Complicar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

complicar means to complicate, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Complicar means to complicate, and it is used for complicating a situation with lies, a problem by rushing and a procedure with new papers. It is the opposite of simplificar, and it is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. This page puts complicar 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 complicar, and the full tables are on the complicar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo complico la situación con mentiras. — I complicate the situation with lies.
  2. Él complica el problema con prisas. — He/she complicates the problem by rushing.
  3. Ayer, yo compliqué la vida a sus padres. — Yesterday, I complicated life for his parents.
  4. Antes, nosotros complicábamos el trámite con papeles nuevos. — Before, we used to complicate the procedure with new papers.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú complicarás la situación con mentiras. — Tomorrow, you will complicate the situation with lies.
  2. Yo complicaría el problema con prisas. — I would complicate the problem by rushing.
  3. Él ha complicado la vida a sus padres. — He/she has complicated life for his parents.
  4. Espero que él complique el trámite con papeles nuevos. — I hope he/she complicates the procedure with new papers.

With other people

  1. Nosotros complicamos la situación con mentiras. — We complicate the situation with lies.
  2. Vosotros complicáis el problema con prisas. — You all complicate the problem by rushing.
  3. Antes, ellos complicaban la vida a sus padres. — Before, they used to complicate life for his parents.
  4. Mañana, él complicará el trámite con papeles nuevos. — Tomorrow, he/she will complicate the procedure with new papers.

Complicar in context

Two short dialogues that use complicar 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 complico la situación con mentiras." — "Today I complicate the situation with lies."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, compliqué la vida a sus padres." — "Yesterday I complicated life for his parents."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú complicarás el problema con prisas?" — "And tomorrow, will you will complicate the problem by rushing?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros complicamos el trámite con papeles nuevos." — "Tomorrow we complicate the procedure with new papers."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo complicaría el problema con prisas si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would complicate the problem by rushing if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él complique la situación con mentiras." — "I hope he complicates the situation with lies."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha complicado la vida a sus padres." — "Surely. He has already has complicated life for his parents."
  • 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 complica la situación con mentiras. — Right: Yo complico la situación con mentiras. — The person matters: complica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is complico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo complicé el problema con prisas. — Right: Yo compliqué el problema con prisas. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is compliqué, not complicé. complicar 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 complicar and simplificar as identical in every context. — Right: Complicar means to complicate, while simplificar means to simplify, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: complicar fits sentences such as Complico la situación con mentiras, while simplificar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy complicado el problema con prisas. — Right: Yo he complicado el problema con prisas. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he complicado, has complicado, ha complicado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo compliqué la vida a sus padres todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo complicaba la vida a sus padres todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (complicaba), not the preterite. The preterite (compliqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on complicar: 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 ___ la situación con mentiras. (present tense) A. complico B. complicas C. complica D. complicamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ el problema con prisas. (preterite tense) A. compliqué B. complicaste C. complicamos D. complicó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la vida a sus padres. (future tense) A. complicará B. complicaremos C. complicarás D. complicaré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el trámite con papeles nuevos. (imperfect tense) A. complicabais B. complicábamos C. complicaba D. complicabas

  5. What does "Yo complico la situación con mentiras." mean in English? A. I complicate the situation with lies. B. I complicate the problem by rushing. C. I complicate life for his parents. D. I complicate the procedure with new papers.

  6. What does "Él complicó el problema con prisas." mean in English? A. He/she complicated the situation with lies. B. He/she complicated life for his parents. C. He/she complicated the procedure with new papers. D. He/she complicated the problem by rushing.

  7. What does "Nosotros complicaremos la vida a sus padres." mean in English? A. We will complicate the problem by rushing. B. We will complicate the procedure with new papers. C. We will complicate life for his parents. D. We will complicate the situation with lies.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo complican el problema con prisas. B. Yo complica el problema con prisas. C. Yo complico el problema con prisas.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él compliqué la vida a sus padres. B. Él complicó la vida a sus padres. C. Él complicaron la vida a sus padres.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo complique el trámite con papeles nuevos. B. Yo complice el trámite con papeles nuevos. C. Yo complique el trámite con papeles nuevos.

Answer key

  1. complico — The yo present form of complicar is complico.
  2. complicó — The el preterite form of complicar is complicó.
  3. complicarás — The tu future form of complicar is complicarás.
  4. complicábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of complicar is complicábamos.
  5. I complicate the situation with lies. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form complico, so the English is "I complicate the situation with lies." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she complicated the problem by rushing. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form complicó, so the English is "He/she complicated the problem by rushing." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will complicate life for his parents. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form complicaremos, so the English is "We will complicate life for his parents." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo complico el problema con prisas. — The correct sentence is "Yo complico el problema con prisas." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él complicó la vida a sus padres. — The correct sentence is "Él complicó la vida a sus padres." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo complique el trámite con papeles nuevos. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo complique el trámite con papeles nuevos." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

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

Complicar means to complicate. Complicar means to complicate, and it is used for complicating a situation with lies, a problem by rushing and a procedure with new papers. It is the opposite of simplificar, and it is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. A good first sentence to remember is Yo complico la situación con mentiras. — "I complicate the situation with lies."

What is the difference between complicar and simplificar?

Complicar means to complicate, while simplificar means to simplify, its opposite. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use complicar when you mean to complicate, as in Yo complico el problema con prisas., and use simplificar for to simplify, its opposite.

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

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo compliqué el problema con prisas.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo complicaba la vida a sus padres.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he complicado el problema con prisas..

How do I practise complicar?

Start with the complicar conjugation page for the full tables, then the complicar 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 compliqué and the subjunctive is complique. Complicarse, with the pronoun, means to get complicated.

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