Conquistar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

conquistar means “to conquer” 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. Conquistar means to conquer, and it is used for conquering a mountain top, a market, a castle and, figuratively, a person's heart. It is a verb of effort and victory, common in history, sport and romance. 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 conquistar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the conquistar present tense page.

conquistar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo conquisto la cima de la montaña. — I conquer the top of the mountain.
  2. Él/Ella conquista el corazón de María. — He conquers María's heart.
  3. Nosotros/as conquistamos el mercado extranjero. — We conquer the foreign market.
  4. Ellos/as conquistan el castillo al amanecer. — They conquer the castle at dawn.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo conquisté el mercado extranjero. — Yesterday, I conquered the foreign market.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as conquistábamos el castillo al amanecer. — Before, We used to conquer the castle at dawn.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella conquistó la cima de la montaña. — Yesterday, He conquered the top of the mountain.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as conquistaban el corazón de María. — As children, They used to conquer María's heart.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú conquistarás la cima de la montaña. — Tomorrow, You will conquer the top of the mountain.
  2. Yo conquistaría el corazón de María. — I would conquer María's heart.
  3. Espero que él conquiste el mercado extranjero. — I hope he conquers the foreign market.
  4. Él/Ella ha conquistado el castillo al amanecer. — He has conquered the castle at dawn.

conquistar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú conquistas la cima de la montaña mañana? — Are you going to conquer the top of the mountain tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo conquisto la cima de la montaña todos los días. — Yes, I conquer the top of the mountain every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana conquistarás el corazón de María? — And tomorrow, will you conquer María's heart? Luis: Claro, mañana conquistaré el corazón de María sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will conquer María's heart without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo conquistaré el mercado extranjero también. — Perfect. I will conquer the foreign market too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer conquisté el mercado extranjero. — Yesterday, I conquered the foreign market. Ana: ¿Y antes conquistabas el castillo al amanecer? — And before, did you use to conquer the castle at dawn? Luis: Sí, antes conquistaba el castillo al amanecer todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to conquer the castle at dawn every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos conquistaron la cima de la montaña? — And did your brothers conquered the top of the mountain? Luis: Sí, ellos conquistaron la cima de la montaña por la tarde. — Yes, they conquered the top of the mountain in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo conquista la cima de la montaña. — Right: Yo conquisto la cima de la montaña. — The person matters: conquista is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is conquisto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating conquistar and vencer as identical in every context. — Right: Conquistar means to conquer, while vencer means to defeat someone or something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: conquistar fits sentences such as Conquisto la cima de la montaña, while vencer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy conquistado el corazón de María. — Right: Yo he conquistado el corazón de María. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he conquistado, has conquistado, ha conquistado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo conquisté el mercado extranjero todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo conquistaba el mercado extranjero todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (conquistaba), not the preterite. The preterite (conquisté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el castillo al amanecer. (present tense) A. conquistan B. conquisto C. conquistas D. conquista

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la cima de la montaña. (preterite tense) A. conquisté B. conquistaste C. conquistó D. conquistamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el corazón de María. (imperfect tense) A. conquistábamos B. conquistabais C. conquistabas D. conquistaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ el mercado extranjero. (future tense) A. conquistaremos B. conquistará C. conquistaré D. conquistarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el castillo al amanecer. (conditional tense) A. conquistaríamos B. conquistaría C. conquistarías D. conquistaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la cima de la montaña. (present-perfect tense) A. has conquistado B. ha conquistado C. hemos conquistado D. he conquistado

  7. What does conquistar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to conquer D. to defeat someone or something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo conquisté el mercado extranjero. B. Yo conquista la cima de la montaña. C. Yo conquisto la cima de la montaña. D. Él/Ella conquista el corazón de María.

  9. Which is the gerund of conquistar, used with estar for the progressive? A. conquistando B. conquistado C. conquisto D. conquisté

  10. Which is the past participle of conquistar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. conquistando B. conquisto C. conquisté D. conquistado

Answer key

  1. conquistan — The correct form here is conquistan.
  2. conquistamos — The correct form here is conquistamos.
  3. conquistabas — The correct form here is conquistabas.
  4. conquistará — The correct form here is conquistará.
  5. conquistaríamos — The correct form here is conquistaríamos.
  6. he conquistado — The correct form here is he conquistado.
  7. to conquer — Conquistar means to conquer. Vencer means to defeat someone or something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo conquista la cima de la montaña. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo conquisto la cima de la montaña.. The person matters: conquista is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is conquisto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. conquistando — The gerund of conquistar is conquistando: estoy conquistando.
  10. conquistado — The past participle of conquistar is conquistado: he conquistado, has conquistado, ha conquistado.

Frequently asked questions

What does conquistar mean?

Conquistar means to conquer. Conquistar means to conquer, and it is used for conquering a mountain top, a market, a castle and, figuratively, a person's heart. It is a verb of effort and victory, common in history, sport and romance.

When do people use conquistar most?

People use conquistar most in everyday situations such as Yo conquisto la cima de la montaña. and Ayer, Yo conquisté el mercado extranjero.. 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 conquistar and vencer?

Conquistar means to conquer, while vencer means to defeat someone or something. 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 conquistar?

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

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