Borrar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

borrar means “to erase” 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. Borrar means to erase, and it is used for erasing a blackboard, deleting a message, removing a name from a list and wiping a photo. It is a regular -ar verb, common in school and in computing. 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 borrar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the borrar present tense page.

borrar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo borro la pizarra después de clase. — I erase the blackboard after class.
  2. Él/Ella borra el mensaje del móvil. — He erases the message on the phone.
  3. Nosotros/as borramos mi nombre de la lista. — We erase my name from the list.
  4. Ellos/as borran la foto del álbum. — They erase the photo from the album.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo borré mi nombre de la lista. — Yesterday, I erased my name from the list.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as borrábamos la foto del álbum. — Before, We used to erase the photo from the album.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella borró la pizarra después de clase. — Yesterday, He erased the blackboard after class.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as borraban el mensaje del móvil. — As children, They used to erase the message on the phone.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú borrarás la pizarra después de clase. — Tomorrow, You will erase the blackboard after class.
  2. Yo borraría el mensaje del móvil. — I would erase the message on the phone.
  3. Espero que él borre mi nombre de la lista. — I hope he erases my name from the list.
  4. Él/Ella ha borrado la foto del álbum. — He has erased the photo from the album.

borrar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú borras la pizarra después de clase mañana? — Are you going to erase the blackboard after class tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo borro la pizarra después de clase todos los días. — Yes, I erase the blackboard after class every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana borrarás el mensaje del móvil? — And tomorrow, will you erase the message on the phone? Luis: Claro, mañana borraré el mensaje del móvil sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will erase the message on the phone without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo borraré mi nombre de la lista también. — Perfect. I will erase my name from the list too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer borré mi nombre de la lista. — Yesterday, I erased my name from the list. Ana: ¿Y antes borrabas la foto del álbum? — And before, did you use to erase the photo from the album? Luis: Sí, antes borraba la foto del álbum todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to erase the photo from the album every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos borraron la pizarra después de clase? — And did your brothers erased the blackboard after class? Luis: Sí, ellos borraron la pizarra después de clase por la tarde. — Yes, they erased the blackboard after class in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo borra la pizarra después de clase. — Right: Yo borro la pizarra después de clase. — The person matters: borra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is borro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating borrar and eliminar as identical in every context. — Right: Borrar means to erase, while eliminar means to delete or remove something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: borrar fits sentences such as Borro la pizarra después de clase, while eliminar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy borrado el mensaje del móvil. — Right: Yo he borrado el mensaje del móvil. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he borrado, has borrado, ha borrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo borré mi nombre de la lista todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo borraba mi nombre de la lista todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (borraba), not the preterite. The preterite (borré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la foto del álbum. (present tense) A. borran B. borro C. borras D. borra

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la pizarra después de clase. (preterite tense) A. borré B. borraste C. borró D. borramos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el mensaje del móvil. (imperfect tense) A. borrábamos B. borrabais C. borrabas D. borraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ mi nombre de la lista. (future tense) A. borraremos B. borrará C. borraré D. borrarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la foto del álbum. (conditional tense) A. borraríamos B. borraría C. borrarías D. borraríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la pizarra después de clase. (present-perfect tense) A. has borrado B. ha borrado C. hemos borrado D. he borrado

  7. What does borrar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to erase D. to delete or remove something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo borré mi nombre de la lista. B. Yo borra la pizarra después de clase. C. Yo borro la pizarra después de clase. D. Él/Ella borra el mensaje del móvil.

  9. Which is the gerund of borrar, used with estar for the progressive? A. borrando B. borrado C. borro D. borré

  10. Which is the past participle of borrar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. borrando B. borro C. borré D. borrado

Answer key

  1. borran — The correct form here is borran.
  2. borramos — The correct form here is borramos.
  3. borrabas — The correct form here is borrabas.
  4. borrará — The correct form here is borrará.
  5. borraríamos — The correct form here is borraríamos.
  6. he borrado — The correct form here is he borrado.
  7. to erase — Borrar means to erase. Eliminar means to delete or remove something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo borra la pizarra después de clase. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo borro la pizarra después de clase.. The person matters: borra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is borro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. borrando — The gerund of borrar is borrando: estoy borrando.
  10. borrado — The past participle of borrar is borrado: he borrado, has borrado, ha borrado.

Frequently asked questions

What does borrar mean?

Borrar means to erase. Borrar means to erase, and it is used for erasing a blackboard, deleting a message, removing a name from a list and wiping a photo. It is a regular -ar verb, common in school and in computing.

When do people use borrar most?

People use borrar most in everyday situations such as Yo borro la pizarra después de clase. and Ayer, Yo borré mi nombre de la lista.. 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 borrar and eliminar?

Borrar means to erase, while eliminar means to delete or remove 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 borrar?

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

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