Beneficiar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

beneficiar means “to benefit” 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. Beneficiar means to benefit, and it is the transitive verb for giving an advantage: a plan benefits the neighbours, a scholarship benefits students, a decision benefits the company. It takes a for the person who benefits, as in beneficiar a los estudiantes. 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 beneficiar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the beneficiar present tense page.

beneficiar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo beneficio a todos los vecinos. — I benefit all the neighbours.
  2. Él/Ella beneficia a la empresa este año. — He benefits the company this year.
  3. Nosotros/as beneficiamos a los estudiantes con becas. — We benefit the students with scholarships.
  4. Ellos/as benefician a mi familia. — They benefit my family.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo beneficié a los estudiantes con becas. — Yesterday, I benefited the students with scholarships.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as beneficiábamos a mi familia. — Before, We used to benefit my family.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella benefició a todos los vecinos. — Yesterday, He benefited all the neighbours.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as beneficiaban a la empresa este año. — As children, They used to benefit the company this year.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú beneficiarás a todos los vecinos. — Tomorrow, You will benefit all the neighbours.
  2. Yo beneficiaría a la empresa este año. — I would benefit the company this year.
  3. Espero que él beneficie a los estudiantes con becas. — I hope he benefits the students with scholarships.
  4. Él/Ella ha beneficiado a mi familia. — He has benefited my family.

beneficiar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú beneficias a todos los vecinos mañana? — Are you going to benefit all the neighbours tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo beneficio a todos los vecinos todos los días. — Yes, I benefit all the neighbours every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana beneficiarás a la empresa este año? — And tomorrow, will you benefit the company this year? Luis: Claro, mañana beneficiaré a la empresa este año sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will benefit the company this year without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo beneficiaré a los estudiantes con becas también. — Perfect. I will benefit the students with scholarships too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer beneficié a los estudiantes con becas. — Yesterday, I benefited the students with scholarships. Ana: ¿Y antes beneficiabas a mi familia? — And before, did you use to benefit my family? Luis: Sí, antes beneficiaba a mi familia todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to benefit my family every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos beneficiaron a todos los vecinos? — And did your brothers benefited all the neighbours? Luis: Sí, ellos beneficiaron a todos los vecinos por la tarde. — Yes, they benefited all the neighbours in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo beneficia a todos los vecinos. — Right: Yo beneficio a todos los vecinos. — The person matters: beneficia is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is beneficio. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating beneficiar and favorecer as identical in every context. — Right: Beneficiar means to benefit, while favorecer means to favour someone or something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: beneficiar fits sentences such as Beneficio a todos los vecinos, while favorecer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy beneficiado a la empresa este año. — Right: Yo he beneficiado a la empresa este año. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he beneficiado, has beneficiado, ha beneficiado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo beneficié a los estudiantes con becas todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo beneficiaba a los estudiantes con becas todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (beneficiaba), not the preterite. The preterite (beneficié) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a mi familia. (present tense) A. benefician B. beneficio C. beneficias D. beneficia

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a todos los vecinos. (preterite tense) A. beneficié B. beneficiaste C. benefició D. beneficiamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ a la empresa este año. (imperfect tense) A. beneficiábamos B. beneficiabais C. beneficiabas D. beneficiaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ a los estudiantes con becas. (future tense) A. beneficiaremos B. beneficiará C. beneficiaré D. beneficiarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a mi familia. (conditional tense) A. beneficiaríamos B. beneficiaría C. beneficiarías D. beneficiaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a todos los vecinos. (present-perfect tense) A. has beneficiado B. ha beneficiado C. hemos beneficiado D. he beneficiado

  7. What does beneficiar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to benefit D. to favour someone or something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo beneficié a los estudiantes con becas. B. Yo beneficia a todos los vecinos. C. Yo beneficio a todos los vecinos. D. Él/Ella beneficia a la empresa este año.

  9. Which is the gerund of beneficiar, used with estar for the progressive? A. beneficiando B. beneficiado C. beneficio D. beneficié

  10. Which is the past participle of beneficiar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. beneficiando B. beneficio C. beneficié D. beneficiado

Answer key

  1. benefician — The correct form here is benefician.
  2. beneficiamos — The correct form here is beneficiamos.
  3. beneficiabas — The correct form here is beneficiabas.
  4. beneficiará — The correct form here is beneficiará.
  5. beneficiaríamos — The correct form here is beneficiaríamos.
  6. he beneficiado — The correct form here is he beneficiado.
  7. to benefit — Beneficiar means to benefit. Favorecer means to favour someone or something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo beneficia a todos los vecinos. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo beneficio a todos los vecinos.. The person matters: beneficia is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is beneficio. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. beneficiando — The gerund of beneficiar is beneficiando: estoy beneficiando.
  10. beneficiado — The past participle of beneficiar is beneficiado: he beneficiado, has beneficiado, ha beneficiado.

Frequently asked questions

What does beneficiar mean?

Beneficiar means to benefit. Beneficiar means to benefit, and it is the transitive verb for giving an advantage: a plan benefits the neighbours, a scholarship benefits students, a decision benefits the company. It takes a for the person who benefits, as in beneficiar a los estudiantes.

When do people use beneficiar most?

People use beneficiar most in everyday situations such as Yo beneficio a todos los vecinos. and Ayer, Yo beneficié a los estudiantes con becas.. 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 beneficiar and favorecer?

Beneficiar means to benefit, while favorecer means to favour someone or 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 beneficiar?

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

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