Arrestar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

arrestar means “to arrest” 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. Arrestar means to arrest, and it is the verb of the police: officers arrest a thief, a suspect, a driver. It is a formal verb of law enforcement, and it is fully regular. 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 arrestar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the arrestar present tense page.

arrestar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo arresto al ladrón en la calle. — I arrest the thief in the street.
  2. Él/Ella arresta al sospechoso del robo. — He arrests the robbery suspect.
  3. Nosotros/as arrestamos al conductor borracho. — We arrest the drunk driver.
  4. Ellos/as arrestan a dos personas en la protesta. — They arrest two people at the protest.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo arresté al conductor borracho. — Yesterday, I arrested the drunk driver.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as arrestábamos a dos personas en la protesta. — Before, We used to arrest two people at the protest.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella arrestó al ladrón en la calle. — Yesterday, He arrested the thief in the street.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as arrestaban al sospechoso del robo. — As children, They used to arrest the robbery suspect.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú arrestarás al ladrón en la calle. — Tomorrow, You will arrest the thief in the street.
  2. Yo arrestaría al sospechoso del robo. — I would arrest the robbery suspect.
  3. Espero que él arreste al conductor borracho. — I hope he arrests the drunk driver.
  4. Él/Ella ha arrestado a dos personas en la protesta. — He has arrested two people at the protest.

arrestar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú arrestas al ladrón en la calle mañana? — Are you going to arrest the thief in the street tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo arresto al ladrón en la calle todos los días. — Yes, I arrest the thief in the street every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana arrestarás al sospechoso del robo? — And tomorrow, will you arrest the robbery suspect? Luis: Claro, mañana arrestaré al sospechoso del robo sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will arrest the robbery suspect without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo arrestaré al conductor borracho también. — Perfect. I will arrest the drunk driver too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer arresté al conductor borracho. — Yesterday, I arrested the drunk driver. Ana: ¿Y antes arrestabas a dos personas en la protesta? — And before, did you use to arrest two people at the protest? Luis: Sí, antes arrestaba a dos personas en la protesta todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to arrest two people at the protest every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos arrestaron al ladrón en la calle? — And did your brothers arrested the thief in the street? Luis: Sí, ellos arrestaron al ladrón en la calle por la tarde. — Yes, they arrested the thief in the street in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo arresta al ladrón en la calle. — Right: Yo arresto al ladrón en la calle. — The person matters: arresta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is arresto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating arrestar and detener as identical in every context. — Right: Arrestar means to arrest, while detener means to detain someone, the more common synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arrestar fits sentences such as Arresto al ladrón en la calle, while detener belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy arrestado al sospechoso del robo. — Right: Yo he arrestado al sospechoso del robo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he arrestado, has arrestado, ha arrestado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo arresté al conductor borracho todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo arrestaba al conductor borracho todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (arrestaba), not the preterite. The preterite (arresté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a dos personas en la protesta. (present tense) A. arrestan B. arresto C. arrestas D. arresta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ al ladrón en la calle. (preterite tense) A. arresté B. arrestaste C. arrestó D. arrestamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ al sospechoso del robo. (imperfect tense) A. arrestábamos B. arrestabais C. arrestabas D. arrestaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ al conductor borracho. (future tense) A. arrestaremos B. arrestará C. arrestaré D. arrestarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a dos personas en la protesta. (conditional tense) A. arrestaríamos B. arrestaría C. arrestarías D. arrestaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ al ladrón en la calle. (present-perfect tense) A. has arrestado B. ha arrestado C. hemos arrestado D. he arrestado

  7. What does arrestar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to arrest D. to detain someone, the more common synonym

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo arresté al conductor borracho. B. Yo arresta al ladrón en la calle. C. Yo arresto al ladrón en la calle. D. Él/Ella arresta al sospechoso del robo.

  9. Which is the gerund of arrestar, used with estar for the progressive? A. arrestando B. arrestado C. arresto D. arresté

  10. Which is the past participle of arrestar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. arrestando B. arresto C. arresté D. arrestado

Answer key

  1. arrestan — The correct form here is arrestan.
  2. arrestamos — The correct form here is arrestamos.
  3. arrestabas — The correct form here is arrestabas.
  4. arrestará — The correct form here is arrestará.
  5. arrestaríamos — The correct form here is arrestaríamos.
  6. he arrestado — The correct form here is he arrestado.
  7. to arrest — Arrestar means to arrest. Detener means to detain someone, the more common synonym, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo arresta al ladrón en la calle. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo arresto al ladrón en la calle.. The person matters: arresta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is arresto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. arrestando — The gerund of arrestar is arrestando: estoy arrestando.
  10. arrestado — The past participle of arrestar is arrestado: he arrestado, has arrestado, ha arrestado.

Frequently asked questions

What does arrestar mean?

Arrestar means to arrest. Arrestar means to arrest, and it is the verb of the police: officers arrest a thief, a suspect, a driver. It is a formal verb of law enforcement, and it is fully regular.

When do people use arrestar most?

People use arrestar most in everyday situations such as Yo arresto al ladrón en la calle. and Ayer, Yo arresté al conductor borracho.. 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 arrestar and detener?

Arrestar means to arrest, while detener means to detain someone, the more common synonym. 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 arrestar?

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

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