Celebrar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

celebrar means “to celebrate” 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. Celebrar means to celebrate, and it is used for birthdays, victories, Christmas, successes and anniversaries: you celebrate your birthday with friends, a team's victory, Christmas with family. It also means to hold a meeting or a ceremony, as in celebrar una reunión. 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 celebrar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the celebrar present tense page.

celebrar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo celebro mi cumpleaños con amigos. — I celebrate my birthday with friends.
  2. Él/Ella celebra la victoria del equipo. — He celebrates the team's victory.
  3. Nosotros/as celebramos la Navidad en familia. — We celebrate Christmas with family.
  4. Ellos/as celebran el éxito con una cena. — They celebrate success with a dinner.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo celebré la Navidad en familia. — Yesterday, I celebrated Christmas with family.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as celebrábamos el éxito con una cena. — Before, We used to celebrate success with a dinner.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella celebró mi cumpleaños con amigos. — Yesterday, He celebrated my birthday with friends.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as celebraban la victoria del equipo. — As children, They used to celebrate the team's victory.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú celebrarás mi cumpleaños con amigos. — Tomorrow, You will celebrate my birthday with friends.
  2. Yo celebraría la victoria del equipo. — I would celebrate the team's victory.
  3. Espero que él celebre la Navidad en familia. — I hope he celebrates Christmas with family.
  4. Él/Ella ha celebrado el éxito con una cena. — He has celebrated success with a dinner.

celebrar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú celebras mi cumpleaños con amigos mañana? — Are you going to celebrate my birthday with friends tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo celebro mi cumpleaños con amigos todos los días. — Yes, I celebrate my birthday with friends every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana celebrarás la victoria del equipo? — And tomorrow, will you celebrate the team's victory? Luis: Claro, mañana celebraré la victoria del equipo sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will celebrate the team's victory without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo celebraré la Navidad en familia también. — Perfect. I will celebrate Christmas with family too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer celebré la Navidad en familia. — Yesterday, I celebrated Christmas with family. Ana: ¿Y antes celebrabas el éxito con una cena? — And before, did you use to celebrate success with a dinner? Luis: Sí, antes celebraba el éxito con una cena todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to celebrate success with a dinner every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos celebraron mi cumpleaños con amigos? — And did your brothers celebrated my birthday with friends? Luis: Sí, ellos celebraron mi cumpleaños con amigos por la tarde. — Yes, they celebrated my birthday with friends in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo celebra mi cumpleaños con amigos. — Right: Yo celebro mi cumpleaños con amigos. — The person matters: celebra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is celebro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating celebrar and festejar as identical in every context. — Right: Celebrar means to celebrate, while festejar means to celebrate with a party. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: celebrar fits sentences such as Celebro mi cumpleaños con amigos, while festejar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy celebrado la victoria del equipo. — Right: Yo he celebrado la victoria del equipo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he celebrado, has celebrado, ha celebrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo celebré la Navidad en familia todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo celebraba la Navidad en familia todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (celebraba), not the preterite. The preterite (celebré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el éxito con una cena. (present tense) A. celebran B. celebro C. celebras D. celebra

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ mi cumpleaños con amigos. (preterite tense) A. celebré B. celebraste C. celebró D. celebramos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la victoria del equipo. (imperfect tense) A. celebrábamos B. celebrabais C. celebrabas D. celebraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la Navidad en familia. (future tense) A. celebraremos B. celebrará C. celebraré D. celebrarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el éxito con una cena. (conditional tense) A. celebraríamos B. celebraría C. celebrarías D. celebraríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ mi cumpleaños con amigos. (present-perfect tense) A. has celebrado B. ha celebrado C. hemos celebrado D. he celebrado

  7. What does celebrar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to celebrate D. to celebrate with a party

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo celebré la Navidad en familia. B. Yo celebra mi cumpleaños con amigos. C. Yo celebro mi cumpleaños con amigos. D. Él/Ella celebra la victoria del equipo.

  9. Which is the gerund of celebrar, used with estar for the progressive? A. celebrando B. celebrado C. celebro D. celebré

  10. Which is the past participle of celebrar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. celebrando B. celebro C. celebré D. celebrado

Answer key

  1. celebran — The correct form here is celebran.
  2. celebramos — The correct form here is celebramos.
  3. celebrabas — The correct form here is celebrabas.
  4. celebrará — The correct form here is celebrará.
  5. celebraríamos — The correct form here is celebraríamos.
  6. he celebrado — The correct form here is he celebrado.
  7. to celebrate — Celebrar means to celebrate. Festejar means to celebrate with a party, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo celebra mi cumpleaños con amigos. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo celebro mi cumpleaños con amigos.. The person matters: celebra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is celebro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. celebrando — The gerund of celebrar is celebrando: estoy celebrando.
  10. celebrado — The past participle of celebrar is celebrado: he celebrado, has celebrado, ha celebrado.

Frequently asked questions

What does celebrar mean?

Celebrar means to celebrate. Celebrar means to celebrate, and it is used for birthdays, victories, Christmas, successes and anniversaries: you celebrate your birthday with friends, a team's victory, Christmas with family. It also means to hold a meeting or a ceremony, as in celebrar una reunión.

When do people use celebrar most?

People use celebrar most in everyday situations such as Yo celebro mi cumpleaños con amigos. and Ayer, Yo celebré la Navidad en familia.. 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 celebrar and festejar?

Celebrar means to celebrate, while festejar means to celebrate with a party. 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 celebrar?

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

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