Introduction
consistir means “to consist of”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to consist of” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows consistir 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 form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “El curso consiste en tres partes por la mañana.” — “The course consists of three parts.”
consistir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how consistir 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 {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
- “El curso consiste en tres partes cada día.” — “The course consists of three parts.”
- “El curso consiste en tres partes cada día.” — “The course consists of three parts.”
- “El curso consiste en tres partes siempre.” — “The course consists of three parts.”
- “El curso consiste en tres partes todos los días.” — “The course consists of three parts.”
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “El curso consistió en tres partes ayer.” — “The course consisted of three parts.” (preterite) 6. “El curso consistió en tres partes ayer.” — “The course consisted of three parts.” (preterite) 7. “El curso consistía en tres partes cuando era joven.” — “The course used to consist of three parts.” (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 {verb} stays the same. 8. “El curso consistirá en tres partes mañana.” — “The course will consist of three parts.” (future) 9. “El curso ha consistido en tres partes hoy.” — “The course has consisted of three parts.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que el curso consista en tres partes.” — “I hope that the course consists of three parts.” (present-subjunctive)
More everyday uses
Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “El curso consiste en tres partes cada semana.” — “The course consists of three parts.” 12. “Los cursos consisten en tres partes normalmente.” — “The courses consists of three parts.”
consistir 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 consistir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
Dialogue at work during a coffee break
Marta: “¿El curso consiste en tres partes?” — The course consists of three parts?
Carlos: “Sí, el curso consiste en tres partes cada día.” — Yes, it consists of three parts every day.
Marta: “¿Y los cursos? ¿También consisten en tres partes?” — And the others? They consist of three parts too?
Carlos: “Sí, todos consisten en tres partes. Es normal.” — Yes, they all consist of three parts. It is normal.
A short paragraph
El curso consiste en tres partes cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how consistir works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo consisto en tres partes — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make consistir yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.
Common mistakes
Forgetting the accent in the preterite
The yo preterite form is consistí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — consisti — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of consistir.
Mixing up present and preterite nosotros
For consistir, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: consistimos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.
Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses
Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he consistido en tres partes. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy consistido is not the present perfect of consistir — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.
Confusing consistir with conservar
consistir and conservar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of consistir — consist of — the sentence needs consistir; if it needs the meaning of conservar, use that verb instead.
Using the indicative after "espero que"
After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo consista en tres partes. Using the indicative — Espero que yo consisto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with consistir. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of consistir in the present?
- A. consistes
- B. consiste
- C. consistimos
- D. consisto
2. What is the tu form of consistir in the preterite?
- A. consistimos
- B. consististe
- C. consistí
- D. consistió
3. What is the el form of consistir in the imperfect?
- A. consistías
- B. consistíamos
- C. consistíais
- D. consistía
4. What is the nosotros form of consistir in the future?
- A. consistirá
- B. consistiremos
- C. consistiré
- D. consistirás
5. What is the vosotros form of consistir in the present perfect?
- A. he consistido
- B. has consistido
- C. ha consistido
- D. habéis consistido
6. What is the ellos form of consistir in the present subjunctive?
- A. consista
- B. consistan
- C. consista
- D. consistas
7. What is the yo form of consistir in the preterite?
- A. consististe
- B. consistió
- C. consistimos
- D. consistí
8. What is the tu form of consistir in the imperfect?
- A. consistíamos
- B. consistías
- C. consistía
- D. consistía
9. What is the el form of consistir in the future?
- A. consistiré
- B. consistirás
- C. consistiremos
- D. consistirá
10. What is the nosotros form of consistir in the conditional?
- A. consistiría
- B. consistiríamos
- C. consistiría
- D. consistirías
Answer key
- consisto — The present table gives yo = consisto.
- consististe — The preterite table gives tu = consististe.
- consistía — The imperfect table gives el = consistía.
- consistiremos — The future table gives nosotros = consistiremos.
- habéis consistido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis consistido.
- consistan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = consistan.
- consistí — The preterite table gives yo = consistí.
- consistías — The imperfect table gives tu = consistías.
- consistirá — The future table gives el = consistirá.
- consistiríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = consistiríamos.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use consistir in a sentence?
Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “El curso consiste en tres partes.” — “The course consists of three parts.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.
What is the most useful form of consistir to learn first?
Learn the present yo form consisto first, then the preterite yo form consistí and the participle consistido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund consistiendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.
Is consistir reflexive?
No — consistir is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo consisto en tres partes. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.
Where can I see the full conjugation of consistir?
On the main conjugation page for consistir, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.
Related links
- consistir conjugation — the full conjugation of consistir in every tense.
- consistir in the present tense — one tense in depth.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub with every verb on VerbFlow.
- conservar conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- considerar conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- Verb quiz — practise conjugations with timed questions.
- Conjugation practice — drill verb forms until they are automatic.