Alojar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

alojar means “to lodge, to house” 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. Alojar means to lodge or to house, to give someone a place to stay, such as a hotel room, a house or a shelter. It is a fully regular verb used in travel, housing and hospitality. 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 alojar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the alojar present tense page.

alojar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo alojo a los turistas en el hotel. — “I lodge the tourists in the hotel.”
  2. Él aloja a los estudiantes en pisos. — “He lodges the students in flats.”
  3. Nosotros alojamos a la familia en su casa. — “We lodge the family in my house.”
  4. Ellos alojan a los refugiados en el albergue. — “They lodge the refugees in the hostel.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo alojé a los estudiantes en pisos. — “Yesterday, I lodged the students in flats.”
  2. Antes, nosotros alojábamos a la familia en su casa. — “Before, we used to lodge the family in my house.”
  3. Él alojó a los refugiados en el albergue. — “He lodged the refugees in the hostel.”
  4. Yo ya había alojado a los turistas en el hotel antes de salir. — “I had already lodged the tourists in the hotel before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú alojarás a los turistas en el hotel. — “Tomorrow, you will lodge the tourists in the hotel.”
  2. Yo alojaría a los estudiantes en pisos si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would lodge the students in flats if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha alojado a la familia en su casa. — “He has lodged the family in my house.”
  4. Espero que él aloje a los refugiados en el albergue. — “I hope he lodges the refugees in the hostel.”

alojar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use alojar 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 alojo a los turistas en el hotel. — “I lodge the tourists in the hotel.”
  • Bea: Él aloja a los estudiantes en pisos. — “He lodges the students in flats.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo alojé a los estudiantes en pisos. — “Yesterday, I lodged the students in flats.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú alojarás a los turistas en el hotel. — “Tomorrow, you will lodge the tourists in the hotel.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros alojamos a la familia en su casa. — “We lodge the family in my house.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros alojábamos a la familia en su casa. — “Before, we used to lodge the family in my house.”
  • Luis: Yo alojaría a los estudiantes en pisos si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would lodge the students in flats if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él aloje a los refugiados en el albergue. — “I hope he lodges the refugees in the hostel.”

A short scene with alojar

A short scene shows how alojar works across the day. In the morning: Alojo a los turistas en el hotel. In the afternoon: Aloja a los estudiantes en pisos. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, alojé a la familia en su casa. And tomorrow: Mañana, alojaré a los refugiados en el albergue. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how alojar 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 alojar

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

✗ Yo aloja a los turistas en el hotel.

✓ Correct: Yo alojo a los turistas en el hotel.

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

✗ Ayer yo alojo a los estudiantes en pisos.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo alojé a los estudiantes en pisos.

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

✗ Treating alojar and hospedar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Alojar means to lodge, to house, while hospedar means to host guests.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alojar fits sentences such as Alojo a los turistas en el hotel, while hospedar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy alojado a los estudiantes en pisos.

✓ Correct: Yo he alojado a los estudiantes en pisos.

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

✗ De niño, yo alojé a la familia en su casa todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo alojaba a la familia en su casa todos los días.

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

Quiz: alojar in use

Ten questions on alojar — 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 los estudiantes en pisos. — “He/she lodges the students in flats.”

  • a) aloja
  • b) alojo
  • c) alojas
  • d) alojamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ a la familia en su casa. — “Yesterday, I lodged the family in my house.”

  • a) alojaste
  • b) alojó
  • c) alojaron
  • d) alojé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ a los refugiados en el albergue cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to lodge the refugees in the hostel when they were young.”

  • a) alojabas
  • b) alojábamos
  • c) alojaban
  • d) alojaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ a los turistas en el hotel. — “Tomorrow, we will lodge the tourists in the hotel.”

  • a) alojarán
  • b) alojaremos
  • c) alojaré
  • d) alojarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a los estudiantes en pisos si pudiera. — “He would lodge the students in flats if he could.”

  • a) alojaría
  • b) alojarías
  • c) alojaríamos
  • d) alojo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a la familia en su casa. — “I have lodged the family in my house.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ a los refugiados en el albergue. — “I hope you lodge the refugees in the hostel.”

  • a) alojemos
  • b) alojo
  • c) alojes
  • d) aloje

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

  • a) alojé
  • b) alojado
  • c) alojando
  • d) alojo

9. What does alojar mean in English?

  • a) to lodge, to house
  • b) to host guests
  • c) to alter, to disturb
  • d) to allude to

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él aloja a los estudiantes en pisos.
  • b) Él alojo a los estudiantes en pisos.
  • c) Nosotros aloja a la familia en su casa.
  • d) Yo aloja a los turistas en el hotel.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  9. a) to lodge, to house — alojar means to lodge, to house. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él aloja a los estudiantes en pisos. — Él aloja a los estudiantes en pisos. 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 alojar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Alojo a los turistas en el hotel and Aloja a los estudiantes en pisos. 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 alojar and hospedar?

Alojar means “to lodge, to house”, while hospedar means “to host guests”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use alojar when you mean “to lodge, to house” and hospedar when you mean “to host guests”.

Which tense do I need most with alojar?

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

Alojar 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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