Colaborar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

colaborar means “to collaborate” 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. Colaborar means to collaborate, and it is used for working together on a project, helping a charity, writing for a magazine and working with colleagues. It takes con for the partner and en for the project, as in colaborar con el equipo en el proyecto. 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 colaborar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the colaborar present tense page.

colaborar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo colaboro con el equipo en el proyecto. — I collaborate with the team on the project.
  2. Él/Ella colabora con la Cruz Roja. — He collaborates with the Red Cross.
  3. Nosotros/as colaboramos en la revista del barrio. — We collaborate in the neighbourhood magazine.
  4. Ellos/as colaboran con mis compañeros. — They collaborate with my colleagues.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo colaboré en la revista del barrio. — Yesterday, I collaborated in the neighbourhood magazine.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as colaborábamos con mis compañeros. — Before, We used to collaborate with my colleagues.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella colaboró con el equipo en el proyecto. — Yesterday, He collaborated with the team on the project.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as colaboraban con la Cruz Roja. — As children, They used to collaborate with the Red Cross.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú colaborarás con el equipo en el proyecto. — Tomorrow, You will collaborate with the team on the project.
  2. Yo colaboraría con la Cruz Roja. — I would collaborate with the Red Cross.
  3. Espero que él colabore en la revista del barrio. — I hope he collaborates in the neighbourhood magazine.
  4. Él/Ella ha colaborado con mis compañeros. — He has collaborated with my colleagues.

colaborar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú colaboras con el equipo en el proyecto mañana? — Are you going to collaborate with the team on the project tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo colaboro con el equipo en el proyecto todos los días. — Yes, I collaborate with the team on the project every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana colaborarás con la Cruz Roja? — And tomorrow, will you collaborate with the Red Cross? Luis: Claro, mañana colaboraré con la Cruz Roja sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will collaborate with the Red Cross without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo colaboraré en la revista del barrio también. — Perfect. I will collaborate in the neighbourhood magazine too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer colaboré en la revista del barrio. — Yesterday, I collaborated in the neighbourhood magazine. Ana: ¿Y antes colaborabas con mis compañeros? — And before, did you use to collaborate with my colleagues? Luis: Sí, antes colaboraba con mis compañeros todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to collaborate with my colleagues every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos colaboraron con el equipo en el proyecto? — And did your brothers collaborated with the team on the project? Luis: Sí, ellos colaboraron con el equipo en el proyecto por la tarde. — Yes, they collaborated with the team on the project in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo colabora con el equipo en el proyecto. — Right: Yo colaboro con el equipo en el proyecto. — The person matters: colabora is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is colaboro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating colaborar and cooperar as identical in every context. — Right: Colaborar means to collaborate, while cooperar means to cooperate with someone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: colaborar fits sentences such as Colaboro con el equipo en el proyecto, while cooperar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy colaborado con la Cruz Roja. — Right: Yo he colaborado con la Cruz Roja. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he colaborado, has colaborado, ha colaborado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo colaboré en la revista del barrio todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo colaboraba en la revista del barrio todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (colaboraba), not the preterite. The preterite (colaboré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ con mis compañeros. (present tense) A. colaboran B. colaboro C. colaboras D. colabora

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ con el equipo en el proyecto. (preterite tense) A. colaboré B. colaboraste C. colaboró D. colaboramos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ con la Cruz Roja. (imperfect tense) A. colaborábamos B. colaborabais C. colaborabas D. colaboraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ en la revista del barrio. (future tense) A. colaboraremos B. colaborará C. colaboraré D. colaborarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ con mis compañeros. (conditional tense) A. colaboraríamos B. colaboraría C. colaborarías D. colaboraríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ con el equipo en el proyecto. (present-perfect tense) A. has colaborado B. ha colaborado C. hemos colaborado D. he colaborado

  7. What does colaborar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to collaborate D. to cooperate with someone

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo colaboré en la revista del barrio. B. Yo colabora con el equipo en el proyecto. C. Yo colaboro con el equipo en el proyecto. D. Él/Ella colabora con la Cruz Roja.

  9. Which is the gerund of colaborar, used with estar for the progressive? A. colaborando B. colaborado C. colaboro D. colaboré

  10. Which is the past participle of colaborar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. colaborando B. colaboro C. colaboré D. colaborado

Answer key

  1. colaboran — The correct form here is colaboran.
  2. colaboramos — The correct form here is colaboramos.
  3. colaborabas — The correct form here is colaborabas.
  4. colaborará — The correct form here is colaborará.
  5. colaboraríamos — The correct form here is colaboraríamos.
  6. he colaborado — The correct form here is he colaborado.
  7. to collaborate — Colaborar means to collaborate. Cooperar means to cooperate with someone, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo colabora con el equipo en el proyecto. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo colaboro con el equipo en el proyecto.. The person matters: colabora is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is colaboro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. colaborando — The gerund of colaborar is colaborando: estoy colaborando.
  10. colaborado — The past participle of colaborar is colaborado: he colaborado, has colaborado, ha colaborado.

Frequently asked questions

What does colaborar mean?

Colaborar means to collaborate. Colaborar means to collaborate, and it is used for working together on a project, helping a charity, writing for a magazine and working with colleagues. It takes con for the partner and en for the project, as in colaborar con el equipo en el proyecto.

When do people use colaborar most?

People use colaborar most in everyday situations such as Yo colaboro con el equipo en el proyecto. and Ayer, Yo colaboré en la revista del barrio.. 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 colaborar and cooperar?

Colaborar means to collaborate, while cooperar means to cooperate with someone. 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 colaborar?

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

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