Atender Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
atender means "to attend to, to serve" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows atender in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of atender, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with atender
Serving customers and patients
Atender a alguien means to serve or attend to a person: atiendo a los clientes, atiendo a los pacientes. It is the standard verb for shops, hospitals and offices.
- Cada día, yo atiendo a los clientes en la tienda. — "Every day, I attend to the customers in the shop."
- Hoy, él / ella atiende al teléfono todo el día. — "Today, he / she attends to the phone all day."
- Ayer, yo atendí a los pacientes en el hospital. — "Yesterday, I attended to the patients in the hospital."
- Antes, yo atendía a mis invitados. — "Before, I used to attend to my guests."
- Mañana, yo atenderé a los clientes en la tienda. — "Tomorrow, I will attend to the customers in the shop."
- Hoy, yo he atendido al teléfono todo el día. — "Today, I have attended to the phone all day."
Paying attention
Atender also means to pay attention: atiendo al teléfono means I answer the phone, and atiendo en clase means I pay attention in class.
- Cada día, yo atiendo a los pacientes en el hospital. — "Every day, I attend to the patients in the hospital."
- Hoy, él / ella atiende a mis invitados. — "Today, he / she attends to my guests."
- Ayer, yo atendí a los clientes en la tienda. — "Yesterday, I attended to the customers in the shop."
- Antes, yo atendía al teléfono todo el día. — "Before, I used to attend to the phone all day."
- Mañana, yo atenderé a los pacientes en el hospital. — "Tomorrow, I will attend to the patients in the hospital."
- Hoy, yo he atendido a mis invitados. — "Today, I have attended to my guests."
Atender in conversation
The two dialogues below show atender in natural conversation. The first is about serving customers and patients, and the second is about paying attention. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú atiendes a los clientes en la tienda? — "Do you attend to the customers in the shop?"
- Sí, yo atiendo a los clientes en la tienda cada día. — "Yes, I attend to the customers in the shop every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú atendiste al teléfono todo el día? — "And yesterday? Did you attend to the phone all day?"
- Sí, ayer yo atendí al teléfono todo el día. — "Yes, yesterday I attended to the phone all day."
- Mañana yo atenderé a los pacientes en el hospital también. — "Tomorrow I will attend to the patients in the hospital too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros atendéis a los pacientes en el hospital? — "Do you attend to the patients in the hospital?"
- Sí, nosotros atendemos a los pacientes en el hospital los fines de semana. — "Yes, we attend to the patients in the hospital at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos atienden a mis invitados? — "And them? Do they attend to my guests?"
- Sí, ellos atienden a mis invitados también. — "Yes, they attend to my guests too."
- Mañana nosotros atenderemos a los pacientes en el hospital otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will attend to the patients in the hospital again."
Common mistakes with atender in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo atendo a los clientes.
- Right: Yo atiendo a los clientes.
- Why: Atender is a stem-changing verb: e becomes ie in the stressed forms. The yo form is atiendo, not atendo.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Yo atiendo los clientes.
- Right: Yo atiendo a los clientes.
- Why: When the object is a person, atender needs the personal a: atiendo a los clientes, atiendo a los pacientes.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Atender es lo mismo que asistir.
- Right: Atender means to serve or attend to; asistir means to attend an event.
- Why: Asistir a una clase means to be present at a lesson. Atender a un cliente means to serve a customer. The two verbs are not interchangeable.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo atendí a los clientes en la tienda.
- Right: Cada día, yo atiendo a los clientes en la tienda.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo atiendo a los clientes en la tienda ayer por la mañana.
- Right: Ayer por la mañana yo atendí a los clientes en la tienda.
- Why: Ayer por la mañana means yesterday morning, so the action is finished and needs the preterite, not the present.
Quiz: atender in use
Ten questions on atender across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of atender in the present tense?
- (a) atiende
- (b) atendemos
- (c) atiendo
- (d) atiendes
Answer: (c) atiendo. The i form in the present is atiendo.
2. What is the he / she form of atender in the present tense?
- (a) atendemos
- (b) atiende
- (c) atiendo
- (d) atiendes
Answer: (b) atiende. The he / she form in the present is atiende.
3. What is the he / she form of atender in the preterite tense?
- (a) atendió
- (b) atendí
- (c) atendiste
- (d) atendimos
Answer: (a) atendió. The he / she form in the preterite is atendió.
4. What is the i form of atender in the imperfect tense?
- (a) atiendo
- (b) atendí
- (c) atenderé
- (d) atendía
Answer: (d) atendía. The i form in the imperfect is atendía. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of atender in the future tense?
- (a) atenderá
- (b) atenderemos
- (c) atenderé
- (d) atenderás
Answer: (c) atenderé. The i form in the future is atenderé.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) atendí
- (b) atendía
- (c) atiendo
- (d) he atendido
Answer: (d) he atendido. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he atendido.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los clientes en la tienda.
- (a) atendía
- (b) atienda
- (c) atiende
- (d) atendió
Answer: (b) atienda. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: atienda. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of atender in the present tense?
- (a) atiendo
- (b) atiendes
- (c) atiende
- (d) atendemos
Answer: (d) atendemos. The we form in the present is atendemos.
9. What is the i form of atender in the preterite tense?
- (a) atendió
- (b) atendimos
- (c) atendí
- (d) atendiste
Answer: (c) atendí. The i form in the preterite is atendí.
10. What is the they form of atender in the present tense?
- (a) atiende
- (b) atienden
- (c) atiendo
- (d) atiendes
Answer: (b) atienden. The they form in the present is atienden.
Frequently asked questions about atender
Is atender a stem-changing verb?
Yes. The stem changes from e to ie in the stressed present forms: atiendo, atiendes, atiende, atienden. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep e: atendemos, atendéis.
Does atender take the personal a?
Yes, before a person: atiendo a los clientes. Before a thing it takes no a, or a different preposition: atiendo al teléfono.
What is the difference between atender and servir?
Servir is the general verb for serving food and drink. Atender is wider: it means to deal with someone, to serve them and to look after their needs.
How can I practise atender?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.