Botar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

botar means “to throw away, to bounce” 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. Botar means to throw away or to bounce, to get rid of rubbish, and also for a ball bouncing. The two meanings share the idea of throwing, and the verb is fully regular. 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 botar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the botar present tense page.

botar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo boto la basura en el contenedor. — “I throw away the rubbish in the container.”
  2. Él bota la pelota en el patio. — “He throws away the ball in the yard.”
  3. Nosotros botamos los zapatos viejos. — “We throw away the old shoes.”
  4. Ellos botan el balón contra el suelo. — “They throw away the ball against the ground.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo boté la pelota en el patio. — “Yesterday, I threw away the ball in the yard.”
  2. Antes, nosotros botábamos los zapatos viejos. — “Before, we used to throw away the old shoes.”
  3. Él botó el balón contra el suelo. — “He threw away the ball against the ground.”
  4. Yo ya había botado la basura en el contenedor antes de salir. — “I had already thrown away the rubbish in the container before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú botarás la basura en el contenedor. — “Tomorrow, you will throw away the rubbish in the container.”
  2. Yo botaría la pelota en el patio si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would throw away the ball in the yard if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha botado los zapatos viejos. — “He has thrown away the old shoes.”
  4. Espero que él bote el balón contra el suelo. — “I hope he throws away the ball against the ground.”

botar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use botar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo boto la basura en el contenedor. — “I throw away the rubbish in the container.”
  • Bea: Él bota la pelota en el patio. — “He throws away the ball in the yard.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo boté la pelota en el patio. — “Yesterday, I threw away the ball in the yard.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú botarás la basura en el contenedor. — “Tomorrow, you will throw away the rubbish in the container.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros botamos los zapatos viejos. — “We throw away the old shoes.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros botábamos los zapatos viejos. — “Before, we used to throw away the old shoes.”
  • Luis: Yo botaría la pelota en el patio si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would throw away the ball in the yard if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él bote el balón contra el suelo. — “I hope he throws away the ball against the ground.”

A short scene with botar

A short scene shows how botar works across the day. In the morning: Boto la basura en el contenedor. In the afternoon: Bota la pelota en el patio. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, boté los zapatos viejos. And tomorrow: Mañana, botaré el balón contra el suelo. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how botar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with botar

The errors learners actually make with botar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo bota la basura en el contenedor.

✓ Correct: Yo boto la basura en el contenedor.

The person matters: bota is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is boto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo boto la pelota en el patio.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo boté la pelota en el patio.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: boto is happening now, while boté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating botar and tirar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Botar means to throw away, to bounce, while tirar means to throw.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: botar fits sentences such as Boto la basura en el contenedor, while tirar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy botado la pelota en el patio.

✓ Correct: Yo he botado la pelota en el patio.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he botado, has botado, ha botado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo boté los zapatos viejos todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo botaba los zapatos viejos todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (botaba), not the preterite. The preterite (boté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: botar in use

Ten questions on botar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la pelota en el patio. — “He/she throws away the ball in the yard.”

  • a) bota
  • b) boto
  • c) botas
  • d) botamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ los zapatos viejos. — “Yesterday, I threw away the old shoes.”

  • a) botaste
  • b) botó
  • c) botaron
  • d) boté

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el balón contra el suelo cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to throw away the ball against the ground when they were young.”

  • a) botabas
  • b) botábamos
  • c) botaban
  • d) botaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la basura en el contenedor. — “Tomorrow, we will throw away the rubbish in the container.”

  • a) botarán
  • b) botaremos
  • c) botaré
  • d) botarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la pelota en el patio si pudiera. — “He would throw away the ball in the yard if he could.”

  • a) botaría
  • b) botarías
  • c) botaríamos
  • d) boto

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ los zapatos viejos. — “I have thrown away the old shoes.”

  • a) has botado
  • b) ha botado
  • c) han botado
  • d) he botado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ el balón contra el suelo. — “I hope you throw away the ball against the ground.”

  • a) botemos
  • b) boto
  • c) botes
  • d) bote

8. Which is the past participle of botar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) boté
  • b) botado
  • c) botando
  • d) boto

9. What does botar mean in English?

  • a) to throw away, to bounce
  • b) to throw
  • c) to nod (the head)
  • d) to give in, to cede

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él bota la pelota en el patio.
  • b) Él boto la pelota en el patio.
  • c) Nosotros bota los zapatos viejos.
  • d) Yo bota la basura en el contenedor.

Answer key

  1. a) bota — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: bota.

  2. d) boté — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: boté, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) botaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: botaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) botaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: botaremos.

  5. a) botaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: botaría.

  6. d) he botado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he botado, haber + botado.

  7. c) botes — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is botes.

  8. b) botado — The past participle is botado: he botado, has botado, ha botado. The gerund botando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to throw away, to bounce — botar means to throw away, to bounce. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él bota la pelota en el patio. — Él bota la pelota en el patio. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use botar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Boto la basura en el contenedor and Bota la pelota en el patio. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between botar and tirar?

Botar means “to throw away, to bounce”, while tirar means “to throw”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use botar when you mean “to throw away, to bounce” and tirar when you mean “to throw”.

Which tense do I need most with botar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use botar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is botar formal or informal?

Botar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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