Animar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
animar means "to encourage, to cheer up" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows animar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of animar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with animar
Something cheers you up
Animar often works like gustar: me anima la música means the music cheers me up. The cheering thing is the subject, and you are the indirect object.
- Cada día, me animan las palabras de mi entrenador. — "Every day, my coach's words cheer me up."
- Hoy, le anima la música alegre. — "Today, the cheerful music cheers him up."
- Ayer, me animó el apoyo de mis amigos. — "Yesterday, my friends' support encouraged me."
- Antes, me animaba un buen resultado. — "Before, a good result used to encourage me."
- Mañana, me animarán las palabras de mi entrenador. — "Tomorrow, my coach's words will encourage me."
- Hoy, me ha animado la música alegre. — "Today, the cheerful music has encouraged me."
Encouraging someone to do something
Animar also takes a + infinitive: me anima a estudiar means it encourages me to study. This is the motivational use, and it is extremely common in sport and in school.
- Cada día, me anima el apoyo de mis amigos. — "Every day, my friends' support cheers me up."
- Hoy, le anima un buen resultado. — "Today, a good result cheers him up."
- Ayer, me animaron las palabras de mi entrenador. — "Yesterday, my coach's words encouraged me."
- Antes, me animaba la música alegre. — "Before, the cheerful music used to encourage me."
- Mañana, me animará el apoyo de mis amigos. — "Tomorrow, my friends' support will encourage me."
- Hoy, me ha animado un buen resultado. — "Today, a good result has encouraged me."
Animar in conversation
The two dialogues below show animar in natural conversation. The first is about something cheers you up, and the second is about encouraging someone to do something. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Te animan las palabras de mi entrenador? — "Does my coach's words encourage you?"
- Sí, me animan las palabras de mi entrenador mucho. — "My coach's words cheer me up a lot."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Te animó la música alegre? — "And yesterday? Did the cheerful music encouraged you?"
- Sí, ayer me animó la música alegre mucho. — "Yesterday, the cheerful music encouraged me a lot."
- Mañana me animará el apoyo de mis amigos también. — "Tomorrow, my friends' support will encourage me. too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Os anima el apoyo de mis amigos? — "Does my friends' support encourage you?"
- Sí, nos anima el apoyo de mis amigos mucho. — "My friends' support cheers us up a lot."
- ¿Y a ellos? ¿Les anima un buen resultado? — "And them? Does a good result encourage them?"
- Sí, les anima un buen resultado también. — "A good result cheers them up. too."
- Mañana nos animará el apoyo de mis amigos otra vez. — "Tomorrow, my friends' support will encourage us. again."
Common mistakes with animar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo animo la música.
- Right: Me anima la música.
- Why: When something cheers you up, animar works like gustar: me anima la música. Yo animo would mean I encourage someone.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me anima las palabras.
- Right: Me animan las palabras.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Las palabras is plural, so the verb must be animan.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Me anima estudiar.
- Right: Me anima a estudiar.
- Why: When animar means to encourage someone to do something, it needs a before the infinitive: me anima a estudiar, te anima a probar.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, me animaron las palabras de mi entrenador.
- Right: Cada día, me animan las palabras de mi entrenador.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo animo las palabras de mi entrenador.
- Right: Me animan las palabras de mi entrenador.
- Why: Animar works like gustar: the thing is the subject and you are the indirect object. Do not start the sentence with yo and the verb.
Quiz: animar in use
Ten questions on animar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of animar in the present tense?
- (a) le animan
- (b) nos animan
- (c) me animan
- (d) te animan
Answer: (c) me animan. The i form in the present is me animan.
2. What is the he / she form of animar in the present tense?
- (a) nos animan
- (b) le animan
- (c) me animan
- (d) te animan
Answer: (b) le animan. The he / she form in the present is le animan.
3. What is the he / she form of animar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le animaron
- (b) me animaron
- (c) te animaron
- (d) nos animaron
Answer: (a) le animaron. The he / she form in the preterite is le animaron.
4. What is the i form of animar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me animan
- (b) me animaron
- (c) me animarán
- (d) me animaban
Answer: (d) me animaban. The i form in the imperfect is me animaban. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of animar in the future tense?
- (a) le animarán
- (b) nos animarán
- (c) me animarán
- (d) te animarán
Answer: (c) me animarán. The i form in the future is me animarán.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) animé
- (b) animaba
- (c) animo
- (d) he animado
Answer: (d) he animado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he animado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que te ___ las palabras de mi entrenador.
- (a) animaba
- (b) anime
- (c) anima
- (d) animó
Answer: (b) anime. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: te anime. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of animar in the present tense?
- (a) me animan
- (b) te animan
- (c) le animan
- (d) nos animan
Answer: (d) nos animan. The we form in the present is nos animan.
9. What is the i form of animar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le animaron
- (b) nos animaron
- (c) me animaron
- (d) te animaron
Answer: (c) me animaron. The i form in the preterite is me animaron.
10. What is the they form of animar in the present tense?
- (a) le animan
- (b) les animan
- (c) me animan
- (d) te animan
Answer: (b) les animan. The they form in the present is les animan.
Frequently asked questions about animar
What does 'animar a' mean?
It means to encourage someone to do something: me anima a estudiar means it encourages me to study. The a before the infinitive is required.
What is the difference between animar and alegrar?
Animar is about motivation and energy: it cheers you up and moves you to act. Alegrar is about happiness: it makes you feel glad.
Is animar regular?
Yes. Animar is a regular -ar verb: animo, animaste, animaba, animaré. The challenge is the sentence structure, not the conjugation.
How can I practise animar?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.