Bloquear Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

bloquear means “to block” 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. Bloquear means to block, and it covers blocking a door, blocking a road, blocking a phone number and blocking a bank account. It is a regular -ar verb, common in security, traffic and computing language. 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 bloquear; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the bloquear present tense page.

bloquear in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo bloqueo la puerta con una silla. — I block the door with a chair.
  2. Él/Ella bloquea el número del desconocido. — He blocks the stranger's number.
  3. Nosotros/as bloqueamos la carretera con el coche. — We block the road with the car.
  4. Ellos/as bloquean la cuenta del banco. — They block the bank account.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo bloqueé la carretera con el coche. — Yesterday, I blocked the road with the car.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as bloqueábamos la cuenta del banco. — Before, We used to block the bank account.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella bloqueó la puerta con una silla. — Yesterday, He blocked the door with a chair.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as bloqueaban el número del desconocido. — As children, They used to block the stranger's number.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú bloquearás la puerta con una silla. — Tomorrow, You will block the door with a chair.
  2. Yo bloquearía el número del desconocido. — I would block the stranger's number.
  3. Espero que él bloquee la carretera con el coche. — I hope he blocks the road with the car.
  4. Él/Ella ha bloqueado la cuenta del banco. — He has blocked the bank account.

bloquear in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú bloqueas la puerta con una silla mañana? — Are you going to block the door with a chair tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo bloqueo la puerta con una silla todos los días. — Yes, I block the door with a chair every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana bloquearás el número del desconocido? — And tomorrow, will you block the stranger's number? Luis: Claro, mañana bloquearé el número del desconocido sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will block the stranger's number without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo bloquearé la carretera con el coche también. — Perfect. I will block the road with the car too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer bloqueé la carretera con el coche. — Yesterday, I blocked the road with the car. Ana: ¿Y antes bloqueabas la cuenta del banco? — And before, did you use to block the bank account? Luis: Sí, antes bloqueaba la cuenta del banco todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to block the bank account every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos bloquearon la puerta con una silla? — And did your brothers blocked the door with a chair? Luis: Sí, ellos bloquearon la puerta con una silla por la tarde. — Yes, they blocked the door with a chair in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo bloquea la puerta con una silla. — Right: Yo bloqueo la puerta con una silla. — The person matters: bloquea is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is bloqueo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating bloquear and obstruir as identical in every context. — Right: Bloquear means to block, while obstruir means to obstruct something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: bloquear fits sentences such as Bloqueo la puerta con una silla, while obstruir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy bloqueado el número del desconocido. — Right: Yo he bloqueado el número del desconocido. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he bloqueado, has bloqueado, ha bloqueado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo bloqueé la carretera con el coche todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo bloqueaba la carretera con el coche todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (bloqueaba), not the preterite. The preterite (bloqueé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la cuenta del banco. (present tense) A. bloquean B. bloqueo C. bloqueas D. bloquea

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la puerta con una silla. (preterite tense) A. bloqueé B. bloqueaste C. bloqueó D. bloqueamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el número del desconocido. (imperfect tense) A. bloqueábamos B. bloqueabais C. bloqueabas D. bloqueaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la carretera con el coche. (future tense) A. bloquearemos B. bloqueará C. bloquearé D. bloquearás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la cuenta del banco. (conditional tense) A. bloquearíamos B. bloquearía C. bloquearías D. bloquearíais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la puerta con una silla. (present-perfect tense) A. has bloqueado B. ha bloqueado C. hemos bloqueado D. he bloqueado

  7. What does bloquear mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to block D. to obstruct something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo bloqueé la carretera con el coche. B. Yo bloquea la puerta con una silla. C. Yo bloqueo la puerta con una silla. D. Él/Ella bloquea el número del desconocido.

  9. Which is the gerund of bloquear, used with estar for the progressive? A. bloqueando B. bloqueado C. bloqueo D. bloqueé

  10. Which is the past participle of bloquear, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. bloqueando B. bloqueo C. bloqueé D. bloqueado

Answer key

  1. bloquean — The correct form here is bloquean.
  2. bloqueamos — The correct form here is bloqueamos.
  3. bloqueabas — The correct form here is bloqueabas.
  4. bloqueará — The correct form here is bloqueará.
  5. bloquearíamos — The correct form here is bloquearíamos.
  6. he bloqueado — The correct form here is he bloqueado.
  7. to block — Bloquear means to block. Obstruir means to obstruct something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo bloquea la puerta con una silla. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo bloqueo la puerta con una silla.. The person matters: bloquea is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is bloqueo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. bloqueando — The gerund of bloquear is bloqueando: estoy bloqueando.
  10. bloqueado — The past participle of bloquear is bloqueado: he bloqueado, has bloqueado, ha bloqueado.

Frequently asked questions

What does bloquear mean?

Bloquear means to block. Bloquear means to block, and it covers blocking a door, blocking a road, blocking a phone number and blocking a bank account. It is a regular -ar verb, common in security, traffic and computing language.

When do people use bloquear most?

People use bloquear most in everyday situations such as Yo bloqueo la puerta con una silla. and Ayer, Yo bloqueé la carretera con el coche.. 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 bloquear and obstruir?

Bloquear means to block, while obstruir means to obstruct 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 bloquear?

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

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