Arder Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

arder means “to burn” 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. Arder means to burn, and it is used for fire burning, a house burning, a candle burning and a person burning with fever or with shame. It also appears in the phrase arder en deseos, to burn with desire, and it is a regular -er verb. 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 arder; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the arder present tense page.

arder in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo ardo de fiebre en la cama. — I burn with fever in bed.
  2. Él/Ella arde de vergüenza en público. — He burns with embarrassment in public.
  3. Nosotros/as ardemos de ganas de trabajar. — We burn with eagerness to work.
  4. Ellos/as arden de impaciencia en la cola. — They burn with impatience in the queue.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo ardí de ganas de trabajar. — Yesterday, I burned with eagerness to work.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as ardíamos de impaciencia en la cola. — Before, We used to burn with impatience in the queue.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella ardió de fiebre en la cama. — Yesterday, He burned with fever in bed.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as ardían de vergüenza en público. — As children, They used to burn with embarrassment in public.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú arderás de fiebre en la cama. — Tomorrow, You will burn with fever in bed.
  2. Yo ardería de vergüenza en público. — I would burn with embarrassment in public.
  3. Espero que él arda de ganas de trabajar. — I hope he burns with eagerness to work.
  4. Él/Ella ha ardido de impaciencia en la cola. — He has burned with impatience in the queue.

arder in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú ardes de fiebre en la cama mañana? — Are you going to burn with fever in bed tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo ardo de fiebre en la cama todos los días. — Yes, I burn with fever in bed every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana arderás de vergüenza en público? — And tomorrow, will you burn with embarrassment in public? Luis: Claro, mañana arderé de vergüenza en público sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will burn with embarrassment in public without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo arderé de ganas de trabajar también. — Perfect. I will burn with eagerness to work too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer ardí de ganas de trabajar. — Yesterday, I burned with eagerness to work. Ana: ¿Y antes ardías de impaciencia en la cola? — And before, did you use to burn with impatience in the queue? Luis: Sí, antes ardía de impaciencia en la cola todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to burn with impatience in the queue every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos ardieron de fiebre en la cama? — And did your brothers burned with fever in bed? Luis: Sí, ellos ardieron de fiebre en la cama por la tarde. — Yes, they burned with fever in bed in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo arde de fiebre en la cama. — Right: Yo ardo de fiebre en la cama. — The person matters: arde is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ardo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating arder and quemar as identical in every context. — Right: Arder means to burn, while quemar means to burn something, to set fire to it. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arder fits sentences such as Ardo de fiebre en la cama, while quemar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy ardido de vergüenza en público. — Right: Yo he ardido de vergüenza en público. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he ardido, has ardido, ha ardido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo ardí de ganas de trabajar todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo ardía de ganas de trabajar todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (ardía), not the preterite. The preterite (ardí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de impaciencia en la cola. (present tense) A. arden B. ardo C. ardes D. arde

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ de fiebre en la cama. (preterite tense) A. ardí B. ardiste C. ardió D. ardimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ de vergüenza en público. (imperfect tense) A. ardíamos B. ardíais C. ardías D. ardía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ de ganas de trabajar. (future tense) A. arderemos B. arderá C. arderé D. arderás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ de impaciencia en la cola. (conditional tense) A. arderíamos B. ardería C. arderías D. arderíais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ de fiebre en la cama. (present-perfect tense) A. has ardido B. ha ardido C. hemos ardido D. he ardido

  7. What does arder mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to burn D. to burn something, to set fire to it

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo ardí de ganas de trabajar. B. Yo arde de fiebre en la cama. C. Yo ardo de fiebre en la cama. D. Él/Ella arde de vergüenza en público.

  9. Which is the gerund of arder, used with estar for the progressive? A. ardiendo B. ardido C. ardo D. ardí

  10. Which is the past participle of arder, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. ardiendo B. ardo C. ardí D. ardido

Answer key

  1. arden — The correct form here is arden.
  2. ardimos — The correct form here is ardimos.
  3. ardías — The correct form here is ardías.
  4. arderá — The correct form here is arderá.
  5. arderíamos — The correct form here is arderíamos.
  6. he ardido — The correct form here is he ardido.
  7. to burn — Arder means to burn. Quemar means to burn something, to set fire to it, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo arde de fiebre en la cama. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo ardo de fiebre en la cama.. The person matters: arde is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ardo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. ardiendo — The gerund of arder is ardiendo: estoy ardiendo.
  10. ardido — The past participle of arder is ardido: he ardido, has ardido, ha ardido.

Frequently asked questions

What does arder mean?

Arder means to burn. Arder means to burn, and it is used for fire burning, a house burning, a candle burning and a person burning with fever or with shame. It also appears in the phrase arder en deseos, to burn with desire, and it is a regular -er verb.

When do people use arder most?

People use arder most in everyday situations such as Yo ardo de fiebre en la cama. and Ayer, Yo ardí de ganas de trabajar.. 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 arder and quemar?

Arder means to burn, while quemar means to burn something, to set fire to it. 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 arder?

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

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