Clasificar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

clasificar means to classify, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Clasificar means to classify, and it is used for classifying books by subject, documents in folders, students by level and waste for recycling. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is clasifiqué. This page puts clasificar to work: twelve example sentences in different tenses and persons, grouped by use, then two short dialogues where the verb appears naturally, then the common mistakes to avoid, and finally a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every Spanish form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for clasificar, and the full tables are on the clasificar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo clasifico los libros por tema. — I classify the books by subject.
  2. Él clasifica los documentos en carpetas. — He/she classifies the documents in folders.
  3. Ayer, yo clasifiqué a los alumnos por niveles. — Yesterday, I classified the students by level.
  4. Antes, nosotros clasificábamos los residuos para reciclar. — Before, we used to classify the waste for recycling.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú clasificarás los libros por tema. — Tomorrow, you will classify the books by subject.
  2. Yo clasificaría los documentos en carpetas. — I would classify the documents in folders.
  3. Él ha clasificado a los alumnos por niveles. — He/she has classified the students by level.
  4. Espero que él clasifique los residuos para reciclar. — I hope he/she classifies the waste for recycling.

With other people

  1. Nosotros clasificamos los libros por tema. — We classify the books by subject.
  2. Vosotros clasificáis los documentos en carpetas. — You all classify the documents in folders.
  3. Antes, ellos clasificaban a los alumnos por niveles. — Before, they used to classify the students by level.
  4. Mañana, él clasificará los residuos para reciclar. — Tomorrow, he/she will classify the waste for recycling.

Clasificar in context

Two short dialogues that use clasificar the way people really use it. Read them aloud — the verb forms will stick much faster in a conversation than in a table.

Dialogue 1: today and yesterday

  • Ana: "Hola, ¿qué tal?" — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Luis: "Hoy clasifico los libros por tema." — "Today I classify the books by subject."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, clasifiqué a los alumnos por niveles." — "Yesterday I classified the students by level."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú clasificarás los documentos en carpetas?" — "And tomorrow, will you will classify the documents in folders?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros clasificamos los residuos para reciclar." — "Tomorrow we classify the waste for recycling."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo clasificaría los documentos en carpetas si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would classify the documents in folders if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él clasifique los libros por tema." — "I hope he classifies the books by subject."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha clasificado a los alumnos por niveles." — "Surely. He has already has classified the students by level."
  • Marta: "Vale, nos vemos mañana." — "OK, see you tomorrow."

Notice how the same verb changes with the tense: the present for the plan, the conditional for the wish, the subjunctive after espero que, and the present perfect for what has already happened. That is the whole point of learning a verb across its tenses, not just in one form.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo clasifica los libros por tema. — Right: Yo clasifico los libros por tema. — The person matters: clasifica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is clasifico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo clasificé los documentos en carpetas. — Right: Yo clasifiqué los documentos en carpetas. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is clasifiqué, not clasificé. clasificar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating clasificar and identificar as identical in every context. — Right: Clasificar means to classify, while identificar means to identify, the close verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: clasificar fits sentences such as Clasifico los libros por tema, while identificar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy clasificado los documentos en carpetas. — Right: Yo he clasificado los documentos en carpetas. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he clasificado, has clasificado, ha clasificado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo clasifiqué a los alumnos por niveles todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo clasificaba a los alumnos por niveles todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (clasificaba), not the preterite. The preterite (clasifiqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on clasificar: four on the forms, three on the meaning, and three on spotting the correct sentence. Check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los libros por tema. (present tense) A. clasifico B. clasificas C. clasifica D. clasificamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ los documentos en carpetas. (preterite tense) A. clasifiqué B. clasificaste C. clasificamos D. clasificó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ a los alumnos por niveles. (future tense) A. clasificará B. clasificaremos C. clasificarás D. clasificaré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los residuos para reciclar. (imperfect tense) A. clasificabais B. clasificábamos C. clasificaba D. clasificabas

  5. What does "Yo clasifico los libros por tema." mean in English? A. I classify the books by subject. B. I classify the documents in folders. C. I classify the students by level. D. I classify the waste for recycling.

  6. What does "Él clasificó los documentos en carpetas." mean in English? A. He/she classified the books by subject. B. He/she classified the students by level. C. He/she classified the waste for recycling. D. He/she classified the documents in folders.

  7. What does "Nosotros clasificaremos a los alumnos por niveles." mean in English? A. We will classify the documents in folders. B. We will classify the waste for recycling. C. We will classify the students by level. D. We will classify the books by subject.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo clasifican los documentos en carpetas. B. Yo clasifica los documentos en carpetas. C. Yo clasifico los documentos en carpetas.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él clasifiqué a los alumnos por niveles. B. Él clasificó a los alumnos por niveles. C. Él clasificaron a los alumnos por niveles.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo clasifique los residuos para reciclar. B. Yo clasifice los residuos para reciclar. C. Yo clasifique los residuos para reciclar.

Answer key

  1. clasifico — The yo present form of clasificar is clasifico.
  2. clasificó — The el preterite form of clasificar is clasificó.
  3. clasificarás — The tu future form of clasificar is clasificarás.
  4. clasificábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of clasificar is clasificábamos.
  5. I classify the books by subject. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form clasifico, so the English is "I classify the books by subject." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she classified the documents in folders. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form clasificó, so the English is "He/she classified the documents in folders." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will classify the students by level. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form clasificaremos, so the English is "We will classify the students by level." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo clasifico los documentos en carpetas. — The correct sentence is "Yo clasifico los documentos en carpetas." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él clasificó a los alumnos por niveles. — The correct sentence is "Él clasificó a los alumnos por niveles." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo clasifique los residuos para reciclar. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo clasifique los residuos para reciclar." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

What does clasificar mean, and when do I use it?

Clasificar means to classify. Clasificar means to classify, and it is used for classifying books by subject, documents in folders, students by level and waste for recycling. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is clasifiqué. A good first sentence to remember is Yo clasifico los libros por tema. — "I classify the books by subject."

What is the difference between clasificar and identificar?

Clasificar means to classify, while identificar means to identify, the close verb. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use clasificar when you mean to classify, as in Yo clasifico los documentos en carpetas., and use identificar for to identify, the close verb.

How do I say "I classify" in the past?

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo clasifiqué los documentos en carpetas.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo clasificaba a los alumnos por niveles.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he clasificado los documentos en carpetas..

How do I practise clasificar?

Start with the clasificar conjugation page for the full tables, then the clasificar in the present tense page for the tense in focus, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is clasifiqué and the subjunctive is clasifique.

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