Archivar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

archivar means “to file away” 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. Archivar means to file away, and it is used for putting documents in a file, storing papers in an archive and, in computing, archiving emails and files. It is a work and office verb, common in administration and in email language. 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 archivar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the archivar present tense page.

archivar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo archivo los documentos en la carpeta. — I file away the documents in the folder.
  2. Él/Ella archiva las cartas del año pasado. — He files away last year's letters.
  3. Nosotros/as archivamos los correos en el ordenador. — We file away the emails on the computer.
  4. Ellos/as archivan el expediente del cliente. — They file away the customer's file.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo archivé los correos en el ordenador. — Yesterday, I filed away the emails on the computer.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as archivábamos el expediente del cliente. — Before, We used to file away the customer's file.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella archivó los documentos en la carpeta. — Yesterday, He filed away the documents in the folder.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as archivaban las cartas del año pasado. — As children, They used to file away last year's letters.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú archivarás los documentos en la carpeta. — Tomorrow, You will file away the documents in the folder.
  2. Yo archivaría las cartas del año pasado. — I would file away last year's letters.
  3. Espero que él archive los correos en el ordenador. — I hope he files away the emails on the computer.
  4. Él/Ella ha archivado el expediente del cliente. — He has filed away the customer's file.

archivar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú archivas los documentos en la carpeta mañana? — Are you going to file away the documents in the folder tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo archivo los documentos en la carpeta todos los días. — Yes, I file away the documents in the folder every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana archivarás las cartas del año pasado? — And tomorrow, will you file away last year's letters? Luis: Claro, mañana archivaré las cartas del año pasado sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will file away last year's letters without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo archivaré los correos en el ordenador también. — Perfect. I will file away the emails on the computer too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer archivé los correos en el ordenador. — Yesterday, I filed away the emails on the computer. Ana: ¿Y antes archivabas el expediente del cliente? — And before, did you use to file away the customer's file? Luis: Sí, antes archivaba el expediente del cliente todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to file away the customer's file every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos archivaron los documentos en la carpeta? — And did your brothers filed away the documents in the folder? Luis: Sí, ellos archivaron los documentos en la carpeta por la tarde. — Yes, they filed away the documents in the folder in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo archiva los documentos en la carpeta. — Right: Yo archivo los documentos en la carpeta. — The person matters: archiva is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is archivo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating archivar and guardar as identical in every context. — Right: Archivar means to file away, while guardar means to keep or store something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: archivar fits sentences such as Archivo los documentos en la carpeta, while guardar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy archivado las cartas del año pasado. — Right: Yo he archivado las cartas del año pasado. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he archivado, has archivado, ha archivado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo archivé los correos en el ordenador todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo archivaba los correos en el ordenador todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (archivaba), not the preterite. The preterite (archivé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el expediente del cliente. (present tense) A. archivan B. archivo C. archivas D. archiva

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ los documentos en la carpeta. (preterite tense) A. archivé B. archivaste C. archivó D. archivamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ las cartas del año pasado. (imperfect tense) A. archivábamos B. archivabais C. archivabas D. archivaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ los correos en el ordenador. (future tense) A. archivaremos B. archivará C. archivaré D. archivarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el expediente del cliente. (conditional tense) A. archivaríamos B. archivaría C. archivarías D. archivaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ los documentos en la carpeta. (present-perfect tense) A. has archivado B. ha archivado C. hemos archivado D. he archivado

  7. What does archivar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to file away D. to keep or store something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo archivé los correos en el ordenador. B. Yo archiva los documentos en la carpeta. C. Yo archivo los documentos en la carpeta. D. Él/Ella archiva las cartas del año pasado.

  9. Which is the gerund of archivar, used with estar for the progressive? A. archivando B. archivado C. archivo D. archivé

  10. Which is the past participle of archivar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. archivando B. archivo C. archivé D. archivado

Answer key

  1. archivan — The correct form here is archivan.
  2. archivamos — The correct form here is archivamos.
  3. archivabas — The correct form here is archivabas.
  4. archivará — The correct form here is archivará.
  5. archivaríamos — The correct form here is archivaríamos.
  6. he archivado — The correct form here is he archivado.
  7. to file away — Archivar means to file away. Guardar means to keep or store something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo archiva los documentos en la carpeta. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo archivo los documentos en la carpeta.. The person matters: archiva is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is archivo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. archivando — The gerund of archivar is archivando: estoy archivando.
  10. archivado — The past participle of archivar is archivado: he archivado, has archivado, ha archivado.

Frequently asked questions

What does archivar mean?

Archivar means to file away. Archivar means to file away, and it is used for putting documents in a file, storing papers in an archive and, in computing, archiving emails and files. It is a work and office verb, common in administration and in email language.

When do people use archivar most?

People use archivar most in everyday situations such as Yo archivo los documentos en la carpeta. and Ayer, Yo archivé los correos en el ordenador.. 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 archivar and guardar?

Archivar means to file away, while guardar means to keep or store 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 archivar?

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

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