Aspirar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aspirar means “to aspire, to inhale” 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. Aspirar means to aspire or to inhale, and the two senses share the idea of drawing something in: you aspire to a better job, you inhale air, a vacuum cleaner sucks up dust. It takes a for the goal aspired to, as in aspirar a ser médico. 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 aspirar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aspirar present tense page.

aspirar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo aspiro a ser médico algún día. — I aspire to be a doctor one day.
  2. Él/Ella aspira a un puesto mejor en la empresa. — He aspires to a better job in the company.
  3. Nosotros/as aspiramos a ganar el premio este año. — We aspire to win the prize this year.
  4. Ellos/as aspiran a una vida sin preocupaciones. — They aspire to a life without worries.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo aspiré a ganar el premio este año. — Yesterday, I aspired to win the prize this year.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as aspirábamos a una vida sin preocupaciones. — Before, We used to aspire to a life without worries.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella aspiró a ser médico algún día. — Yesterday, He aspired to be a doctor one day.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as aspiraban a un puesto mejor en la empresa. — As children, They used to aspire to a better job in the company.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú aspirarás a ser médico algún día. — Tomorrow, You will aspire to be a doctor one day.
  2. Yo aspiraría a un puesto mejor en la empresa. — I would aspire to a better job in the company.
  3. Espero que él aspire a ganar el premio este año. — I hope he aspires to win the prize this year.
  4. Él/Ella ha aspirado a una vida sin preocupaciones. — He has aspired to a life without worries.

aspirar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú aspiras a ser médico algún día mañana? — Are you going to aspire to be a doctor one day tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo aspiro a ser médico algún día todos los días. — Yes, I aspire to be a doctor one day every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana aspirarás a un puesto mejor en la empresa? — And tomorrow, will you aspire to a better job in the company? Luis: Claro, mañana aspiraré a un puesto mejor en la empresa sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will aspire to a better job in the company without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo aspiraré a ganar el premio este año también. — Perfect. I will aspire to win the prize this year too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer aspiré a ganar el premio este año. — Yesterday, I aspired to win the prize this year. Ana: ¿Y antes aspirabas a una vida sin preocupaciones? — And before, did you use to aspire to a life without worries? Luis: Sí, antes aspiraba a una vida sin preocupaciones todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to aspire to a life without worries every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos aspiraron a ser médico algún día? — And did your brothers aspired to be a doctor one day? Luis: Sí, ellos aspiraron a ser médico algún día por la tarde. — Yes, they aspired to be a doctor one day in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aspira a ser médico algún día. — Right: Yo aspiro a ser médico algún día. — The person matters: aspira is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aspiro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating aspirar and desear as identical in every context. — Right: Aspirar means to aspire, to inhale, while desear means to wish for something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aspirar fits sentences such as Aspiro a ser médico algún día, while desear belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy aspirado a un puesto mejor en la empresa. — Right: Yo he aspirado a un puesto mejor en la empresa. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aspirado, has aspirado, ha aspirado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo aspiré a ganar el premio este año todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aspiraba a ganar el premio este año todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aspiraba), not the preterite. The preterite (aspiré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a una vida sin preocupaciones. (present tense) A. aspiran B. aspiro C. aspiras D. aspira

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a ser médico algún día. (preterite tense) A. aspiré B. aspiraste C. aspiró D. aspiramos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ a un puesto mejor en la empresa. (imperfect tense) A. aspirábamos B. aspirabais C. aspirabas D. aspiraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ a ganar el premio este año. (future tense) A. aspiraremos B. aspirará C. aspiraré D. aspirarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a una vida sin preocupaciones. (conditional tense) A. aspiraríamos B. aspiraría C. aspirarías D. aspiraríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a ser médico algún día. (present-perfect tense) A. has aspirado B. ha aspirado C. hemos aspirado D. he aspirado

  7. What does aspirar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to aspire, to inhale D. to wish for something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo aspiré a ganar el premio este año. B. Yo aspira a ser médico algún día. C. Yo aspiro a ser médico algún día. D. Él/Ella aspira a un puesto mejor en la empresa.

  9. Which is the gerund of aspirar, used with estar for the progressive? A. aspirando B. aspirado C. aspiro D. aspiré

  10. Which is the past participle of aspirar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. aspirando B. aspiro C. aspiré D. aspirado

Answer key

  1. aspiran — The correct form here is aspiran.
  2. aspiramos — The correct form here is aspiramos.
  3. aspirabas — The correct form here is aspirabas.
  4. aspirará — The correct form here is aspirará.
  5. aspiraríamos — The correct form here is aspiraríamos.
  6. he aspirado — The correct form here is he aspirado.
  7. to aspire, to inhale — Aspirar means to aspire, to inhale. Desear means to wish for something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aspira a ser médico algún día. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo aspiro a ser médico algún día.. The person matters: aspira is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aspiro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. aspirando — The gerund of aspirar is aspirando: estoy aspirando.
  10. aspirado — The past participle of aspirar is aspirado: he aspirado, has aspirado, ha aspirado.

Frequently asked questions

What does aspirar mean?

Aspirar means to aspire, to inhale. Aspirar means to aspire or to inhale, and the two senses share the idea of drawing something in: you aspire to a better job, you inhale air, a vacuum cleaner sucks up dust. It takes a for the goal aspired to, as in aspirar a ser médico.

When do people use aspirar most?

People use aspirar most in everyday situations such as Yo aspiro a ser médico algún día. and Ayer, Yo aspiré a ganar el premio este año.. 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 aspirar and desear?

Aspirar means to aspire, to inhale, while desear means to wish for 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 aspirar?

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

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