Aumentar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aumentar means “to increase” 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. Aumentar means to increase, and it is used for prices going up, salaries rising, temperatures climbing and numbers growing: the price increases, the population increases, the boss increases your salary. It works for things that grow by themselves and for things someone increases. 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 aumentar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aumentar present tense page.

aumentar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo aumento el precio del pan. — I increase the price of bread.
  2. Él/Ella aumenta los salarios en enero. — He increases salaries in January.
  3. Nosotros/as aumentamos la temperatura en verano. — We increase the temperature in summer.
  4. Ellos/as aumentan el número de alumnos. — They increase the number of students.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo aumenté la temperatura en verano. — Yesterday, I increased the temperature in summer.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as aumentábamos el número de alumnos. — Before, We used to increase the number of students.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella aumentó el precio del pan. — Yesterday, He increased the price of bread.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as aumentaban los salarios en enero. — As children, They used to increase salaries in January.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú aumentarás el precio del pan. — Tomorrow, You will increase the price of bread.
  2. Yo aumentaría los salarios en enero. — I would increase salaries in January.
  3. Espero que él aumente la temperatura en verano. — I hope he increases the temperature in summer.
  4. Él/Ella ha aumentado el número de alumnos. — He has increased the number of students.

aumentar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú aumentas el precio del pan mañana? — Are you going to increase the price of bread tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo aumento el precio del pan todos los días. — Yes, I increase the price of bread every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana aumentarás los salarios en enero? — And tomorrow, will you increase salaries in January? Luis: Claro, mañana aumentaré los salarios en enero sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will increase salaries in January without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo aumentaré la temperatura en verano también. — Perfect. I will increase the temperature in summer too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer aumenté la temperatura en verano. — Yesterday, I increased the temperature in summer. Ana: ¿Y antes aumentabas el número de alumnos? — And before, did you use to increase the number of students? Luis: Sí, antes aumentaba el número de alumnos todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to increase the number of students every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos aumentaron el precio del pan? — And did your brothers increased the price of bread? Luis: Sí, ellos aumentaron el precio del pan por la tarde. — Yes, they increased the price of bread in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aumenta el precio del pan. — Right: Yo aumento el precio del pan. — The person matters: aumenta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aumento. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating aumentar and subir as identical in every context. — Right: Aumentar means to increase, while subir means to go up, to raise something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aumentar fits sentences such as Aumento el precio del pan, while subir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy aumentado los salarios en enero. — Right: Yo he aumentado los salarios en enero. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aumentado, has aumentado, ha aumentado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo aumenté la temperatura en verano todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aumentaba la temperatura en verano todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aumentaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aumenté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el número de alumnos. (present tense) A. aumentan B. aumento C. aumentas D. aumenta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ el precio del pan. (preterite tense) A. aumenté B. aumentaste C. aumentó D. aumentamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ los salarios en enero. (imperfect tense) A. aumentábamos B. aumentabais C. aumentabas D. aumentaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la temperatura en verano. (future tense) A. aumentaremos B. aumentará C. aumentaré D. aumentarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el número de alumnos. (conditional tense) A. aumentaríamos B. aumentaría C. aumentarías D. aumentaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ el precio del pan. (present-perfect tense) A. has aumentado B. ha aumentado C. hemos aumentado D. he aumentado

  7. What does aumentar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to increase D. to go up, to raise something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo aumenté la temperatura en verano. B. Yo aumenta el precio del pan. C. Yo aumento el precio del pan. D. Él/Ella aumenta los salarios en enero.

  9. Which is the gerund of aumentar, used with estar for the progressive? A. aumentando B. aumentado C. aumento D. aumenté

  10. Which is the past participle of aumentar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. aumentando B. aumento C. aumenté D. aumentado

Answer key

  1. aumentan — The correct form here is aumentan.
  2. aumentamos — The correct form here is aumentamos.
  3. aumentabas — The correct form here is aumentabas.
  4. aumentará — The correct form here is aumentará.
  5. aumentaríamos — The correct form here is aumentaríamos.
  6. he aumentado — The correct form here is he aumentado.
  7. to increase — Aumentar means to increase. Subir means to go up, to raise something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aumenta el precio del pan. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo aumento el precio del pan.. The person matters: aumenta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aumento. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. aumentando — The gerund of aumentar is aumentando: estoy aumentando.
  10. aumentado — The past participle of aumentar is aumentado: he aumentado, has aumentado, ha aumentado.

Frequently asked questions

What does aumentar mean?

Aumentar means to increase. Aumentar means to increase, and it is used for prices going up, salaries rising, temperatures climbing and numbers growing: the price increases, the population increases, the boss increases your salary. It works for things that grow by themselves and for things someone increases.

When do people use aumentar most?

People use aumentar most in everyday situations such as Yo aumento el precio del pan. and Ayer, Yo aumenté la temperatura en verano.. 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 aumentar and subir?

Aumentar means to increase, while subir means to go up, to raise 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 aumentar?

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

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