Compadecer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
compadecer means "to pity" 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 compadecer with the poor people of the neighbourhood, his sick friend, the victims of the fire and his widowed neighbour — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio. — "Every day, I pity the poor people of the neighbourhood." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
compadecer in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with compadecer, 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 compadezco a los pobres del barrio. — "Every day, I pity the poor people of the neighbourhood." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo compadecí a su amigo enfermo. — "Yesterday, I pitied his sick friend." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo compadecía a las víctimas del incendio. — "In the past, I used to pity the victims of the fire." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros compadeceremos a su vecina viuda. — "Tomorrow, we will pity his widowed neighbour." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú compadecerías a los pobres del barrio. — "If you could, you would pity the poor people of the neighbourhood." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he compadecido a su amigo enfermo. — "I have pitied his sick friend." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él compadece a las víctimas del incendio. — "Normally, he/she pities the victims of the fire." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él compadeció a su vecina viuda. — "Yesterday, he/she pitied his widowed neighbour." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros compadecíamos a los pobres del barrio. — "In the past, we used to pity the poor people of the neighbourhood." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo compadeceré a su amigo enfermo. — "Tomorrow, I will pity his sick friend." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él compadezca a las víctimas del incendio. — "I hope that he/she pities the victims of the fire." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Compadece a su vecina viuda! — "Pity his widowed neighbour!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using compadecer naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the poor people of the neighbourhood, his sick friend, the victims of the fire and his widowed neighbour.
Dialogue 1: talking about the poor people of the neighbourhood
Lucía: ¿Tú compadeces a los pobres del barrio? — "Do you pity the poor people of the neighbourhood?" Pedro: Sí, yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio. — "I pity the poor people of the neighbourhood." Lucía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Pedro: Ayer, yo compadecí a su amigo enfermo. — "Yesterday, I pitied his sick friend." Lucía: Mañana, nosotros compadeceremos a las víctimas del incendio. — "Tomorrow, we will pity the victims of the fire." Pedro: Si pudiera, yo compadecería a su vecina viuda. — "If I could, I would pity his widowed neighbour." Lucía: Antes, yo compadecía a su amigo enfermo. — "In the past, I used to pity his sick friend." Pedro: Yo he compadecido a los pobres del barrio. — "I have pitied the poor people of the neighbourhood." Lucía: ¡Compadece a las víctimas del incendio! — "Pity the victims of the fire!"
In this dialogue compadecer 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 the victims of the fire
Lucía: Él compadece a las víctimas del incendio. — "he/she pities the victims of the fire." Pedro: ¿De verdad? ¿Él compadece a las víctimas del incendio todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she pities the victims of the fire every day?" Lucía: Sí, y ellos compadecen a su vecina viuda. — "they pity his widowed neighbour." Pedro: Ayer, ellos compadecieron a las víctimas del incendio. — "Yesterday, they pitied the victims of the fire." Lucía: Espero que él compadezca a su vecina viuda. — "I hope that he/she pities his widowed neighbour." Pedro: Mañana, él compadecerá a las víctimas del incendio. — "Tomorrow, he/she will pity the victims of the fire." Lucía: Antes, nosotros compadecíamos a su vecina viuda. — "In the past, we used to pity his widowed neighbour." Pedro: Nosotros compadecemos a los pobres del barrio también. — "we pity the poor people of the neighbourhood too."
This dialogue shows compadecer 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 compadecer
The errors learners actually make with compadecer 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 compadezco a los pobres del barrio.
- Right: Yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio.
- Why: compadecer is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo compadecer a los pobres del barrio.
- Right: Yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio.
- Why: The infinitive compadecer is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form compadezco.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo compadezco a su amigo enfermo.
- Right: Ayer, yo compadecí a su amigo enfermo.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo compadecí a su amigo enfermo. — "Yesterday, I pitied his sick friend."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy compadecido a las víctimas del incendio.
- Right: Estoy compadeciendo a las víctimas del incendio.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund compadeciendo for the progressive. The participle compadecido goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he compadecido), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Confusing compadecer with compadecerse
- Wrong: Yo me compadezco a los pobres del barrio.
- Right: Yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio.
- Why: compadecer (to pity) and compadecerse are partners, not the same verb. The reflexive partner compadecerse is used when the action comes back to the subject.
Quiz: compadecer in use
Test yourself with ten questions on compadecer. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of compadecer in the present tense?
- (a) compadecemos
- (b) compadezco
- (c) compadeces
- (d) compadece
Answer: (b) compadezco. The yo form is compadezco.
2. What is the tú form of compadecer in the present tense?
- (a) compadeces
- (b) compadezco
- (c) compadece
- (d) compadecemos
Answer: (a) compadeces. The tú form is compadeces.
3. What is the él/ella form of compadecer in the present tense?
- (a) compadezco
- (b) compadeces
- (c) compadecemos
- (d) compadece
Answer: (d) compadece. The él/ella form is compadece.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a los pobres del barrio.
- (a) compadece
- (b) compadecemos
- (c) compadezco
- (d) compadeces
Answer: (c) compadezco. The sentence needs the yo form compadezco.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ a su amigo enfermo.
- (a) compadecimos
- (b) compadecí
- (c) compadeciste
- (d) compadeció
Answer: (b) compadecí. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is compadecí.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ a las víctimas del incendio.
- (a) compadecía
- (b) compadecías
- (c) compadecíamos
- (d) compadecíais
Answer: (a) compadecía. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is compadecía.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ a su vecina viuda.
- (a) compadecerás
- (b) compadecerá
- (c) compadeceremos
- (d) compadeceré
Answer: (d) compadeceré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is compadeceré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los pobres del barrio.
- (a) has compadecido
- (b) ha compadecido
- (c) hemos compadecido
- (d) he compadecido
Answer: (d) he compadecido. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he compadecido.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a las víctimas del incendio.
- (a) compadecáis
- (b) compadezca
- (c) compadezcas
- (d) compadezcamos
Answer: (b) compadezca. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is compadezca.
10. What does compadecer mean in English?
- (a) to love each other
- (b) to pity
- (c) to become fond of
- (d) to get upset
Answer: (b) to pity. compadecer means "to pity" in English.
Frequently asked questions about compadecer
What does compadecer mean?
compadecer means "to pity" in English. Use it when you talk about the poor people of the neighbourhood, his sick friend, the victims of the fire and his widowed neighbour — for example: Cada día, yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio. — "Every day, I pity the poor people of the neighbourhood."
What is the difference between compadecer and compadecerse?
compadecer means "to pity", while compadecerse means "to feel sorry for". The reflexive form is used when the action comes back to the subject, and the plain form is used when the action is done to someone or something else.
What is the most common mistake with compadecer?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is compadezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example compadezca. 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 compadecer?
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.