Congelar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

congelar means “to freeze” 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. Congelar means to freeze, and it is used for freezing food for the winter, freezing water in the freezer, freezing vegetables from the garden and freezing meat before a trip. It also means to freeze prices or salaries in economics, and to freeze with cold. 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 congelar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the congelar present tense page.

congelar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo congelo la comida para el invierno. — I freeze the food for the winter.
  2. Él/Ella congela el agua en el congelador. — He freezes the water in the freezer.
  3. Nosotros/as congelamos las verduras del huerto. — We freeze the vegetables from the garden.
  4. Ellos/as congelan la carne antes del viaje. — They freeze the meat before the trip.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo congelé las verduras del huerto. — Yesterday, I froze the vegetables from the garden.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as congelábamos la carne antes del viaje. — Before, We used to freeze the meat before the trip.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella congeló la comida para el invierno. — Yesterday, He froze the food for the winter.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as congelaban el agua en el congelador. — As children, They used to freeze the water in the freezer.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú congelarás la comida para el invierno. — Tomorrow, You will freeze the food for the winter.
  2. Yo congelaría el agua en el congelador. — I would freeze the water in the freezer.
  3. Espero que él congele las verduras del huerto. — I hope he freezes the vegetables from the garden.
  4. Él/Ella ha congelado la carne antes del viaje. — He has frozen the meat before the trip.

congelar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú congelas la comida para el invierno mañana? — Are you going to freeze the food for the winter tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo congelo la comida para el invierno todos los días. — Yes, I freeze the food for the winter every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana congelarás el agua en el congelador? — And tomorrow, will you freeze the water in the freezer? Luis: Claro, mañana congelaré el agua en el congelador sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will freeze the water in the freezer without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo congelaré las verduras del huerto también. — Perfect. I will freeze the vegetables from the garden too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer congelé las verduras del huerto. — Yesterday, I froze the vegetables from the garden. Ana: ¿Y antes congelabas la carne antes del viaje? — And before, did you use to freeze the meat before the trip? Luis: Sí, antes congelaba la carne antes del viaje todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to freeze the meat before the trip every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos congelaron la comida para el invierno? — And did your brothers froze the food for the winter? Luis: Sí, ellos congelaron la comida para el invierno por la tarde. — Yes, they froze the food for the winter in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo congela la comida para el invierno. — Right: Yo congelo la comida para el invierno. — The person matters: congela is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is congelo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating congelar and helar as identical in every context. — Right: Congelar means to freeze, while helar means to freeze, of weather. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: congelar fits sentences such as Congelo la comida para el invierno, while helar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy congelado el agua en el congelador. — Right: Yo he congelado el agua en el congelador. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he congelado, has congelado, ha congelado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo congelé las verduras del huerto todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo congelaba las verduras del huerto todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (congelaba), not the preterite. The preterite (congelé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la carne antes del viaje. (present tense) A. congelan B. congelo C. congelas D. congela

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la comida para el invierno. (preterite tense) A. congelé B. congelaste C. congeló D. congelamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el agua en el congelador. (imperfect tense) A. congelábamos B. congelabais C. congelabas D. congelaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ las verduras del huerto. (future tense) A. congelaremos B. congelará C. congelaré D. congelarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la carne antes del viaje. (conditional tense) A. congelaríamos B. congelaría C. congelarías D. congelaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la comida para el invierno. (present-perfect tense) A. has congelado B. ha congelado C. hemos congelado D. he congelado

  7. What does congelar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to freeze D. to freeze, of weather

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo congelé las verduras del huerto. B. Yo congela la comida para el invierno. C. Yo congelo la comida para el invierno. D. Él/Ella congela el agua en el congelador.

  9. Which is the gerund of congelar, used with estar for the progressive? A. congelando B. congelado C. congelo D. congelé

  10. Which is the past participle of congelar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. congelando B. congelo C. congelé D. congelado

Answer key

  1. congelan — The correct form here is congelan.
  2. congelamos — The correct form here is congelamos.
  3. congelabas — The correct form here is congelabas.
  4. congelará — The correct form here is congelará.
  5. congelaríamos — The correct form here is congelaríamos.
  6. he congelado — The correct form here is he congelado.
  7. to freeze — Congelar means to freeze. Helar means to freeze, of weather, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo congela la comida para el invierno. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo congelo la comida para el invierno.. The person matters: congela is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is congelo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. congelando — The gerund of congelar is congelando: estoy congelando.
  10. congelado — The past participle of congelar is congelado: he congelado, has congelado, ha congelado.

Frequently asked questions

What does congelar mean?

Congelar means to freeze. Congelar means to freeze, and it is used for freezing food for the winter, freezing water in the freezer, freezing vegetables from the garden and freezing meat before a trip. It also means to freeze prices or salaries in economics, and to freeze with cold.

When do people use congelar most?

People use congelar most in everyday situations such as Yo congelo la comida para el invierno. and Ayer, Yo congelé las verduras del huerto.. 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 congelar and helar?

Congelar means to freeze, while helar means to freeze, of weather. 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 congelar?

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

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