Alabar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

alabar means “to praise” 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. Alabar means to praise, to say good things about someone or something. It is used for praising work, children, food and God, and it is a fully regular verb. 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 alabar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the alabar present tense page.

alabar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo alabo el trabajo de su equipo. — “I praise the team's work.”
  2. Él alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas. — “He praises his son for his good marks.”
  3. Nosotros alabamos la comida de la abuela. — “We praise grandmother's cooking.”
  4. Ellos alaban a Dios en la iglesia. — “They praise God in church.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo alabé a su hijo por las buenas notas. — “Yesterday, I praised his son for his good marks.”
  2. Antes, nosotros alabábamos la comida de la abuela. — “Before, we used to praise grandmother's cooking.”
  3. Él alabó a Dios en la iglesia. — “He praised God in church.”
  4. Yo ya había alabado el trabajo de su equipo antes de salir. — “I had already praised the team's work before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú alabarás el trabajo de su equipo. — “Tomorrow, you will praise the team's work.”
  2. Yo alabaría a su hijo por las buenas notas si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would praise his son for his good marks if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha alabado la comida de la abuela. — “He has praised grandmother's cooking.”
  4. Espero que él alabe a Dios en la iglesia. — “I hope he praises God in church.”

alabar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use alabar 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 alabo el trabajo de su equipo. — “I praise the team's work.”
  • Bea: Él alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas. — “He praises his son for his good marks.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo alabé a su hijo por las buenas notas. — “Yesterday, I praised his son for his good marks.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú alabarás el trabajo de su equipo. — “Tomorrow, you will praise the team's work.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros alabamos la comida de la abuela. — “We praise grandmother's cooking.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros alabábamos la comida de la abuela. — “Before, we used to praise grandmother's cooking.”
  • Luis: Yo alabaría a su hijo por las buenas notas si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would praise his son for his good marks if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él alabe a Dios en la iglesia. — “I hope he praises God in church.”

A short scene with alabar

A short scene shows how alabar works across the day. In the morning: Alabo el trabajo de su equipo. In the afternoon: Alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, alabé la comida de la abuela. And tomorrow: Mañana, alabaré a Dios en la iglesia. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how alabar 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 alabar

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

✗ Yo alaba el trabajo de su equipo.

✓ Correct: Yo alabo el trabajo de su equipo.

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

✗ Ayer yo alabo a su hijo por las buenas notas.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo alabé a su hijo por las buenas notas.

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

✗ Treating alabar and elogiar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Alabar means to praise, while elogiar means to praise formally.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alabar fits sentences such as Alabo el trabajo de su equipo, while elogiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy alabado a su hijo por las buenas notas.

✓ Correct: Yo he alabado a su hijo por las buenas notas.

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

✗ De niño, yo alabé la comida de la abuela todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo alababa la comida de la abuela todos los días.

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

Quiz: alabar in use

Ten questions on alabar — 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 ______ a su hijo por las buenas notas. — “He/she praises his son for his good marks.”

  • a) alaba
  • b) alabo
  • c) alabas
  • d) alabamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la comida de la abuela. — “Yesterday, I praised grandmother's cooking.”

  • a) alabaste
  • b) alabó
  • c) alabaron
  • d) alabé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ a Dios en la iglesia cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to praise God in church when they were young.”

  • a) alababas
  • b) alabábamos
  • c) alababan
  • d) alababa

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ el trabajo de su equipo. — “Tomorrow, we will praise the team's work.”

  • a) alabarán
  • b) alabaremos
  • c) alabaré
  • d) alabarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su hijo por las buenas notas si pudiera. — “He would praise his son for his good marks if he could.”

  • a) alabaría
  • b) alabarías
  • c) alabaríamos
  • d) alabo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la comida de la abuela. — “I have praised grandmother's cooking.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ a Dios en la iglesia. — “I hope you praise God in church.”

  • a) alabemos
  • b) alabo
  • c) alabes
  • d) alabe

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

  • a) alabé
  • b) alabado
  • c) alabando
  • d) alabo

9. What does alabar mean in English?

  • a) to praise
  • b) to praise formally
  • c) to alarm
  • d) to allege, to claim

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas.
  • b) Él alabo a su hijo por las buenas notas.
  • c) Nosotros alaba la comida de la abuela.
  • d) Yo alaba el trabajo de su equipo.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  10. a) Él alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas. — Él alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas. 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 alabar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Alabo el trabajo de su equipo and Alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas. 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 alabar and elogiar?

Alabar means “to praise”, while elogiar means “to praise formally”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use alabar when you mean “to praise” and elogiar when you mean “to praise formally”.

Which tense do I need most with alabar?

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

Alabar 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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