Carecer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
carecer means "to lack" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see carecer with money for the trip, experience at work, a sense of humour and time to study — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. — "Every day, I lack of money for the trip." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
carecer in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with carecer, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. — "Every day, I lack of money for the trip." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo carecí de experiencia en el trabajo. — "Yesterday, I lackked of experience at work." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo carecía de sentido del humor. — "In the past, I used to lack of a sense of humour." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros careceremos de tiempo para estudiar. — "Tomorrow, we will lack of time to study." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú carecerías de dinero para el viaje. — "If you could, you would lack of money for the trip." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he carecido de experiencia en el trabajo. — "I have lackked of experience at work." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él carece de sentido del humor. — "Normally, he/she lacks of a sense of humour." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él careció de tiempo para estudiar. — "Yesterday, he/she lackked of time to study." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros carecíamos de dinero para el viaje. — "In the past, we used to lack of money for the trip." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo careceré de experiencia en el trabajo. — "Tomorrow, I will lack of experience at work." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él carezca de sentido del humor. — "I hope that he/she lacks of a sense of humour." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Carece de tiempo para estudiar! — "Lack of time to study!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using carecer naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: money for the trip, experience at work, a sense of humour and time to study.
Dialogue 1: talking about money for the trip
María: ¿Tú careces de dinero para el viaje? — "Do you lack of money for the trip?" Carlos: Sí, yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. — "I lack of money for the trip." María: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Carlos: Ayer, yo carecí de experiencia en el trabajo. — "Yesterday, I lackked of experience at work." María: Mañana, nosotros careceremos de sentido del humor. — "Tomorrow, we will lack of a sense of humour." Carlos: Si pudiera, yo carecería de tiempo para estudiar. — "If I could, I would lack of time to study." María: Antes, yo carecía de experiencia en el trabajo. — "In the past, I used to lack of experience at work." Carlos: Yo he carecido de dinero para el viaje. — "I have lackked of money for the trip." María: ¡Carece de sentido del humor! — "Lack of a sense of humour!"
In this dialogue carecer appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about a sense of humour
María: Él carece de sentido del humor. — "he/she lacks of a sense of humour." Carlos: ¿De verdad? ¿Él carece de sentido del humor todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she lacks of a sense of humour every day?" María: Sí, y ellos carecen de tiempo para estudiar. — "they lack of time to study." Carlos: Ayer, ellos carecieron de sentido del humor. — "Yesterday, they lackked of a sense of humour." María: Espero que él carezca de tiempo para estudiar. — "I hope that he/she lacks of time to study." Carlos: Mañana, él carecerá de sentido del humor. — "Tomorrow, he/she will lack of a sense of humour." María: Antes, nosotros carecíamos de tiempo para estudiar. — "In the past, we used to lack of time to study." Carlos: Nosotros carecemos de dinero para el viaje también. — "we lack of money for the trip too."
This dialogue shows carecer in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with carecer
The errors learners actually make with carecer in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me carezco de dinero para el viaje.
- Right: Yo carezco de dinero para el viaje.
- Why: carecer is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo carecer de dinero para el viaje.
- Right: Yo carezco de dinero para el viaje.
- Why: The infinitive carecer is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form carezco.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo carezco de experiencia en el trabajo.
- Right: Ayer, yo carecí de experiencia en el trabajo.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo carecí de experiencia en el trabajo. — "Yesterday, I lackked of experience at work."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy carecido de sentido del humor.
- Right: Estoy careciendo de sentido del humor.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund careciendo for the progressive. The participle carecido goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he carecido), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros carece de dinero para el viaje.
- Right: Nosotros carecemos de dinero para el viaje.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes carecemos, while carece belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: carecer in use
Test yourself with ten questions on carecer. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of carecer in the present tense?
- (a) carece
- (b) carecemos
- (c) carezco
- (d) careces
Answer: (c) carezco. The yo form is carezco.
2. What is the tú form of carecer in the present tense?
- (a) carecemos
- (b) careces
- (c) carezco
- (d) carece
Answer: (b) careces. The tú form is careces.
3. What is the él/ella form of carecer in the present tense?
- (a) carece
- (b) carezco
- (c) careces
- (d) carecemos
Answer: (a) carece. The él/ella form is carece.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de dinero para el viaje.
- (a) careces
- (b) carece
- (c) carecemos
- (d) carezco
Answer: (d) carezco. The sentence needs the yo form carezco.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ de experiencia en el trabajo.
- (a) careció
- (b) carecimos
- (c) carecí
- (d) careciste
Answer: (c) carecí. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is carecí.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ de sentido del humor.
- (a) carecíais
- (b) carecía
- (c) carecías
- (d) carecíamos
Answer: (b) carecía. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is carecía.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ de tiempo para estudiar.
- (a) careceré
- (b) carecerás
- (c) carecerá
- (d) careceremos
Answer: (a) careceré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is careceré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de dinero para el viaje.
- (a) he carecido
- (b) has carecido
- (c) ha carecido
- (d) hemos carecido
Answer: (a) he carecido. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he carecido.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de sentido del humor.
- (a) carezcamos
- (b) carecáis
- (c) carezca
- (d) carezcas
Answer: (c) carezca. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is carezca.
10. What does carecer mean in English?
- (a) to settle in, to make oneself comfortable
- (b) to cling to
- (c) to lack
- (d) to clear up
Answer: (c) to lack. carecer means "to lack" in English.
Frequently asked questions about carecer
What does carecer mean?
carecer means "to lack" in English. Use it when you talk about money for the trip, experience at work, a sense of humour and time to study — for example: Cada día, yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. — "Every day, I lack of money for the trip."
Is there a reflexive form of carecer?
No. carecer is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. — "Every day, I lack of money for the trip."
What is the most common mistake with carecer?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is carezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example carezca. Practise the yo form and the subjunctive forms until they feel automatic, and check them against the table on the conjugation page.
How can I practise carecer?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.