Adornar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

adornar means “to decorate” 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. Adornar means to decorate, and it is used for decorating a house, a Christmas tree, a cake or a room: you decorate with lights, flowers, candles and ornaments. It also means to embellish a story, as in adornar la verdad, to dress up the truth. 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 adornar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the adornar present tense page.

adornar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo adorno la casa para Navidad. — I decorate the house for Christmas.
  2. Él/Ella adorna el árbol con luces. — He decorates the tree with lights.
  3. Nosotros/as adornamos la tarta con fresas. — We decorate the cake with strawberries.
  4. Ellos/as adornan la sala con flores. — They decorate the room with flowers.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo adorné la tarta con fresas. — Yesterday, I decorated the cake with strawberries.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as adornábamos la sala con flores. — Before, We used to decorate the room with flowers.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella adornó la casa para Navidad. — Yesterday, He decorated the house for Christmas.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as adornaban el árbol con luces. — As children, They used to decorate the tree with lights.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú adornarás la casa para Navidad. — Tomorrow, You will decorate the house for Christmas.
  2. Yo adornaría el árbol con luces. — I would decorate the tree with lights.
  3. Espero que él adorne la tarta con fresas. — I hope he decorates the cake with strawberries.
  4. Él/Ella ha adornado la sala con flores. — He has decorated the room with flowers.

adornar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú adornas la casa para Navidad mañana? — Are you going to decorate the house for Christmas tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo adorno la casa para Navidad todos los días. — Yes, I decorate the house for Christmas every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana adornarás el árbol con luces? — And tomorrow, will you decorate the tree with lights? Luis: Claro, mañana adornaré el árbol con luces sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will decorate the tree with lights without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo adornaré la tarta con fresas también. — Perfect. I will decorate the cake with strawberries too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer adorné la tarta con fresas. — Yesterday, I decorated the cake with strawberries. Ana: ¿Y antes adornabas la sala con flores? — And before, did you use to decorate the room with flowers? Luis: Sí, antes adornaba la sala con flores todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to decorate the room with flowers every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos adornaron la casa para Navidad? — And did your brothers decorated the house for Christmas? Luis: Sí, ellos adornaron la casa para Navidad por la tarde. — Yes, they decorated the house for Christmas in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo adorna la casa para Navidad. — Right: Yo adorno la casa para Navidad. — The person matters: adorna is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is adorno. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating adornar and decorar as identical in every context. — Right: Adornar means to decorate, while decorar means to decorate a room or building. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: adornar fits sentences such as Adorno la casa para Navidad, while decorar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy adornado el árbol con luces. — Right: Yo he adornado el árbol con luces. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he adornado, has adornado, ha adornado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo adorné la tarta con fresas todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo adornaba la tarta con fresas todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (adornaba), not the preterite. The preterite (adorné) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la sala con flores. (present tense) A. adornan B. adorno C. adornas D. adorna

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la casa para Navidad. (preterite tense) A. adorné B. adornaste C. adornó D. adornamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el árbol con luces. (imperfect tense) A. adornábamos B. adornabais C. adornabas D. adornaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la tarta con fresas. (future tense) A. adornaremos B. adornará C. adornaré D. adornarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la sala con flores. (conditional tense) A. adornaríamos B. adornaría C. adornarías D. adornaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la casa para Navidad. (present-perfect tense) A. has adornado B. ha adornado C. hemos adornado D. he adornado

  7. What does adornar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to decorate D. to decorate a room or building

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo adorné la tarta con fresas. B. Yo adorna la casa para Navidad. C. Yo adorno la casa para Navidad. D. Él/Ella adorna el árbol con luces.

  9. Which is the gerund of adornar, used with estar for the progressive? A. adornando B. adornado C. adorno D. adorné

  10. Which is the past participle of adornar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. adornando B. adorno C. adorné D. adornado

Answer key

  1. adornan — The correct form here is adornan.
  2. adornamos — The correct form here is adornamos.
  3. adornabas — The correct form here is adornabas.
  4. adornará — The correct form here is adornará.
  5. adornaríamos — The correct form here is adornaríamos.
  6. he adornado — The correct form here is he adornado.
  7. to decorate — Adornar means to decorate. Decorar means to decorate a room or building, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo adorna la casa para Navidad. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo adorno la casa para Navidad.. The person matters: adorna is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is adorno. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. adornando — The gerund of adornar is adornando: estoy adornando.
  10. adornado — The past participle of adornar is adornado: he adornado, has adornado, ha adornado.

Frequently asked questions

What does adornar mean?

Adornar means to decorate. Adornar means to decorate, and it is used for decorating a house, a Christmas tree, a cake or a room: you decorate with lights, flowers, candles and ornaments. It also means to embellish a story, as in adornar la verdad, to dress up the truth.

When do people use adornar most?

People use adornar most in everyday situations such as Yo adorno la casa para Navidad. and Ayer, Yo adorné la tarta con fresas.. 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 adornar and decorar?

Adornar means to decorate, while decorar means to decorate a room or building. 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 adornar?

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

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