Arrastrar Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Arrastrar means “to drag”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Arrastrar means to drag, and it is used for dragging a suitcase, a chair or a heavy box, and for dragging your feet when you are tired. It is fully regular, and it appears in moving, travel and tiredness contexts. This page shows arrastrar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.” — I drag the suitcase through the airport.
Arrastrar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how arrastrar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use arrastrar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.” — I drag the suitcase through the airport.
“¿Tú arrastras la silla hasta la ventana?” — Do you drag the chair to the window?
“Arrastra los pies de cansancio.” — He/she drags my feet with tiredness.
“Arrastramos el sofá a la otra habitación.” — We drag the sofa to the other room.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show arrastrar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo arrastré la maleta por el aeropuerto.” — Yesterday, I dragged the suitcase through the airport. (preterite)
“Él arrastraba la silla hasta la ventana todos los días.” — He used to drag the chair to the window every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of arrastrar stays the same.
“Nosotros arrastraremos los pies de cansancio mañana.” — We will drag my feet with tiredness tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has arrastrado el sofá a la otra habitación?” — Have you dragged the sofa to the other room? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Arrastráis la maleta por el aeropuerto.” — You drag the suitcase through the airport.
“Arrastran la silla hasta la ventana.” — They drag the chair to the window.
“Arrastro los pies de cansancio.” — I drag my feet with tiredness.
“Arrastra el sofá a la otra habitación.” — He/she drags the sofa to the other room.
Arrastrar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how arrastrar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú arrastras la maleta por el aeropuerto?” — Do you drag the suitcase through the airport?
Carlos: “Sí, yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.” — Yes, I drag the suitcase through the airport.
Lucía: “Nosotros arrastramos la silla hasta la ventana.” — We drag the chair to the window.
Carlos: “Y ellos arrastran los pies de cansancio.” — And they drag my feet with tiredness.
Lucía: “Vosotros arrastráis el sofá a la otra habitación.” — You drag the sofa to the other room.
Carlos: “Sí, y él arrastra la silla hasta la ventana.” — Yes, and he drags the chair to the window.
A short paragraph
Lucía arrastra la maleta por el aeropuerto, y Carlos arrastra la silla hasta la ventana. Nosotros arrastramos los pies de cansancio, y ellos arrastran el sofá a la otra habitación. Yo arrastro los pies de cansancio, y mi padre arrastra el sofá a la otra habitación. Arrastrar is part of everyday life, because to drag is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with arrastrar
These are the errors learners actually make with arrastrar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo arrastra la maleta por el aeropuerto.” Right: “Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.” Why: The person matters: arrastra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is arrastro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo arrastro la silla hasta la ventana.” Right: “Ayer yo arrastré la silla hasta la ventana.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: arrastro is happening now, while arrastré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating arrastrar and empujar as identical in every context.” Right: “Arrastrar means to drag, while empujar means to push.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arrastrar fits sentences such as Arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto, while empujar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy arrastrado la silla hasta la ventana.” Right: “Yo he arrastrado la silla hasta la ventana.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he arrastrado, has arrastrado, ha arrastrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo arrastré los pies de cansancio todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo arrastraba los pies de cansancio todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (arrastraba), not the preterite. The preterite (arrastré) is for one finished action.
Quiz: arrastrar in use
Ten questions on arrastrar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ la maleta por el aeropuerto.” (The suitcase through the airport.)
- (a) arrastráis
- (b) arrastro
- (c) arrastras
Answer: arrastráis — The vosotros/as form of arrastrar in the present is arrastráis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la silla hasta la ventana.” (The chair to the window.)
- (a) arrastro
- (b) arrastras
- (c) arrastran
Answer: arrastran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of arrastrar in the present is arrastran.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ la maleta por el aeropuerto.” (The suitcase through the airport.)
- (a) arrastró
- (b) arrastré
- (c) arrastraste
Answer: arrastré — The yo form of arrastrar in the preterite is arrastré.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ la silla hasta la ventana.” (The chair to the window.)
- (a) arrastraba
- (b) arrastrabas
- (c) arrastrábamos
Answer: arrastraba — The él/ella/Ud. form of arrastrar in the imperfect is arrastraba.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ los pies de cansancio.” (My feet with tiredness.)
- (a) arrastraré
- (b) arrastrarás
- (c) arrastraremos
Answer: arrastraremos — The nosotros/as form of arrastrar in the future is arrastraremos.
6. What does arrastrar mean in English?
- (a) to unload
- (b) to drag
- (c) to push
Answer: to drag — Arrastrar means “to drag”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.
- (b) Ellos arrastra la maleta por el aeropuerto.
- (c) Yo arrastro la silla hasta la ventana ayer.
Answer: Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto. — “Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I drag the suitcase through the airport.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo arrastran la maleta por el aeropuerto.
- (b) Yo arrastré la maleta por el aeropuerto.
- (c) Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.
Answer: Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto. — “Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of arrastrar in the present tense?
- (a) arrastras
- (b) arrastramos
- (c) arrastro
Answer: arrastramos — The nosotros form is arrastramos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo arrastré la maleta por el aeropuerto.
- (b) Nosotros arrastraremos la maleta por el aeropuerto mañana.
- (c) Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.
Answer: Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto. — “Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I drag' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto todos los días'.
How do you say 'I drag' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo arrastré la silla hasta la ventana'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo arrastraba la silla hasta la ventana todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he arrastrado la silla hasta la ventana'.
What is the difference between arrastrar and empujar?
Arrastrar means to drag, while empujar means to push. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use arrastrar when you mean to drag, as in Arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of arrastrar — every tense of arrastrar in one place.
- Arrastrar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on arrastrar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of arrastrar until they are automatic.