Aislar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aislar means “to isolate” 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. Aislar means to isolate, to separate something from its surroundings, such as a house with insulation, a patient with an infection or a wire with plastic. It is fully regular, though the present forms carry an accent on the i. 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 aislar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aislar present tense page.

aislar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo aislo la casa con material aislante. — “I isolate the house with insulating material.”
  2. Él aisla al enfermo en una habitación. — “He isolates the patient in a room.”
  3. Nosotros aislamos el cable con plástico. — “We isolate the cable with plastic.”
  4. Ellos aislan la zona por seguridad. — “They isolate the area for safety.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo aislé al enfermo en una habitación. — “Yesterday, I isolated the patient in a room.”
  2. Antes, nosotros aislábamos el cable con plástico. — “Before, we used to isolate the cable with plastic.”
  3. Él aisló la zona por seguridad. — “He isolated the area for safety.”
  4. Yo ya había aislado la casa con material aislante antes de salir. — “I had already isolated the house with insulating material before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú aislarás la casa con material aislante. — “Tomorrow, you will isolate the house with insulating material.”
  2. Yo aislaría al enfermo en una habitación si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would isolate the patient in a room if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha aislado el cable con plástico. — “He has isolated the cable with plastic.”
  4. Espero que él aisle la zona por seguridad. — “I hope he isolates the area for safety.”

aislar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use aislar 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 aislo la casa con material aislante. — “I isolate the house with insulating material.”
  • Bea: Él aisla al enfermo en una habitación. — “He isolates the patient in a room.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo aislé al enfermo en una habitación. — “Yesterday, I isolated the patient in a room.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú aislarás la casa con material aislante. — “Tomorrow, you will isolate the house with insulating material.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros aislamos el cable con plástico. — “We isolate the cable with plastic.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros aislábamos el cable con plástico. — “Before, we used to isolate the cable with plastic.”
  • Luis: Yo aislaría al enfermo en una habitación si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would isolate the patient in a room if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él aisle la zona por seguridad. — “I hope he isolates the area for safety.”

A short scene with aislar

A short scene shows how aislar works across the day. In the morning: Aislo la casa con material aislante. In the afternoon: Aisla al enfermo en una habitación. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, aislé el cable con plástico. And tomorrow: Mañana, aislaré la zona por seguridad. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how aislar 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 aislar

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

✗ Yo aisla la casa con material aislante.

✓ Correct: Yo aislo la casa con material aislante.

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

✗ Ayer yo aislo al enfermo en una habitación.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo aislé al enfermo en una habitación.

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

✗ Treating aislar and separar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Aislar means to isolate, while separar means to separate.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aislar fits sentences such as Aislo la casa con material aislante, while separar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy aislado al enfermo en una habitación.

✓ Correct: Yo he aislado al enfermo en una habitación.

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

✗ De niño, yo aislé el cable con plástico todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo aislaba el cable con plástico todos los días.

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

Quiz: aislar in use

Ten questions on aislar — 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 enfermo en una habitación. — “He/she isolates the patient in a room.”

  • a) aisla
  • b) aislo
  • c) aislas
  • d) aislamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el cable con plástico. — “Yesterday, I isolated the cable with plastic.”

  • a) aislaste
  • b) aisló
  • c) aislaron
  • d) aislé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la zona por seguridad cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to isolate the area for safety when they were young.”

  • a) aislabas
  • b) aislábamos
  • c) aislaban
  • d) aislaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la casa con material aislante. — “Tomorrow, we will isolate the house with insulating material.”

  • a) aislarán
  • b) aislaremos
  • c) aislaré
  • d) aislarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al enfermo en una habitación si pudiera. — “He would isolate the patient in a room if he could.”

  • a) aislaría
  • b) aislarías
  • c) aislaríamos
  • d) aislo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el cable con plástico. — “I have isolated the cable with plastic.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ la zona por seguridad. — “I hope you isolate the area for safety.”

  • a) aislemos
  • b) aislo
  • c) aisles
  • d) aisle

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

  • a) aislé
  • b) aislado
  • c) aislando
  • d) aislo

9. What does aislar mean in English?

  • a) to isolate
  • b) to separate
  • c) to isolate oneself
  • d) to adjust, to fit

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él aisla al enfermo en una habitación.
  • b) Él aislo al enfermo en una habitación.
  • c) Nosotros aisla el cable con plástico.
  • d) Yo aisla la casa con material aislante.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  9. a) to isolate — aislar means to isolate. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él aisla al enfermo en una habitación. — Él aisla al enfermo en una habitación. 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 aislar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Aislo la casa con material aislante and Aisla al enfermo en una habitación. 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 aislar and separar?

Aislar means “to isolate”, while separar means “to separate”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use aislar when you mean “to isolate” and separar when you mean “to separate”.

Which tense do I need most with aislar?

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

Aislar 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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