Agrandar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

agrandar means “to enlarge” 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. Agrandar means to enlarge, and it is used for making things bigger in size or in importance: you enlarge a photo, a house, a business or a problem. It is the opposite of achicar or reducir, and it appears in photography, building and business language. 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 agrandar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the agrandar present tense page.

agrandar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo agrando la foto para el marco. — I enlarge the photo for the frame.
  2. Él/Ella agranda la casa con una habitación más. — He enlarges the house with one more room.
  3. Nosotros/as agrandamos el negocio con una tienda nueva. — We enlarge the business with a new shop.
  4. Ellos/as agrandan el problema con rumores. — They enlarge the problem with rumours.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo agrandé el negocio con una tienda nueva. — Yesterday, I enlarged the business with a new shop.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as agrandábamos el problema con rumores. — Before, We used to enlarge the problem with rumours.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella agrandó la foto para el marco. — Yesterday, He enlarged the photo for the frame.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as agrandaban la casa con una habitación más. — As children, They used to enlarge the house with one more room.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú agrandarás la foto para el marco. — Tomorrow, You will enlarge the photo for the frame.
  2. Yo agrandaría la casa con una habitación más. — I would enlarge the house with one more room.
  3. Espero que él agrande el negocio con una tienda nueva. — I hope he enlarges the business with a new shop.
  4. Él/Ella ha agrandado el problema con rumores. — He has enlarged the problem with rumours.

agrandar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú agrandas la foto para el marco mañana? — Are you going to enlarge the photo for the frame tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo agrando la foto para el marco todos los días. — Yes, I enlarge the photo for the frame every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana agrandarás la casa con una habitación más? — And tomorrow, will you enlarge the house with one more room? Luis: Claro, mañana agrandaré la casa con una habitación más sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will enlarge the house with one more room without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo agrandaré el negocio con una tienda nueva también. — Perfect. I will enlarge the business with a new shop too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer agrandé el negocio con una tienda nueva. — Yesterday, I enlarged the business with a new shop. Ana: ¿Y antes agrandabas el problema con rumores? — And before, did you use to enlarge the problem with rumours? Luis: Sí, antes agrandaba el problema con rumores todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to enlarge the problem with rumours every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos agrandaron la foto para el marco? — And did your brothers enlarged the photo for the frame? Luis: Sí, ellos agrandaron la foto para el marco por la tarde. — Yes, they enlarged the photo for the frame in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo agranda la foto para el marco. — Right: Yo agrando la foto para el marco. — The person matters: agranda is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is agrando. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating agrandar and ampliar as identical in every context. — Right: Agrandar means to enlarge, while ampliar means to enlarge or extend something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: agrandar fits sentences such as Agrando la foto para el marco, while ampliar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy agrandado la casa con una habitación más. — Right: Yo he agrandado la casa con una habitación más. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he agrandado, has agrandado, ha agrandado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo agrandé el negocio con una tienda nueva todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo agrandaba el negocio con una tienda nueva todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (agrandaba), not the preterite. The preterite (agrandé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el problema con rumores. (present tense) A. agrandan B. agrando C. agrandas D. agranda

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la foto para el marco. (preterite tense) A. agrandé B. agrandaste C. agrandó D. agrandamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la casa con una habitación más. (imperfect tense) A. agrandábamos B. agrandabais C. agrandabas D. agrandaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ el negocio con una tienda nueva. (future tense) A. agrandaremos B. agrandará C. agrandaré D. agrandarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el problema con rumores. (conditional tense) A. agrandaríamos B. agrandaría C. agrandarías D. agrandaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la foto para el marco. (present-perfect tense) A. has agrandado B. ha agrandado C. hemos agrandado D. he agrandado

  7. What does agrandar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to enlarge D. to enlarge or extend something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo agrandé el negocio con una tienda nueva. B. Yo agranda la foto para el marco. C. Yo agrando la foto para el marco. D. Él/Ella agranda la casa con una habitación más.

  9. Which is the gerund of agrandar, used with estar for the progressive? A. agrandando B. agrandado C. agrando D. agrandé

  10. Which is the past participle of agrandar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. agrandando B. agrando C. agrandé D. agrandado

Answer key

  1. agrandan — The correct form here is agrandan.
  2. agrandamos — The correct form here is agrandamos.
  3. agrandabas — The correct form here is agrandabas.
  4. agrandará — The correct form here is agrandará.
  5. agrandaríamos — The correct form here is agrandaríamos.
  6. he agrandado — The correct form here is he agrandado.
  7. to enlarge — Agrandar means to enlarge. Ampliar means to enlarge or extend something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo agranda la foto para el marco. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo agrando la foto para el marco.. The person matters: agranda is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is agrando. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. agrandando — The gerund of agrandar is agrandando: estoy agrandando.
  10. agrandado — The past participle of agrandar is agrandado: he agrandado, has agrandado, ha agrandado.

Frequently asked questions

What does agrandar mean?

Agrandar means to enlarge. Agrandar means to enlarge, and it is used for making things bigger in size or in importance: you enlarge a photo, a house, a business or a problem. It is the opposite of achicar or reducir, and it appears in photography, building and business language.

When do people use agrandar most?

People use agrandar most in everyday situations such as Yo agrando la foto para el marco. and Ayer, Yo agrandé el negocio con una tienda nueva.. 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 agrandar and ampliar?

Agrandar means to enlarge, while ampliar means to enlarge or extend something. 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 agrandar?

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

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