Alquilar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

alquilar means “to rent, to hire” 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. Alquilar means to rent or to hire, and it covers renting a flat, hiring a car, renting a bike and letting a house to a tenant. It works in both directions — you rent a flat from someone, and you rent a flat out to someone — and the context shows which direction is meant. 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 alquilar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the alquilar present tense page.

alquilar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo alquilo un piso en el centro. — I rent a flat in the centre.
  2. Él/Ella alquila un coche para el fin de semana. — He rents a car for the weekend.
  3. Nosotros/as alquilamos una bicicleta en la playa. — We rent a bicycle on the beach.
  4. Ellos/as alquilan mi casa a unos estudiantes. — They rent my house to some students.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo alquilé una bicicleta en la playa. — Yesterday, I rented a bicycle on the beach.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as alquilábamos mi casa a unos estudiantes. — Before, We used to rent my house to some students.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella alquiló un piso en el centro. — Yesterday, He rented a flat in the centre.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as alquilaban un coche para el fin de semana. — As children, They used to rent a car for the weekend.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú alquilarás un piso en el centro. — Tomorrow, You will rent a flat in the centre.
  2. Yo alquilaría un coche para el fin de semana. — I would rent a car for the weekend.
  3. Espero que él alquile una bicicleta en la playa. — I hope he rents a bicycle on the beach.
  4. Él/Ella ha alquilado mi casa a unos estudiantes. — He has rented my house to some students.

alquilar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú alquilas un piso en el centro mañana? — Are you going to rent a flat in the centre tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo alquilo un piso en el centro todos los días. — Yes, I rent a flat in the centre every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana alquilarás un coche para el fin de semana? — And tomorrow, will you rent a car for the weekend? Luis: Claro, mañana alquilaré un coche para el fin de semana sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will rent a car for the weekend without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo alquilaré una bicicleta en la playa también. — Perfect. I will rent a bicycle on the beach too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer alquilé una bicicleta en la playa. — Yesterday, I rented a bicycle on the beach. Ana: ¿Y antes alquilabas mi casa a unos estudiantes? — And before, did you use to rent my house to some students? Luis: Sí, antes alquilaba mi casa a unos estudiantes todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to rent my house to some students every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos alquilaron un piso en el centro? — And did your brothers rented a flat in the centre? Luis: Sí, ellos alquilaron un piso en el centro por la tarde. — Yes, they rented a flat in the centre in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo alquila un piso en el centro. — Right: Yo alquilo un piso en el centro. — The person matters: alquila is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is alquilo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating alquilar and arrendar as identical in every context. — Right: Alquilar means to rent, to hire, while arrendar means to rent out a property, the formal synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alquilar fits sentences such as Alquilo un piso en el centro, while arrendar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy alquilado un coche para el fin de semana. — Right: Yo he alquilado un coche para el fin de semana. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he alquilado, has alquilado, ha alquilado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo alquilé una bicicleta en la playa todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo alquilaba una bicicleta en la playa todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (alquilaba), not the preterite. The preterite (alquilé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ mi casa a unos estudiantes. (present tense) A. alquilan B. alquilo C. alquilas D. alquila

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ un piso en el centro. (preterite tense) A. alquilé B. alquilaste C. alquiló D. alquilamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ un coche para el fin de semana. (imperfect tense) A. alquilábamos B. alquilabais C. alquilabas D. alquilaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ una bicicleta en la playa. (future tense) A. alquilaremos B. alquilará C. alquilaré D. alquilarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ mi casa a unos estudiantes. (conditional tense) A. alquilaríamos B. alquilaría C. alquilarías D. alquilaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ un piso en el centro. (present-perfect tense) A. has alquilado B. ha alquilado C. hemos alquilado D. he alquilado

  7. What does alquilar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to rent, to hire D. to rent out a property, the formal synonym

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo alquilé una bicicleta en la playa. B. Yo alquila un piso en el centro. C. Yo alquilo un piso en el centro. D. Él/Ella alquila un coche para el fin de semana.

  9. Which is the gerund of alquilar, used with estar for the progressive? A. alquilando B. alquilado C. alquilo D. alquilé

  10. Which is the past participle of alquilar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. alquilando B. alquilo C. alquilé D. alquilado

Answer key

  1. alquilan — The correct form here is alquilan.
  2. alquilamos — The correct form here is alquilamos.
  3. alquilabas — The correct form here is alquilabas.
  4. alquilará — The correct form here is alquilará.
  5. alquilaríamos — The correct form here is alquilaríamos.
  6. he alquilado — The correct form here is he alquilado.
  7. to rent, to hire — Alquilar means to rent, to hire. Arrendar means to rent out a property, the formal synonym, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo alquila un piso en el centro. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo alquilo un piso en el centro.. The person matters: alquila is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is alquilo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. alquilando — The gerund of alquilar is alquilando: estoy alquilando.
  10. alquilado — The past participle of alquilar is alquilado: he alquilado, has alquilado, ha alquilado.

Frequently asked questions

What does alquilar mean?

Alquilar means to rent, to hire. Alquilar means to rent or to hire, and it covers renting a flat, hiring a car, renting a bike and letting a house to a tenant. It works in both directions — you rent a flat from someone, and you rent a flat out to someone — and the context shows which direction is meant.

When do people use alquilar most?

People use alquilar most in everyday situations such as Yo alquilo un piso en el centro. and Ayer, Yo alquilé una bicicleta en la playa.. 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 alquilar and arrendar?

Alquilar means to rent, to hire, while arrendar means to rent out a property, the formal synonym. 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 alquilar?

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

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