Alegrar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
alegrar means "to make happy" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows alegrar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of alegrar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with alegrar
Something makes you happy
Alegrar usually works like gustar: me alegra la noticia means the news makes me happy. The happy-making thing is the subject, and you are the indirect object.
- Cada día, me alegra la noticia de su aprobado. — "Every day, the news that he passed makes me happy."
- Hoy, le alegran las flores de mi jardín. — "Today, the flowers in my garden make him happy."
- Ayer, me alegró tu visita sorpresa. — "Yesterday, your surprise visit made happy me."
- Antes, me alegraban los mensajes de mis amigos. — "Before, my friends' messages used to make happy me."
- Mañana, me alegrará la noticia de su aprobado. — "Tomorrow, the news that he passed will make happy me."
- Hoy, me han alegrado las flores de mi jardín. — "Today, the flowers in my garden have made happy me."
Cheering someone up
Alegrar can also mean to cheer someone up on purpose: quiero alegrar a mi abuela means I want to cheer my grandmother up. Here the structure is the ordinary transitive one.
- Cada día, me alegra tu visita sorpresa. — "Every day, your surprise visit makes me happy."
- Hoy, le alegran los mensajes de mis amigos. — "Today, my friends' messages make him happy."
- Ayer, me alegró la noticia de su aprobado. — "Yesterday, the news that he passed made happy me."
- Antes, me alegraban las flores de mi jardín. — "Before, the flowers in my garden used to make happy me."
- Mañana, me alegrará tu visita sorpresa. — "Tomorrow, your surprise visit will make happy me."
- Hoy, me han alegrado los mensajes de mis amigos. — "Today, my friends' messages have made happy me."
Alegrar in conversation
The two dialogues below show alegrar in natural conversation. The first is about something makes you happy, and the second is about cheering someone up. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Te alegra la noticia de su aprobado? — "Does the news that he passed make happy you?"
- Sí, me alegra la noticia de su aprobado mucho. — "The news that he passed makes me happy a lot."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Te alegraron las flores de mi jardín? — "And yesterday? Did the flowers in my garden made happy you?"
- Sí, ayer me alegraron las flores de mi jardín mucho. — "Yesterday, the flowers in my garden made happy me a lot."
- Mañana me alegrará tu visita sorpresa también. — "Tomorrow, your surprise visit will make happy me. too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Os alegra tu visita sorpresa? — "Does your surprise visit make happy you?"
- Sí, nos alegra tu visita sorpresa mucho. — "Your surprise visit makes us happy a lot."
- ¿Y a ellos? ¿Les alegran los mensajes de mis amigos? — "And them? Does my friends' messages make happy them?"
- Sí, les alegran los mensajes de mis amigos también. — "My friends' messages make them happy. too."
- Mañana nos alegrará tu visita sorpresa otra vez. — "Tomorrow, your surprise visit will make happy us. again."
Common mistakes with alegrar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo alegro la noticia.
- Right: Me alegra la noticia.
- Why: When something makes you happy, alegrar works like gustar: me alegra la noticia. Yo alegro would mean I make someone happy.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me alegra las flores.
- Right: Me alegran las flores.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Las flores is plural, so the verb must be alegran.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Alegrar es lo mismo que alegrarse.
- Right: Me alegra means something makes me happy; me alegro means I am glad.
- Why: Me alegro de verte means I am glad to see you. It is reflexive, and the person feeling glad is the subject.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, me alegró la noticia de su aprobado.
- Right: Cada día, me alegra la noticia de su aprobado.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo alegro la noticia de su aprobado.
- Right: Me alegra la noticia de su aprobado.
- Why: Alegrar works like gustar: the thing is the subject and you are the indirect object. Do not start the sentence with yo and the verb.
Quiz: alegrar in use
Ten questions on alegrar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of alegrar in the present tense?
- (a) le alegra
- (b) nos alegra
- (c) me alegra
- (d) te alegra
Answer: (c) me alegra. The i form in the present is me alegra.
2. What is the he / she form of alegrar in the present tense?
- (a) nos alegra
- (b) le alegra
- (c) me alegra
- (d) te alegra
Answer: (b) le alegra. The he / she form in the present is le alegra.
3. What is the he / she form of alegrar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le alegró
- (b) me alegró
- (c) te alegró
- (d) nos alegró
Answer: (a) le alegró. The he / she form in the preterite is le alegró.
4. What is the i form of alegrar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me alegra
- (b) me alegró
- (c) me alegrará
- (d) me alegraba
Answer: (d) me alegraba. The i form in the imperfect is me alegraba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of alegrar in the future tense?
- (a) le alegrará
- (b) nos alegrará
- (c) me alegrará
- (d) te alegrará
Answer: (c) me alegrará. The i form in the future is me alegrará.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) alegré
- (b) alegraba
- (c) alegro
- (d) he alegrado
Answer: (d) he alegrado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he alegrado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que te ___ la noticia de su aprobado.
- (a) alegraba
- (b) alegre
- (c) alegra
- (d) alegró
Answer: (b) alegre. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: te alegre. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of alegrar in the present tense?
- (a) me alegra
- (b) te alegra
- (c) le alegra
- (d) nos alegra
Answer: (d) nos alegra. The we form in the present is nos alegra.
9. What is the i form of alegrar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le alegró
- (b) nos alegró
- (c) me alegró
- (d) te alegró
Answer: (c) me alegró. The i form in the preterite is me alegró.
10. What is the they form of alegrar in the present tense?
- (a) le alegra
- (b) les alegra
- (c) me alegra
- (d) te alegra
Answer: (b) les alegra. The they form in the present is les alegra.
Frequently asked questions about alegrar
Why is it 'me alegra' and not 'yo alegro'?
Because alegrar usually works like gustar. The thing that makes you happy is the subject and you are the indirect object: me alegra la noticia.
What is the difference between alegrar and alegrarse?
Me alegra la noticia means the news makes me happy. Me alegro means I am glad, and it takes de: me alegro de la noticia.
Is alegrar regular?
Yes. Alegrar is a regular -ar verb: alegro, alegraste, alegraba, alegraré. The challenge is the sentence structure, not the conjugation.
How can I practise alegrar?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.