Aprovechar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aprovechar means “to take advantage of” 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. Aprovechar means to take advantage of, and it is used for making the most of an opportunity, an offer, free time or good weather: you take advantage of a sale, of a holiday, of a chance to learn. It is a positive verb of seizing the moment, and it is very frequent in everyday Spanish. 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 aprovechar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aprovechar present tense page.

aprovechar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo aprovecho la oferta del supermercado. — I take advantage of the supermarket offer.
  2. Él/Ella aprovecha el tiempo libre para leer. — He takes advantage of free time to read.
  3. Nosotros/as aprovechamos la oportunidad de viajar. — We take advantage of the chance to travel.
  4. Ellos/as aprovechan el buen tiempo del fin de semana. — They take advantage of the good weather at the weekend.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo aproveché la oportunidad de viajar. — Yesterday, I took advantage of the chance to travel.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as aprovechábamos el buen tiempo del fin de semana. — Before, We used to take advantage of the good weather at the weekend.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella aprovechó la oferta del supermercado. — Yesterday, He took advantage of the supermarket offer.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as aprovechaban el tiempo libre para leer. — As children, They used to take advantage of free time to read.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú aprovecharás la oferta del supermercado. — Tomorrow, You will take advantage of the supermarket offer.
  2. Yo aprovecharía el tiempo libre para leer. — I would take advantage of free time to read.
  3. Espero que él aproveche la oportunidad de viajar. — I hope he takes advantage of the chance to travel.
  4. Él/Ella ha aprovechado el buen tiempo del fin de semana. — He has taken advantage of the good weather at the weekend.

aprovechar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú aprovechas la oferta del supermercado mañana? — Are you going to take advantage of the supermarket offer tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo aprovecho la oferta del supermercado todos los días. — Yes, I take advantage of the supermarket offer every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana aprovecharás el tiempo libre para leer? — And tomorrow, will you take advantage of free time to read? Luis: Claro, mañana aprovecharé el tiempo libre para leer sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will take advantage of free time to read without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo aprovecharé la oportunidad de viajar también. — Perfect. I will take advantage of the chance to travel too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer aproveché la oportunidad de viajar. — Yesterday, I took advantage of the chance to travel. Ana: ¿Y antes aprovechabas el buen tiempo del fin de semana? — And before, did you use to take advantage of the good weather at the weekend? Luis: Sí, antes aprovechaba el buen tiempo del fin de semana todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to take advantage of the good weather at the weekend every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos aprovecharon la oferta del supermercado? — And did your brothers took advantage of the supermarket offer? Luis: Sí, ellos aprovecharon la oferta del supermercado por la tarde. — Yes, they took advantage of the supermarket offer in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aprovecha la oferta del supermercado. — Right: Yo aprovecho la oferta del supermercado. — The person matters: aprovecha is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aprovecho. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating aprovechar and disfrutar as identical in every context. — Right: Aprovechar means to take advantage of, while disfrutar means to enjoy something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aprovechar fits sentences such as Aprovecho la oferta del supermercado, while disfrutar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy aprovechado el tiempo libre para leer. — Right: Yo he aprovechado el tiempo libre para leer. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aprovechado, has aprovechado, ha aprovechado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo aproveché la oportunidad de viajar todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aprovechaba la oportunidad de viajar todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aprovechaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aproveché) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el buen tiempo del fin de semana. (present tense) A. aprovechan B. aprovecho C. aprovechas D. aprovecha

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la oferta del supermercado. (preterite tense) A. aproveché B. aprovechaste C. aprovechó D. aprovechamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el tiempo libre para leer. (imperfect tense) A. aprovechábamos B. aprovechabais C. aprovechabas D. aprovechaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la oportunidad de viajar. (future tense) A. aprovecharemos B. aprovechará C. aprovecharé D. aprovecharás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el buen tiempo del fin de semana. (conditional tense) A. aprovecharíamos B. aprovecharía C. aprovecharías D. aprovecharíais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la oferta del supermercado. (present-perfect tense) A. has aprovechado B. ha aprovechado C. hemos aprovechado D. he aprovechado

  7. What does aprovechar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to take advantage of D. to enjoy something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo aproveché la oportunidad de viajar. B. Yo aprovecha la oferta del supermercado. C. Yo aprovecho la oferta del supermercado. D. Él/Ella aprovecha el tiempo libre para leer.

  9. Which is the gerund of aprovechar, used with estar for the progressive? A. aprovechando B. aprovechado C. aprovecho D. aproveché

  10. Which is the past participle of aprovechar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. aprovechando B. aprovecho C. aproveché D. aprovechado

Answer key

  1. aprovechan — The correct form here is aprovechan.
  2. aprovechamos — The correct form here is aprovechamos.
  3. aprovechabas — The correct form here is aprovechabas.
  4. aprovechará — The correct form here is aprovechará.
  5. aprovecharíamos — The correct form here is aprovecharíamos.
  6. he aprovechado — The correct form here is he aprovechado.
  7. to take advantage of — Aprovechar means to take advantage of. Disfrutar means to enjoy something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aprovecha la oferta del supermercado. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo aprovecho la oferta del supermercado.. The person matters: aprovecha is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aprovecho. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. aprovechando — The gerund of aprovechar is aprovechando: estoy aprovechando.
  10. aprovechado — The past participle of aprovechar is aprovechado: he aprovechado, has aprovechado, ha aprovechado.

Frequently asked questions

What does aprovechar mean?

Aprovechar means to take advantage of. Aprovechar means to take advantage of, and it is used for making the most of an opportunity, an offer, free time or good weather: you take advantage of a sale, of a holiday, of a chance to learn. It is a positive verb of seizing the moment, and it is very frequent in everyday Spanish.

When do people use aprovechar most?

People use aprovechar most in everyday situations such as Yo aprovecho la oferta del supermercado. and Ayer, Yo aproveché la oportunidad de viajar.. 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 aprovechar and disfrutar?

Aprovechar means to take advantage of, while disfrutar means to enjoy something. 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 aprovechar?

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

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