Armar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

armar means “to assemble, to arm” 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. Armar means to assemble or to arm, and the two senses share the idea of putting something together: you assemble furniture, you put together a puzzle, you arm a soldier, you set a trap. It also means to cause a scene, as in armar un escándalo, to kick up a fuss. 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 armar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the armar present tense page.

armar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo armo los muebles del salón. — I assemble the living-room furniture.
  2. Él/Ella arma el puzle con los niños. — He assembles the puzzle with the children.
  3. Nosotros/as armamos un escándalo en la tienda. — We assemble a scene in the shop.
  4. Ellos/as arman la tienda de campaña. — They assemble the tent.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo armé un escándalo en la tienda. — Yesterday, I assembled a scene in the shop.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as armábamos la tienda de campaña. — Before, We used to assemble the tent.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella armó los muebles del salón. — Yesterday, He assembled the living-room furniture.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as armaban el puzle con los niños. — As children, They used to assemble the puzzle with the children.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú armarás los muebles del salón. — Tomorrow, You will assemble the living-room furniture.
  2. Yo armaría el puzle con los niños. — I would assemble the puzzle with the children.
  3. Espero que él arme un escándalo en la tienda. — I hope he assembles a scene in the shop.
  4. Él/Ella ha armado la tienda de campaña. — He has assembled the tent.

armar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú armas los muebles del salón mañana? — Are you going to assemble the living-room furniture tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo armo los muebles del salón todos los días. — Yes, I assemble the living-room furniture every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana armarás el puzle con los niños? — And tomorrow, will you assemble the puzzle with the children? Luis: Claro, mañana armaré el puzle con los niños sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will assemble the puzzle with the children without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo armaré un escándalo en la tienda también. — Perfect. I will assemble a scene in the shop too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer armé un escándalo en la tienda. — Yesterday, I assembled a scene in the shop. Ana: ¿Y antes armabas la tienda de campaña? — And before, did you use to assemble the tent? Luis: Sí, antes armaba la tienda de campaña todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to assemble the tent every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos armaron los muebles del salón? — And did your brothers assembled the living-room furniture? Luis: Sí, ellos armaron los muebles del salón por la tarde. — Yes, they assembled the living-room furniture in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo arma los muebles del salón. — Right: Yo armo los muebles del salón. — The person matters: arma is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is armo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating armar and montar as identical in every context. — Right: Armar means to assemble, to arm, while montar means to assemble or put something together. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: armar fits sentences such as Armo los muebles del salón, while montar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy armado el puzle con los niños. — Right: Yo he armado el puzle con los niños. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he armado, has armado, ha armado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo armé un escándalo en la tienda todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo armaba un escándalo en la tienda todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (armaba), not the preterite. The preterite (armé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la tienda de campaña. (present tense) A. arman B. armo C. armas D. arma

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ los muebles del salón. (preterite tense) A. armé B. armaste C. armó D. armamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el puzle con los niños. (imperfect tense) A. armábamos B. armabais C. armabas D. armaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ un escándalo en la tienda. (future tense) A. armaremos B. armará C. armaré D. armarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la tienda de campaña. (conditional tense) A. armaríamos B. armaría C. armarías D. armaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ los muebles del salón. (present-perfect tense) A. has armado B. ha armado C. hemos armado D. he armado

  7. What does armar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to assemble, to arm D. to assemble or put something together

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo armé un escándalo en la tienda. B. Yo arma los muebles del salón. C. Yo armo los muebles del salón. D. Él/Ella arma el puzle con los niños.

  9. Which is the gerund of armar, used with estar for the progressive? A. armando B. armado C. armo D. armé

  10. Which is the past participle of armar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. armando B. armo C. armé D. armado

Answer key

  1. arman — The correct form here is arman.
  2. armamos — The correct form here is armamos.
  3. armabas — The correct form here is armabas.
  4. armará — The correct form here is armará.
  5. armaríamos — The correct form here is armaríamos.
  6. he armado — The correct form here is he armado.
  7. to assemble, to arm — Armar means to assemble, to arm. Montar means to assemble or put something together, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo arma los muebles del salón. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo armo los muebles del salón.. The person matters: arma is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is armo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. armando — The gerund of armar is armando: estoy armando.
  10. armado — The past participle of armar is armado: he armado, has armado, ha armado.

Frequently asked questions

What does armar mean?

Armar means to assemble, to arm. Armar means to assemble or to arm, and the two senses share the idea of putting something together: you assemble furniture, you put together a puzzle, you arm a soldier, you set a trap. It also means to cause a scene, as in armar un escándalo, to kick up a fuss.

When do people use armar most?

People use armar most in everyday situations such as Yo armo los muebles del salón. and Ayer, Yo armé un escándalo en la tienda.. 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 armar and montar?

Armar means to assemble, to arm, while montar means to assemble or put something together. 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 armar?

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

Related links