Arbitrar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

arbitrar means “to referee” 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. Arbitrar means to referee, to act as the referee in a sports match. It is used for football, basketball and other games, and it is a fully regular verb that belongs to sports vocabulary. 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 arbitrar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the arbitrar present tense page.

arbitrar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo arbitro el partido de fútbol del domingo. — “I referee Sunday's football match.”
  2. Él arbitra la final con mucha presión. — “He referees the final under a lot of pressure.”
  3. Nosotros arbitramos el derbi entre los dos equipos. — “We referee the derby between the two teams.”
  4. Ellos arbitran el torneo de baloncesto. — “They referee the basketball tournament.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo arbitré la final con mucha presión. — “Yesterday, I refereed the final under a lot of pressure.”
  2. Antes, nosotros arbitrábamos el derbi entre los dos equipos. — “Before, we used to referee the derby between the two teams.”
  3. Él arbitró el torneo de baloncesto. — “He refereed the basketball tournament.”
  4. Yo ya había arbitrado el partido de fútbol del domingo antes de salir. — “I had already refereed Sunday's football match before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú arbitrarás el partido de fútbol del domingo. — “Tomorrow, you will referee Sunday's football match.”
  2. Yo arbitraría la final con mucha presión si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would referee the final under a lot of pressure if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha arbitrado el derbi entre los dos equipos. — “He has refereed the derby between the two teams.”
  4. Espero que él arbitre el torneo de baloncesto. — “I hope he referees the basketball tournament.”

arbitrar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use arbitrar 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 their day.

  • Ana: Yo arbitro el partido de fútbol del domingo. — “I referee Sunday's football match.”
  • Bea: Él arbitra la final con mucha presión. — “He referees the final under a lot of pressure.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo arbitré la final con mucha presión. — “Yesterday, I refereed the final under a lot of pressure.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú arbitrarás el partido de fútbol del domingo. — “Tomorrow, you will referee Sunday's football match.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros arbitramos el derbi entre los dos equipos. — “We referee the derby between the two teams.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros arbitrábamos el derbi entre los dos equipos. — “Before, we used to referee the derby between the two teams.”
  • Luis: Yo arbitraría la final con mucha presión si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would referee the final under a lot of pressure if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él arbitre el torneo de baloncesto. — “I hope he referees the basketball tournament.”

A short scene with arbitrar

A short scene shows how arbitrar works across the day. In the morning: Arbitro el partido de fútbol del domingo. In the afternoon: Arbitra la final con mucha presión. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, arbitré el derbi entre los dos equipos. And tomorrow: Mañana, arbitraré el torneo de baloncesto. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how arbitrar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with arbitrar

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

✗ Yo arbitra el partido de fútbol del domingo.

✓ Correct: Yo arbitro el partido de fútbol del domingo.

The person matters: arbitra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is arbitro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo arbitro la final con mucha presión.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo arbitré la final con mucha presión.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: arbitro is happening now, while arbitré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating arbitrar and juzgar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Arbitrar means to referee, while juzgar means to judge, in a court.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arbitrar fits sentences such as Arbitro el partido de fútbol del domingo, while juzgar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy arbitrado la final con mucha presión.

✓ Correct: Yo he arbitrado la final con mucha presión.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he arbitrado, has arbitrado, ha arbitrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo arbitré el derbi entre los dos equipos todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo arbitraba el derbi entre los dos equipos todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (arbitraba), not the preterite. The preterite (arbitré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: arbitrar in use

Ten questions on arbitrar — 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: Él ______ la final con mucha presión. — “He/she referees the final under a lot of pressure.”

  • a) arbitra
  • b) arbitro
  • c) arbitras
  • d) arbitramos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el derbi entre los dos equipos. — “Yesterday, I refereed the derby between the two teams.”

  • a) arbitraste
  • b) arbitró
  • c) arbitraron
  • d) arbitré

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el torneo de baloncesto cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to referee the basketball tournament when they were young.”

  • a) arbitrabas
  • b) arbitrábamos
  • c) arbitraban
  • d) arbitraba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ el partido de fútbol del domingo. — “Tomorrow, we will referee Sunday's football match.”

  • a) arbitrarán
  • b) arbitraremos
  • c) arbitraré
  • d) arbitrarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la final con mucha presión si pudiera. — “He would referee the final under a lot of pressure if he could.”

  • a) arbitraría
  • b) arbitrarías
  • c) arbitraríamos
  • d) arbitro

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el derbi entre los dos equipos. — “I have refereed the derby between the two teams.”

  • a) has arbitrado
  • b) ha arbitrado
  • c) han arbitrado
  • d) he arbitrado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ el torneo de baloncesto. — “I hope you referee the basketball tournament.”

  • a) arbitremos
  • b) arbitro
  • c) arbitres
  • d) arbitre

8. Which is the past participle of arbitrar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) arbitré
  • b) arbitrado
  • c) arbitrando
  • d) arbitro

9. What does arbitrar mean in English?

  • a) to referee
  • b) to judge, in a court
  • c) to get injured
  • d) to premiere, to wear for the first time

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él arbitra la final con mucha presión.
  • b) Él arbitro la final con mucha presión.
  • c) Nosotros arbitra el derbi entre los dos equipos.
  • d) Yo arbitra el partido de fútbol del domingo.

Answer key

  1. a) arbitra — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: arbitra.

  2. d) arbitré — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: arbitré, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) arbitraban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: arbitraban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) arbitraremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: arbitraremos.

  5. a) arbitraría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: arbitraría.

  6. d) he arbitrado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he arbitrado, haber + arbitrado.

  7. c) arbitres — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is arbitres.

  8. b) arbitrado — The past participle is arbitrado: he arbitrado, has arbitrado, ha arbitrado. The gerund arbitrando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to referee — arbitrar means to referee. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él arbitra la final con mucha presión. — Él arbitra la final con mucha presión. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use arbitrar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Arbitro el partido de fútbol del domingo and Arbitra la final con mucha presión. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between arbitrar and juzgar?

Arbitrar means “to referee”, while juzgar means “to judge, in a court”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use arbitrar when you mean “to referee” and juzgar when you mean “to judge, in a court”.

Which tense do I need most with arbitrar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use arbitrar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is arbitrar formal or informal?

Arbitrar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

Related links