Arañar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

arañar means “to scratch” 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. Arañar means to scratch, and it is used for a cat scratching a sofa, a nail scratching skin, a branch scratching a car and a person scratching an itch. It also means to scrape by in a figurative sense, as in arañar unos votos, to scrape together a few votes. 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 arañar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the arañar present tense page.

arañar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo araño el sofá con las uñas. — I scratch the sofa with my nails.
  2. Él/Ella araña la puerta para entrar. — He scratches the door to get in.
  3. Nosotros/as arañamos la piel con la rama. — We scratch my skin with the branch.
  4. Ellos/as arañan el coche al aparcar. — They scratch the car while parking.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo arañé la piel con la rama. — Yesterday, I scratched my skin with the branch.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as arañábamos el coche al aparcar. — Before, We used to scratch the car while parking.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella arañó el sofá con las uñas. — Yesterday, He scratched the sofa with my nails.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as arañaban la puerta para entrar. — As children, They used to scratch the door to get in.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú arañarás el sofá con las uñas. — Tomorrow, You will scratch the sofa with my nails.
  2. Yo arañaría la puerta para entrar. — I would scratch the door to get in.
  3. Espero que él arañe la piel con la rama. — I hope he scratches my skin with the branch.
  4. Él/Ella ha arañado el coche al aparcar. — He has scratched the car while parking.

arañar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú arañas el sofá con las uñas mañana? — Are you going to scratch the sofa with my nails tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo araño el sofá con las uñas todos los días. — Yes, I scratch the sofa with my nails every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana arañarás la puerta para entrar? — And tomorrow, will you scratch the door to get in? Luis: Claro, mañana arañaré la puerta para entrar sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will scratch the door to get in without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo arañaré la piel con la rama también. — Perfect. I will scratch my skin with the branch too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer arañé la piel con la rama. — Yesterday, I scratched my skin with the branch. Ana: ¿Y antes arañabas el coche al aparcar? — And before, did you use to scratch the car while parking? Luis: Sí, antes arañaba el coche al aparcar todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to scratch the car while parking every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos arañaron el sofá con las uñas? — And did your brothers scratched the sofa with my nails? Luis: Sí, ellos arañaron el sofá con las uñas por la tarde. — Yes, they scratched the sofa with my nails in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo araña el sofá con las uñas. — Right: Yo araño el sofá con las uñas. — The person matters: araña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is araño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating arañar and rascar as identical in every context. — Right: Arañar means to scratch, while rascar means to scratch an itch. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arañar fits sentences such as Araño el sofá con las uñas, while rascar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy arañado la puerta para entrar. — Right: Yo he arañado la puerta para entrar. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he arañado, has arañado, ha arañado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo arañé la piel con la rama todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo arañaba la piel con la rama todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (arañaba), not the preterite. The preterite (arañé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el coche al aparcar. (present tense) A. arañan B. araño C. arañas D. araña

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ el sofá con las uñas. (preterite tense) A. arañé B. arañaste C. arañó D. arañamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la puerta para entrar. (imperfect tense) A. arañábamos B. arañabais C. arañabas D. arañaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la piel con la rama. (future tense) A. arañaremos B. arañará C. arañaré D. arañarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el coche al aparcar. (conditional tense) A. arañaríamos B. arañaría C. arañarías D. arañaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ el sofá con las uñas. (present-perfect tense) A. has arañado B. ha arañado C. hemos arañado D. he arañado

  7. What does arañar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to scratch D. to scratch an itch

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo arañé la piel con la rama. B. Yo araña el sofá con las uñas. C. Yo araño el sofá con las uñas. D. Él/Ella araña la puerta para entrar.

  9. Which is the gerund of arañar, used with estar for the progressive? A. arañando B. arañado C. araño D. arañé

  10. Which is the past participle of arañar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. arañando B. araño C. arañé D. arañado

Answer key

  1. arañan — The correct form here is arañan.
  2. arañamos — The correct form here is arañamos.
  3. arañabas — The correct form here is arañabas.
  4. arañará — The correct form here is arañará.
  5. arañaríamos — The correct form here is arañaríamos.
  6. he arañado — The correct form here is he arañado.
  7. to scratch — Arañar means to scratch. Rascar means to scratch an itch, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo araña el sofá con las uñas. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo araño el sofá con las uñas.. The person matters: araña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is araño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. arañando — The gerund of arañar is arañando: estoy arañando.
  10. arañado — The past participle of arañar is arañado: he arañado, has arañado, ha arañado.

Frequently asked questions

What does arañar mean?

Arañar means to scratch. Arañar means to scratch, and it is used for a cat scratching a sofa, a nail scratching skin, a branch scratching a car and a person scratching an itch. It also means to scrape by in a figurative sense, as in arañar unos votos, to scrape together a few votes.

When do people use arañar most?

People use arañar most in everyday situations such as Yo araño el sofá con las uñas. and Ayer, Yo arañé la piel con la rama.. 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 arañar and rascar?

Arañar means to scratch, while rascar means to scratch an itch. 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 arañar?

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

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