Introduction
Conducir means “to drive”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Conducir is the verb for driving a car or any vehicle. It is followed directly by the vehicle, with no preposition. Conducir a + place means to drive to somewhere. The a marks the destination, and the place follows directly. This page shows conducir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo conduzco un coche pequeño.” — I drive a small car.
Conducir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how conducir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use conducir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo conduzco un coche pequeño.” — I drive a small car.
“¿Tú conduces por la autopista?” — Do you drive on the motorway?
“Mi padre conduce a Madrid cada semana.” — My father drives to Madrid every week.
“Nosotros conducimos con cuidado.” — We drive carefully.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show conducir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo conduje hasta Madrid.” — Yesterday I drove to Madrid. (preterite)
“Mi padre conducía a Madrid cada semana.” — My father used to drive to Madrid every week. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of conducir stays the same.
“Nosotros conduciremos a Madrid mañana.” — We will drive to Madrid tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has conducido alguna vez por la autopista?” — Have you ever driven on the motorway? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros conducís despacio por la ciudad.” — You drive slowly through the city.
“Ellos conducen un autobús.” — They drive a bus.
“Yo conduzco todos los días al trabajo.” — I drive to work every day.
“El taxista conduce por toda la ciudad.” — The taxi driver drives all over the city.
Conducir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how conducir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Ana: “¿Tú conduces por la autopista?” — Do you drive on the motorway?
Luis: “Sí, yo conduzco un coche pequeño.” — Yes, I drive a small car.
Ana: “Nosotros conducimos con cuidado.” — We drive carefully.
Luis: “Y ellos conducen un autobús.” — And they drive a bus.
Ana: “Vosotros conducís despacio por la ciudad.” — You drive slowly through the city.
Luis: “Sí, y mi padre conduce a Madrid cada semana.” — Yes, and my father drives to Madrid every week.
A short paragraph
Ana conduce un coche pequeño, y su padre conduce a Madrid cada semana. Nosotros conducimos con cuidado, y ellos conducen un autobús. Yo conduzco todos los días al trabajo, y el taxista conduce por toda la ciudad. Conducir is part of every journey, because driving a car, driving to a place and driving carefully are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with conducir
These are the errors learners actually make with conducir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo conduzo un coche.” Right: “Yo conduzco un coche pequeño.” Why: The yo form of conducir is conduzco, with a zc spelling that appears only in the first person singular. Conduzo is not a word: the c of the stem becomes zc before the o ending.
Wrong: “Ellos conduce un autobús.” Right: “Ellos conducen un autobús.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form conducen. The singular conduce belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as el taxista.
Wrong: “Yo conduzco hasta Madrid ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo conduje hasta Madrid.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished drive yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, and the preterite of conducir is built on the irregular stem conduj-: conduje, not conducí.
Wrong: “Nosotros conduces con cuidado.” Right: “Nosotros conducimos con cuidado.” Why: Nosotros needs conducimos. The tú form conduces belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos conduzco todos los días.” Right: “Ellos conducen todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form conducen, not the yo form conduzco. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: conducir in use
Ten questions on conducir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ despacio por la ciudad.” (You drive slowly through the city.)
- (a) conduces
- (b) conducís
- (c) conduzco
Answer: conducís — The vosotros/as form of conducir in the present tense is conducís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ un autobús.” (They drive a bus.)
- (a) conducen
- (b) conduzco
- (c) conduces
Answer: conducen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of conducir in the present tense is conducen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ hasta Madrid.” (Yesterday I drove to Madrid.)
- (a) condujiste
- (b) condujo
- (c) conduje
Answer: conduje — In the preterite, the yo form of conducir is conduje.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Mi padre ______ a Madrid cada semana.” (My father used to drive to Madrid every week.)
- (a) conducías
- (b) conducía
- (c) conducía
Answer: conducía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of conducir is conducía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ a Madrid mañana.” (We will drive to Madrid tomorrow.)
- (a) conduciremos
- (b) conduciré
- (c) conducirás
Answer: conduciremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of conducir is conduciremos.
6. What does conducir mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to drive
Answer: to drive — Conducir means “to drive”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo conduzco un coche pequeño.
- (b) Yo conduzo un coche.
- (c) Ellos conduce un autobús.
Answer: Yo conduzco un coche pequeño. — “Yo conduzco un coche pequeño.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I drive to work every day.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo conducen todos los días al trabajo.
- (b) Yo conduzco todos los días al trabajo.
- (c) El taxista conduce por toda la ciudad.
Answer: Yo conduzco todos los días al trabajo. — “Yo conduzco todos los días al trabajo.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of conducir in the present tense?
- (a) conduzco
- (b) conduces
- (c) conducimos
Answer: conducimos — The nosotros form is conducimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo conduje hasta Madrid.
- (b) Nosotros conduciremos a Madrid mañana.
- (c) Yo conduzco un coche pequeño.
Answer: Yo conduzco un coche pequeño. — “Yo conduzco un coche pequeño.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I drive a car' in Spanish?
Say 'Conduzco un coche'. The yo form is conduzco, with the zc spelling. For a routine: 'Conduzco todos los días al trabajo'.
How do you say 'to drive carefully' in Spanish?
Say 'conducir con cuidado'. In the present: 'Nosotros conducimos con cuidado'. For slowly: 'Conducen despacio por la ciudad'.
Can conducir be used for driving a bus?
Yes. 'Ellos conducen un autobús' means they drive a bus. The vehicle is the direct object, and the verb works the same way for cars, buses and lorries.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of conducir — every tense of conducir in one place.
- Conducir in the preterite tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on conducir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of conducir until they are automatic.