiviné el resultado del partido.
- Right: Cada día, yo adivino el resultado del partido.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo adivino el resultado del partido ayer por la mañana.
- Right: Ayer por la mañana yo adiviné el resultado del partido.
- Why: Ayer por la mañana means yesterday morning, so the action is finished and needs the preterite, not the present.
Quiz: adivinar in use
Ten questions on adivinar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of adivinar in the present tense?
- (a) adivina
- (b) adivinamos
- (c) adivino
- (d) adivinas
Answer: (c) adivino. The i form in the present is adivino.
2. What is the he / she form of adivinar in the present tense?
- (a) adivinamos
- (b) adivina
- (c) adivino
- (d) adivinas
Answer: (b) adivina. The he / she form in the present is adivina.
3. What is the he / she form of adivinar in the preterite tense?
- (a) adivinó
- (b) adiviné
- (c) adivinaste
- (d) adivinamos
Answer: (a) adivinó. The he / she form in the preterite is adivinó.
4. What is the i form of adivinar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) adivino
- (b) adiviné
- (c) adivinaré
- (d) adivinaba
Answer: (d) adivinaba. The i form in the imperfect is adivinaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of adivinar in the future tense?
- (a) adivinará
- (b) adivinaremos
- (c) adivinaré
- (d) adivinarás
Answer: (c) adivinaré. The i form in the future is adivinaré.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) adiviné
- (b) adivinaba
- (c) adivino
- (d) he adivinado
Answer: (d) he adivinado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he adivinado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el resultado del partido.
- (a) adivinaba
- (b) adivine
- (c) adivina
- (d) adivinó
Answer: (b) adivine. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: adivine. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of adivinar in the present tense?
- (a) adivino
- (b) adivinas
- (c) adivina
- (d) adivinamos
Answer: (d) adivinamos. The we form in the present is adivinamos.
9. What is the i form of adivinar in the preterite tense?
- (a) adivinó
- (b) adivinamos
- (c) adiviné
- (d) adivinaste
Answer: (c) adiviné. The i form in the preterite is adiviné.
10. What is the they form of adivinar in the present tense?
- (a) adivina
- (b) adivinan
- (c) adivino
- (d) adivinas
Answer: (b) adivinan. The they form in the present is adivinan.
Frequently asked questions about adivinar
Is adivinar regular?
Yes. Adivinar is a regular -ar verb: adivino, adivinaste, adivinaba, adivinaré. There are no stem changes and no spelling changes.
What is the difference between adivinar and acertar?
Adivinar is the act of guessing. Acertar is the result of guessing correctly. You can adivinar without acertar, and that happens more often than most people admit.
Can adivinar mean 'to predict'?
Yes, in the sense of guessing what will happen: adivinar el futuro. But for a serious prediction, Spanish speakers usually prefer predecir or prever.
How can I practise adivinar?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.