Introduction
Consentir means “to consent, to allow”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Consentir means to consent or to allow, and it is used for giving permission and for spoiling a child: consentir a los niños, consentir en la propuesta. It is a stem-changing -ir verb, e to ie in the present and e to i in the preterite third person and the gerund: consiento, consintió, consintiendo. This page shows consentir 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: “Consiento a los niños con dulces.” — I consent the children with sweets.
Consentir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how consentir 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 consentir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Consiento a los niños con dulces.” — I consent the children with sweets.
“¿Consientes en la propuesta del jefe?” — Do you consent to the boss's proposal?
“Consiente que salga por la noche.” — He/she consents that she go out at night.
“Nosotros consentimos demasiado a su hija.” — We consent his daughter too much.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show consentir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo consentí a los niños con dulces.” — Yesterday, I consented the children with sweets. (preterite)
“Antes, él consentía en la propuesta del jefe.” — Before, he used to consent to the boss's proposal. (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 consentir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros consentiremos que salga por la noche.” — Tomorrow, we will consent that she go out at night. (future)
“¿Tú has consentido demasiado a su hija?” — Have you consented his daughter too much? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros consentís a los niños con dulces.” — You consent the children with sweets.
“Ellos consienten en la propuesta del jefe.” — They consent to the boss's proposal.
“Yo consiento que salga por la noche.” — I consent that she go out at night.
“Mi padre consiente demasiado a su hija.” — My father consents his daughter too much.
Consentir 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 consentir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú consientes en la propuesta del jefe?” — Do you consent to the boss's proposal?
Pedro: “Sí, yo consiento a los niños con dulces.” — Yes, I consent the children with sweets.
Marta: “Nosotros consentimos demasiado a su hija.” — We consent his daughter too much.
Pedro: “Y ellos consienten en la propuesta del jefe.” — And they consent to the boss's proposal.
Marta: “Vosotros consentís que salga por la noche.” — You consent that she go out at night.
Pedro: “Sí, y él consiente a los niños con dulces.” — Yes, and he consents the children with sweets.
A short paragraph
Consiente a los niños con dulces, y nosotros consentimos demasiado a su hija. Yo consiento en la propuesta del jefe, y ellos consienten que salga por la noche. Consentir is part of everyday life, because consent, to allow is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with consentir
These are the errors learners actually make with consentir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo consiente a los niños con dulces.” Right: “Yo consiento a los niños con dulces.” Why: The person matters: consiente is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is consiento. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo consento en la propuesta del jefe.” Right: “Yo consiento en la propuesta del jefe.” Why: Consentir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
Wrong: “Treating consentir and permitir as identical in every context.” Right: “Consentir means to consent, to allow, while permitir means to allow, to permit.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: consentir fits sentences such as Consiento a los niños con dulces, while permitir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy consentido en la propuesta del jefe.” Right: “Yo he consentido en la propuesta del jefe.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he consentido, has consentido, ha consentido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo consentí que salga por la noche todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo consentía que salga por la noche todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (consentía), not the preterite. The preterite (consentí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: consentir in use
Ten questions on consentir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ a los niños con dulces.” (You consent the children with sweets.)
- (a) consentís
- (b) consiento
- (c) consientes
Answer: consentís — The vosotros/as form of consentir in the present tense is consentís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ en la propuesta del jefe.” (They consent to the boss's proposal.)
- (a) consientes
- (b) consienten
- (c) consiento
Answer: consienten — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of consentir in the present tense is consienten.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ a los niños con dulces.” (Yesterday I consented the children with sweets.)
- (a) consentiste
- (b) consintió
- (c) consentí
Answer: consentí — In the preterite, the yo form of consentir is consentí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ en la propuesta del jefe.” (Before, he used to consent to the boss's proposal.)
- (a) consentía
- (b) consiento
- (c) consentías
Answer: consentía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of consentir is consentía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ que salga por la noche.” (Tomorrow we will consent that she go out at night.)
- (a) consentirás
- (b) consentiremos
- (c) consentiré
Answer: consentiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of consentir is consentiremos.
6. What does consentir mean in English?
- (a) to consent, to allow
- (b) to confuse
- (c) to allow, to permit
Answer: to consent, to allow — Consentir means “to consent, to allow”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo consiente a los niños con dulces.
- (b) Ellos consiente en la propuesta del jefe.
- (c) Yo consiento a los niños con dulces.
Answer: Yo consiento a los niños con dulces. — “Yo consiento a los niños con dulces.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I consent the children with sweets.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre consiente demasiado a su hija.
- (b) Consiento a los niños con dulces.
- (c) Consienten a los niños con dulces.
Answer: Consiento a los niños con dulces. — “Consiento a los niños con dulces.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of consentir in the present tense?
- (a) consiento
- (b) consientes
- (c) consentimos
Answer: consentimos — The nosotros form is consentimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros consentiremos que salga por la noche.
- (b) Consiento a los niños con dulces.
- (c) Ayer, yo consentí a los niños con dulces.
Answer: Consiento a los niños con dulces. — “Consiento a los niños con dulces.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I consent the children with sweets' in Spanish?
Say 'Consiento a los niños con dulces'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Consiento a los niños con dulces todos los días'.
How do you say 'He consents to the boss's proposal' in Spanish?
Say 'Él consiente en la propuesta del jefe'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes consiente.
What is the difference between consentir and permitir?
Consentir means to consent, to allow, while permitir means to allow, to permit. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use consentir when you mean to consent, to allow, as in 'Consiento a los niños con dulces', and use permitir for to allow, to permit.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of consentir — every tense of consentir in one place.
- Consentir in the present 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 consentir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of consentir until they are automatic.