Aprobar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aprobar means "to pass (an exam), to approve" 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. Aprobar has two main senses: to pass an exam, and to approve a law, a project or a budget. In Spain, aprobar un examen means to pass it; in Latin America the same sense is common. 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 aprobar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aprobar present tense page.

aprobar 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 apruebo el examen de conducir — "I pass the driving test"
  2. Mi amigo aprueba la ley en el parlamento — "My friend passes the law in parliament"
  3. Mañana, tú aprobarás el proyecto de su jefe — "Tomorrow, you will pass his boss's project"
  4. Yo aprobaría las matemáticas con un diez si pudiera — "I would pass maths with a top mark 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 aprobé el examen de conducir — "Yesterday, I passed the driving test"
  2. Antes, nosotros aprobábamos la ley en el parlamento — "Before, we used to pass the law in parliament"
  3. Él ha aprobado el proyecto de su jefe — "He has passed his boss's project"
  4. Yo ya había aprobado las matemáticas con un diez antes de salir — "I already had passed maths with a top mark 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 apruebe el examen de conducir — "I hope he passes the driving test"
  2. Si yo aprobara la ley en el parlamento, todo cambiaría — "If I passed the law in parliament, everything would change"
  3. Aprueba el proyecto de su jefe. — "Pass his boss's project."
  4. Yo habría aprobado las matemáticas con un diez con más tiempo — "I would have passed maths with a top mark with more time"

aprobar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use aprobar 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 apruebo el examen de conducir — "I pass the driving test"
  • Marcos: Él aprueba la ley en el parlamento — "He passes the law in parliament"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo aprobé el proyecto de su jefe — "Yesterday, I passed his boss's project"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú aprobarás las matemáticas con un diez — "Tomorrow, you will pass maths with a top mark"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Aprueba el presupuesto del año. — "Pass the year's budget."
  • Lucía: Él ha aprobado el examen de conducir — "He has passed the driving test"
  • Marcos: Espero que él apruebe la ley en el parlamento — "I hope he passes the law in parliament"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo aprobaba el proyecto de su jefe — "Before, I used to pass his boss's project"

Common mistakes with aprobar

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

✗ *Yo aprobo las matemáticas con un diez.

✓ Correct: Yo apruebo las matemáticas con un diez.

aprobar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is apruebo, not aprobo.

✗ *Espero que él aprueba las matemáticas con un diez

✓ Correct: Espero que él apruebe las matemáticas con un diez

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él apruebe las matemáticas con un diez — not the indicative Espero que él aprueba las matemáticas con un diez.

✗ *Ayer, yo apruebo el presupuesto del año

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo aprobé el presupuesto del año

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo aprobé el presupuesto del año.

✗ *De niño, yo aprobé el examen de conducir todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo aprobaba el examen de conducir todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo aprobaba el examen de conducir todos los días.

✗ *Yo apruebo en el proyecto de su jefe.

✓ Correct: Yo apruebo el proyecto de su jefe.

aprobar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo apruebo el proyecto de su jefe.

Quiz: aprobar in use

Ten questions on aprobar — 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 ______ el examen de conducir — "I pass the driving test" (present) A. apruebo B. apruebas C. aprueba D. aprobamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la ley en el parlamento — "Yesterday, I passed the law in parliament" (preterite) A. aprobamos B. aprobé C. aprobaste D. aprobó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el proyecto de su jefe — "Before, we used to pass his boss's project" (imperfect) A. aprobábamos B. aprobaba C. aprobabas D. aprobabais

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ las matemáticas con un diez — "Tomorrow, you will pass maths with a top mark" (future) A. aprobaré B. aprobará C. aprobaremos D. aprobarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el presupuesto del año — "I would pass the year's budget" (conditional) A. aprobaría B. aprobarías C. aprobaríamos D. aprobaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el examen de conducir — "He has passed the driving test" (present perfect) A. hemos aprobado B. ha aprobado C. he aprobado D. has aprobado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la ley en el parlamento — "I hope he passes the law in parliament" (present subjunctive) A. apruebes B. aprobemos C. aprobéis D. apruebe

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el proyecto de su jefe. — "Pass his boss's project." (affirmative imperative) A. aprueba B. apruebe C. aprobemos D. aprobad

  9. Which is the gerund of aprobar, used with estar for the progressive? A. aprobado B. apruebo C. aprobé D. aprobando

  10. What does aprobar mean in English? A. to cross B. to pass (an exam) C. to fail D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. apruebo — The present form for yo is apruebo.
  2. aprobé — The preterite form for yo is aprobé.
  3. aprobábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is aprobábamos.
  4. aprobarás — The future form for tú is aprobarás.
  5. aprobaría — The conditional form for yo is aprobaría.
  6. ha aprobado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha aprobado.
  7. apruebe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is apruebe.
  8. aprueba — The affirmative imperative form is aprueba.
  9. aprobando — The gerund of aprobar is aprobando: estoy aprobando. The participle aprobado is used with haber instead.
  10. to pass (an exam) — aprobar means to pass (an exam).

Frequently asked questions

What does aprobar mean in English?

aprobar means to pass (an exam), to approve. For example: Yo apruebo el examen de conducir — "I pass the driving test". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with aprobar?

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

Is aprobar regular?

No. aprobar is a stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: apruebo, apruebas, aprueba and aprueban — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: aprobamos, aprobáis.

How do I practise aprobar?

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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