Amarrar Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Amarrar means “to tie, to moor”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Amarrar means to tie or to moor, and it is used for tying a boat to a dock, tying a load to a roof rack and tying something down tightly. It is fully regular, and in Latin America it is also the everyday verb for tying your shoes. This page shows amarrar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo amarro el barco al muelle.” — I tie the boat to the dock.
Amarrar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how amarrar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use amarrar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Amarro el barco al muelle.” — I tie the boat to the dock.
“¿Tú amarras las maletas al techo del coche?” — Do you tie the suitcases to the car roof?
“Amarra la hamaca entre dos árboles.” — He/she ties the hammock between two trees.
“Amarramos la cuerda al poste.” — We tie the rope to the post.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show amarrar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo amarré el barco al muelle.” — Yesterday, I tied the boat to the dock. (preterite)
“Él amarraba las maletas al techo del coche todos los días.” — He used to tie the suitcases to the car roof every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of amarrar stays the same.
“Nosotros amarraremos la hamaca entre dos árboles mañana.” — We will tie the hammock between two trees tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has amarrado la cuerda al poste?” — Have you tied the rope to the post? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Amarráis el barco al muelle.” — You tie the boat to the dock.
“Amarran las maletas al techo del coche.” — They tie the suitcases to the car roof.
“Amarro la hamaca entre dos árboles.” — I tie the hammock between two trees.
“Amarra la cuerda al poste.” — He/she ties the rope to the post.
Amarrar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how amarrar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú amarras el barco al muelle?” — Do you tie the boat to the dock?
Carlos: “Sí, yo amarro el barco al muelle.” — Yes, I tie the boat to the dock.
Lucía: “Nosotros amarramos las maletas al techo del coche.” — We tie the suitcases to the car roof.
Carlos: “Y ellos amarran la hamaca entre dos árboles.” — And they tie the hammock between two trees.
Lucía: “Vosotros amarráis la cuerda al poste.” — You tie the rope to the post.
Carlos: “Sí, y él amarra las maletas al techo del coche.” — Yes, and he ties the suitcases to the car roof.
A short paragraph
Lucía amarra el barco al muelle, y Carlos amarra las maletas al techo del coche. Nosotros amarramos la hamaca entre dos árboles, y ellos amarran la cuerda al poste. Yo amarro la hamaca entre dos árboles, y mi padre amarra la cuerda al poste. Amarrar is part of everyday life, because to tie, to moor is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with amarrar
These are the errors learners actually make with amarrar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo amarra el barco al muelle.” Right: “Yo amarro el barco al muelle.” Why: The person matters: amarra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is amarro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo amarro las maletas al techo del coche.” Right: “Ayer yo amarré las maletas al techo del coche.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: amarro is happening now, while amarré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating amarrar and atar as identical in every context.” Right: “Amarrar means to tie, to moor, while atar means to tie.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: amarrar fits sentences such as Amarro el barco al muelle, while atar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy amarrado las maletas al techo del coche.” Right: “Yo he amarrado las maletas al techo del coche.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he amarrado, has amarrado, ha amarrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo amarré la hamaca entre dos árboles todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo amarraba la hamaca entre dos árboles todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (amarraba), not the preterite. The preterite (amarré) is for one finished action.
Quiz: amarrar in use
Ten questions on amarrar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ el barco al muelle.” (The boat to the dock.)
- (a) amarráis
- (b) amarro
- (c) amarras
Answer: amarráis — The vosotros/as form of amarrar in the present is amarráis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ las maletas al techo del coche.” (The suitcases to the car roof.)
- (a) amarro
- (b) amarras
- (c) amarran
Answer: amarran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of amarrar in the present is amarran.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ el barco al muelle.” (The boat to the dock.)
- (a) amarró
- (b) amarré
- (c) amarraste
Answer: amarré — The yo form of amarrar in the preterite is amarré.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ las maletas al techo del coche.” (The suitcases to the car roof.)
- (a) amarraba
- (b) amarrabas
- (c) amarrábamos
Answer: amarraba — The él/ella/Ud. form of amarrar in the imperfect is amarraba.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ la hamaca entre dos árboles.” (The hammock between two trees.)
- (a) amarraré
- (b) amarrarás
- (c) amarraremos
Answer: amarraremos — The nosotros/as form of amarrar in the future is amarraremos.
6. What does amarrar mean in English?
- (a) to untie
- (b) to tie, to moor
- (c) to tie
Answer: to tie, to moor — Amarrar means “to tie, to moor”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo amarro el barco al muelle.
- (b) Ellos amarra el barco al muelle.
- (c) Yo amarro las maletas al techo del coche ayer.
Answer: Yo amarro el barco al muelle. — “Yo amarro el barco al muelle.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I tie the boat to the dock.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo amarran el barco al muelle.
- (b) Yo amarré el barco al muelle.
- (c) Yo amarro el barco al muelle.
Answer: Yo amarro el barco al muelle. — “Yo amarro el barco al muelle.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of amarrar in the present tense?
- (a) amarras
- (b) amarramos
- (c) amarro
Answer: amarramos — The nosotros form is amarramos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo amarré el barco al muelle.
- (b) Nosotros amarraremos el barco al muelle mañana.
- (c) Yo amarro el barco al muelle.
Answer: Yo amarro el barco al muelle. — “Yo amarro el barco al muelle.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I tie' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo amarro el barco al muelle'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo amarro el barco al muelle todos los días'.
How do you say 'I tie' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo amarré las maletas al techo del coche'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo amarraba las maletas al techo del coche todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he amarrado las maletas al techo del coche'.
What is the difference between amarrar and atar?
Amarrar means to tie, to moor, while atar means to tie. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use amarrar when you mean to tie, to moor, as in Amarro el barco al muelle.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of amarrar — every tense of amarrar in one place.
- Amarrar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on amarrar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of amarrar until they are automatic.