Añadir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

añadir means “to add” 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. Añadir means to add, and it is used for adding ingredients to a dish, adding a name to a list, adding a photo to an album and adding a comment to a discussion. It takes a for the place the thing is added to, as in añadir sal a la sopa. 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 añadir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the añadir present tense page.

añadir in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo añado sal a la sopa. — I add salt to the soup.
  2. Él/Ella añade azúcar al café. — He adds sugar to the coffee.
  3. Nosotros/as añadimos una foto al álbum. — We add a photo to the album.
  4. Ellos/as añaden más agua a la olla. — They add more water to the pot.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo añadí una foto al álbum. — Yesterday, I added a photo to the album.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as añadíamos más agua a la olla. — Before, We used to add more water to the pot.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella añadió sal a la sopa. — Yesterday, He added salt to the soup.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as añadían azúcar al café. — As children, They used to add sugar to the coffee.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú añadirás sal a la sopa. — Tomorrow, You will add salt to the soup.
  2. Yo añadiría azúcar al café. — I would add sugar to the coffee.
  3. Espero que él añada una foto al álbum. — I hope he adds a photo to the album.
  4. Él/Ella ha añadido más agua a la olla. — He has added more water to the pot.

añadir in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú añades sal a la sopa mañana? — Are you going to add salt to the soup tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo añado sal a la sopa todos los días. — Yes, I add salt to the soup every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana añadirás azúcar al café? — And tomorrow, will you add sugar to the coffee? Luis: Claro, mañana añadiré azúcar al café sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will add sugar to the coffee without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo añadiré una foto al álbum también. — Perfect. I will add a photo to the album too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer añadí una foto al álbum. — Yesterday, I added a photo to the album. Ana: ¿Y antes añadías más agua a la olla? — And before, did you use to add more water to the pot? Luis: Sí, antes añadía más agua a la olla todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to add more water to the pot every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos añadieron sal a la sopa? — And did your brothers added salt to the soup? Luis: Sí, ellos añadieron sal a la sopa por la tarde. — Yes, they added salt to the soup in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo añade sal a la sopa. — Right: Yo añado sal a la sopa. — The person matters: añade is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is añado. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating añadir and agregar as identical in every context. — Right: Añadir means to add, while agregar means to add something, the Latin American synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: añadir fits sentences such as Añado sal a la sopa, while agregar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy añadido azúcar al café. — Right: Yo he añadido azúcar al café. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he añadido, has añadido, ha añadido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo añadí una foto al álbum todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo añadía una foto al álbum todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (añadía), not the preterite. The preterite (añadí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ más agua a la olla. (present tense) A. añaden B. añado C. añades D. añade

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ sal a la sopa. (preterite tense) A. añadí B. añadiste C. añadió D. añadimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ azúcar al café. (imperfect tense) A. añadíamos B. añadíais C. añadías D. añadía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ una foto al álbum. (future tense) A. añadiremos B. añadirá C. añadiré D. añadirás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ más agua a la olla. (conditional tense) A. añadiríamos B. añadiría C. añadirías D. añadiríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ sal a la sopa. (present-perfect tense) A. has añadido B. ha añadido C. hemos añadido D. he añadido

  7. What does añadir mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to add D. to add something, the Latin American synonym

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo añadí una foto al álbum. B. Yo añade sal a la sopa. C. Yo añado sal a la sopa. D. Él/Ella añade azúcar al café.

  9. Which is the gerund of añadir, used with estar for the progressive? A. añadiendo B. añadido C. añado D. añadí

  10. Which is the past participle of añadir, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. añadiendo B. añado C. añadí D. añadido

Answer key

  1. añaden — The correct form here is añaden.
  2. añadimos — The correct form here is añadimos.
  3. añadías — The correct form here is añadías.
  4. añadirá — The correct form here is añadirá.
  5. añadiríamos — The correct form here is añadiríamos.
  6. he añadido — The correct form here is he añadido.
  7. to add — Añadir means to add. Agregar means to add something, the Latin American synonym, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo añade sal a la sopa. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo añado sal a la sopa.. The person matters: añade is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is añado. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. añadiendo — The gerund of añadir is añadiendo: estoy añadiendo.
  10. añadido — The past participle of añadir is añadido: he añadido, has añadido, ha añadido.

Frequently asked questions

What does añadir mean?

Añadir means to add. Añadir means to add, and it is used for adding ingredients to a dish, adding a name to a list, adding a photo to an album and adding a comment to a discussion. It takes a for the place the thing is added to, as in añadir sal a la sopa.

When do people use añadir most?

People use añadir most in everyday situations such as Yo añado sal a la sopa. and Ayer, Yo añadí una foto al álbum.. 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 añadir and agregar?

Añadir means to add, while agregar means to add something, the Latin American 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 añadir?

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

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