Arruinar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

arruinar means “to ruin” 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. Arruinar means to ruin, and it covers ruining a plan, a reputation, a business, a holiday and a person's life: bad weather ruins a picnic, a scandal ruins a career, debts ruin a family. It is a strong verb of total damage. 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 arruinar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the arruinar present tense page.

arruinar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo arruino el plan del fin de semana. — I ruin the weekend plan.
  2. Él/Ella arruina la reputación de la empresa. — He ruins the company's reputation.
  3. Nosotros/as arruinamos las vacaciones con la lluvia. — We ruin the holidays with the rain.
  4. Ellos/as arruinan mi carrera con un escándalo. — They ruin my career with a scandal.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo arruiné las vacaciones con la lluvia. — Yesterday, I ruined the holidays with the rain.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as arruinábamos mi carrera con un escándalo. — Before, We used to ruin my career with a scandal.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella arruinó el plan del fin de semana. — Yesterday, He ruined the weekend plan.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as arruinaban la reputación de la empresa. — As children, They used to ruin the company's reputation.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú arruinarás el plan del fin de semana. — Tomorrow, You will ruin the weekend plan.
  2. Yo arruinaría la reputación de la empresa. — I would ruin the company's reputation.
  3. Espero que él arruine las vacaciones con la lluvia. — I hope he ruins the holidays with the rain.
  4. Él/Ella ha arruinado mi carrera con un escándalo. — He has ruined my career with a scandal.

arruinar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú arruinas el plan del fin de semana mañana? — Are you going to ruin the weekend plan tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo arruino el plan del fin de semana todos los días. — Yes, I ruin the weekend plan every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana arruinarás la reputación de la empresa? — And tomorrow, will you ruin the company's reputation? Luis: Claro, mañana arruinaré la reputación de la empresa sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will ruin the company's reputation without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo arruinaré las vacaciones con la lluvia también. — Perfect. I will ruin the holidays with the rain too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer arruiné las vacaciones con la lluvia. — Yesterday, I ruined the holidays with the rain. Ana: ¿Y antes arruinabas mi carrera con un escándalo? — And before, did you use to ruin my career with a scandal? Luis: Sí, antes arruinaba mi carrera con un escándalo todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to ruin my career with a scandal every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos arruinaron el plan del fin de semana? — And did your brothers ruined the weekend plan? Luis: Sí, ellos arruinaron el plan del fin de semana por la tarde. — Yes, they ruined the weekend plan in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo arruina el plan del fin de semana. — Right: Yo arruino el plan del fin de semana. — The person matters: arruina is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is arruino. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating arruinar and estropear as identical in every context. — Right: Arruinar means to ruin, while estropear means to spoil or damage something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arruinar fits sentences such as Arruino el plan del fin de semana, while estropear belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy arruinado la reputación de la empresa. — Right: Yo he arruinado la reputación de la empresa. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he arruinado, has arruinado, ha arruinado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo arruiné las vacaciones con la lluvia todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo arruinaba las vacaciones con la lluvia todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (arruinaba), not the preterite. The preterite (arruiné) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ mi carrera con un escándalo. (present tense) A. arruinan B. arruino C. arruinas D. arruina

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ el plan del fin de semana. (preterite tense) A. arruiné B. arruinaste C. arruinó D. arruinamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la reputación de la empresa. (imperfect tense) A. arruinábamos B. arruinabais C. arruinabas D. arruinaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ las vacaciones con la lluvia. (future tense) A. arruinaremos B. arruinará C. arruinaré D. arruinarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ mi carrera con un escándalo. (conditional tense) A. arruinaríamos B. arruinaría C. arruinarías D. arruinaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ el plan del fin de semana. (present-perfect tense) A. has arruinado B. ha arruinado C. hemos arruinado D. he arruinado

  7. What does arruinar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to ruin D. to spoil or damage something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo arruiné las vacaciones con la lluvia. B. Yo arruina el plan del fin de semana. C. Yo arruino el plan del fin de semana. D. Él/Ella arruina la reputación de la empresa.

  9. Which is the gerund of arruinar, used with estar for the progressive? A. arruinando B. arruinado C. arruino D. arruiné

  10. Which is the past participle of arruinar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. arruinando B. arruino C. arruiné D. arruinado

Answer key

  1. arruinan — The correct form here is arruinan.
  2. arruinamos — The correct form here is arruinamos.
  3. arruinabas — The correct form here is arruinabas.
  4. arruinará — The correct form here is arruinará.
  5. arruinaríamos — The correct form here is arruinaríamos.
  6. he arruinado — The correct form here is he arruinado.
  7. to ruin — Arruinar means to ruin. Estropear means to spoil or damage something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo arruina el plan del fin de semana. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo arruino el plan del fin de semana.. The person matters: arruina is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is arruino. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. arruinando — The gerund of arruinar is arruinando: estoy arruinando.
  10. arruinado — The past participle of arruinar is arruinado: he arruinado, has arruinado, ha arruinado.

Frequently asked questions

What does arruinar mean?

Arruinar means to ruin. Arruinar means to ruin, and it covers ruining a plan, a reputation, a business, a holiday and a person's life: bad weather ruins a picnic, a scandal ruins a career, debts ruin a family. It is a strong verb of total damage.

When do people use arruinar most?

People use arruinar most in everyday situations such as Yo arruino el plan del fin de semana. and Ayer, Yo arruiné las vacaciones con la lluvia.. 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 arruinar and estropear?

Arruinar means to ruin, while estropear means to spoil or damage 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 arruinar?

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

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