Afirmar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

afirmar means “to affirm, to state” 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. Afirmar means to affirm or to state, and it is a formal verb for saying something firmly: you state a fact, you affirm your innocence, you confirm a position in a debate. It appears in law, journalism and academic writing, and it is stronger than decir. 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 afirmar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the afirmar present tense page.

afirmar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez. — I affirm my innocence before the judge.
  2. Él/Ella afirma que todo está bajo control. — He affirms that everything is under control.
  3. Nosotros/as afirmamos mi apoyo al proyecto. — We affirm my support for the project.
  4. Ellos/as afirman la verdad en la entrevista. — They affirm the truth in the interview.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo afirmé mi apoyo al proyecto. — Yesterday, I affirmed my support for the project.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as afirmábamos la verdad en la entrevista. — Before, We used to affirm the truth in the interview.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella afirmó mi inocencia ante el juez. — Yesterday, He affirmed my innocence before the judge.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as afirmaban que todo está bajo control. — As children, They used to affirm that everything is under control.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú afirmarás mi inocencia ante el juez. — Tomorrow, You will affirm my innocence before the judge.
  2. Yo afirmaría que todo está bajo control. — I would affirm that everything is under control.
  3. Espero que él afirme mi apoyo al proyecto. — I hope he affirms my support for the project.
  4. Él/Ella ha afirmado la verdad en la entrevista. — He has affirmed the truth in the interview.

afirmar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú afirmas mi inocencia ante el juez mañana? — Are you going to affirm my innocence before the judge tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez todos los días. — Yes, I affirm my innocence before the judge every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana afirmarás que todo está bajo control? — And tomorrow, will you affirm that everything is under control? Luis: Claro, mañana afirmaré que todo está bajo control sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will affirm that everything is under control without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo afirmaré mi apoyo al proyecto también. — Perfect. I will affirm my support for the project too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer afirmé mi apoyo al proyecto. — Yesterday, I affirmed my support for the project. Ana: ¿Y antes afirmabas la verdad en la entrevista? — And before, did you use to affirm the truth in the interview? Luis: Sí, antes afirmaba la verdad en la entrevista todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to affirm the truth in the interview every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos afirmaron mi inocencia ante el juez? — And did your brothers affirmed my innocence before the judge? Luis: Sí, ellos afirmaron mi inocencia ante el juez por la tarde. — Yes, they affirmed my innocence before the judge in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo afirma mi inocencia ante el juez. — Right: Yo afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez. — The person matters: afirma is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is afirmo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating afirmar and declarar as identical in every context. — Right: Afirmar means to affirm, to state, while declarar means to declare something officially. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: afirmar fits sentences such as Afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez, while declarar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy afirmado que todo está bajo control. — Right: Yo he afirmado que todo está bajo control. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he afirmado, has afirmado, ha afirmado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo afirmé mi apoyo al proyecto todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo afirmaba mi apoyo al proyecto todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (afirmaba), not the preterite. The preterite (afirmé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la verdad en la entrevista. (present tense) A. afirman B. afirmo C. afirmas D. afirma

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ mi inocencia ante el juez. (preterite tense) A. afirmé B. afirmaste C. afirmó D. afirmamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ que todo está bajo control. (imperfect tense) A. afirmábamos B. afirmabais C. afirmabas D. afirmaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ mi apoyo al proyecto. (future tense) A. afirmaremos B. afirmará C. afirmaré D. afirmarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la verdad en la entrevista. (conditional tense) A. afirmaríamos B. afirmaría C. afirmarías D. afirmaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ mi inocencia ante el juez. (present-perfect tense) A. has afirmado B. ha afirmado C. hemos afirmado D. he afirmado

  7. What does afirmar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to affirm, to state D. to declare something officially

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo afirmé mi apoyo al proyecto. B. Yo afirma mi inocencia ante el juez. C. Yo afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez. D. Él/Ella afirma que todo está bajo control.

  9. Which is the gerund of afirmar, used with estar for the progressive? A. afirmando B. afirmado C. afirmo D. afirmé

  10. Which is the past participle of afirmar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. afirmando B. afirmo C. afirmé D. afirmado

Answer key

  1. afirman — The correct form here is afirman.
  2. afirmamos — The correct form here is afirmamos.
  3. afirmabas — The correct form here is afirmabas.
  4. afirmará — The correct form here is afirmará.
  5. afirmaríamos — The correct form here is afirmaríamos.
  6. he afirmado — The correct form here is he afirmado.
  7. to affirm, to state — Afirmar means to affirm, to state. Declarar means to declare something officially, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo afirma mi inocencia ante el juez. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez.. The person matters: afirma is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is afirmo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. afirmando — The gerund of afirmar is afirmando: estoy afirmando.
  10. afirmado — The past participle of afirmar is afirmado: he afirmado, has afirmado, ha afirmado.

Frequently asked questions

What does afirmar mean?

Afirmar means to affirm, to state. Afirmar means to affirm or to state, and it is a formal verb for saying something firmly: you state a fact, you affirm your innocence, you confirm a position in a debate. It appears in law, journalism and academic writing, and it is stronger than decir.

When do people use afirmar most?

People use afirmar most in everyday situations such as Yo afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez. and Ayer, Yo afirmé mi apoyo al proyecto.. 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 afirmar and declarar?

Afirmar means to affirm, to state, while declarar means to declare something officially. 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 afirmar?

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

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