Ampliar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

ampliar means "to expand" 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. Ampliar means to expand or enlarge something: ampliar la casa, ampliar el negocio, ampliar la foto. It is used for buildings, businesses, photos and deadlines. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 ampliar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the ampliar present tense page.

ampliar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo amplío la casa con una habitación — "I expand the house with a room"
  2. Mi amigo amplía el negocio a otra ciudad — "My friend expands the business to another city"
  3. Mañana, tú ampliarás la foto en el ordenador — "Tomorrow, you will expand the photo on the computer"
  4. Yo ampliaría su vocabulario cada día si pudiera — "I would expand his vocabulary every day if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo amplié la casa con una habitación — "Yesterday, I expanded the house with a room"
  2. Antes, nosotros ampliábamos el negocio a otra ciudad — "Before, we used to expand the business to another city"
  3. Él ha ampliado la foto en el ordenador — "He has expanded the photo on the computer"
  4. Yo ya había ampliado su vocabulario cada día antes de salir — "I already had expanded his vocabulary every day before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él amplíe la casa con una habitación — "I hope he expands the house with a room"
  2. Si yo ampliara el negocio a otra ciudad, todo cambiaría — "If I expanded the business to another city, everything would change"
  3. Amplía la foto en el ordenador. — "Expand the photo on the computer."
  4. Yo habría ampliado su vocabulario cada día con más tiempo — "I would have expanded his vocabulary every day with more time"

ampliar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use ampliar 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 it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo amplío la casa con una habitación — "I expand the house with a room"
  • Marcos: Él amplía el negocio a otra ciudad — "He expands the business to another city"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo amplié la foto en el ordenador — "Yesterday, I expanded the photo on the computer"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú ampliarás su vocabulario cada día — "Tomorrow, you will expand his vocabulary every day"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Amplía el plazo de entrega. — "Expand the delivery deadline."
  • Lucía: Él ha ampliado la casa con una habitación — "He has expanded the house with a room"
  • Marcos: Espero que él amplíe el negocio a otra ciudad — "I hope he expands the business to another city"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo ampliaba la foto en el ordenador — "Before, I used to expand the photo on the computer"

Common mistakes with ampliar

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

✗ *Espero que él amplía su vocabulario cada día

✓ Correct: Espero que él amplíe su vocabulario cada día

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él amplíe su vocabulario cada día — not the indicative Espero que él amplía su vocabulario cada día.

✗ *Ayer, yo amplío el plazo de entrega

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo amplié el plazo de entrega

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo amplié el plazo de entrega.

✗ *De niño, yo amplié la casa con una habitación todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo ampliaba la casa con una habitación todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo ampliaba la casa con una habitación todos los días.

✗ *Yo amplío en la foto en el ordenador.

✓ Correct: Yo amplío la foto en el ordenador.

ampliar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo amplío la foto en el ordenador.

✗ *Vosotros ampliais el negocio a otra ciudad.

✓ Correct: Vosotros ampliáis el negocio a otra ciudad.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: ampliáis, not ampliais.

Quiz: ampliar in use

Ten questions on ampliar — 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: Yo ______ la casa con una habitación — "I expand the house with a room" (present) A. amplío B. amplías C. amplía D. ampliamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el negocio a otra ciudad — "Yesterday, I expanded the business to another city" (preterite) A. ampliaste B. amplió C. ampliamos D. amplié

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la foto en el ordenador — "Before, we used to expand the photo on the computer" (imperfect) A. ampliabais B. ampliábamos C. ampliaba D. ampliabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ su vocabulario cada día — "Tomorrow, you will expand his vocabulary every day" (future) A. ampliaré B. ampliará C. ampliaremos D. ampliarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el plazo de entrega — "I would expand the delivery deadline" (conditional) A. ampliarías B. ampliaríamos C. ampliaríais D. ampliaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la casa con una habitación — "He has expanded the house with a room" (present perfect) A. hemos ampliado B. ha ampliado C. he ampliado D. has ampliado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el negocio a otra ciudad — "I hope he expands the business to another city" (present subjunctive) A. ampliemos B. ampliéis C. amplíe D. amplíes

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la foto en el ordenador. — "Expand the photo on the computer." (affirmative imperative) A. ampliad B. amplía C. amplíe D. ampliemos

  9. Which is the gerund of ampliar, used with estar for the progressive? A. ampliando B. ampliado C. amplío D. amplié

  10. What does ampliar mean in English? A. to enjoy B. to cross C. to expand D. to enlarge

Answer key

  1. amplío — The present form for yo is amplío.
  2. amplié — The preterite form for yo is amplié.
  3. ampliábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is ampliábamos.
  4. ampliarás — The future form for tú is ampliarás.
  5. ampliaría — The conditional form for yo is ampliaría.
  6. ha ampliado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha ampliado.
  7. amplíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is amplíe.
  8. amplía — The affirmative imperative form is amplía.
  9. ampliando — The gerund of ampliar is ampliando: estoy ampliando. The participle ampliado is used with haber instead.
  10. to expand — ampliar means to expand.

Frequently asked questions

What does ampliar mean in English?

ampliar means to expand. For example: Yo amplío la casa con una habitación — "I expand the house with a room". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with ampliar?

ampliar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is ampliar regular?

Yes. ampliar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise ampliar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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