Consolar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
consolar means "to console" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows consolar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of consolar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with consolar
Something consoles you
Consolar often works like gustar: me consuelan las palabras means the words console me. The consoling thing is the subject, and you are the indirect object, so the verb agrees with the words, not with you.
- Cada día, me consuelan las palabras de su amiga. — "Every day, her friend's words console me."
- Hoy, le consuela un abrazo sincero. — "Today, a sincere hug consoles him."
- Ayer, me consoló la música tranquila. — "Yesterday, the calm music consoled me."
- Antes, me consolaba el recuerdo de los buenos momentos. — "Before, the memory of the good times used to console me."
- Mañana, me consolarán las palabras de su amiga. — "Tomorrow, her friend's words will console me."
- Hoy, me ha consolado un abrazo sincero. — "Today, a sincere hug has consoled me."
Consoling someone else
Consolar can also mean to console another person: consuelo a mi hermana means I console my sister. Here the structure is the ordinary transitive one, with the person as the object.
- Cada día, me consuela la música tranquila. — "Every day, the calm music consoles me."
- Hoy, le consuela el recuerdo de los buenos momentos. — "Today, the memory of the good times consoles him."
- Ayer, me consolaron las palabras de su amiga. — "Yesterday, her friend's words consoled me."
- Antes, me consolaba un abrazo sincero. — "Before, a sincere hug used to console me."
- Mañana, me consolará la música tranquila. — "Tomorrow, the calm music will console me."
- Hoy, me ha consolado el recuerdo de los buenos momentos. — "Today, the memory of the good times has consoled me."
Consolar in conversation
The two dialogues below show consolar in natural conversation. The first is about something consoles you, and the second is about consoling someone else. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Te consuelan las palabras de su amiga? — "Does her friend's words console you?"
- Sí, me consuelan las palabras de su amiga mucho. — "Her friend's words console me a lot."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Te consoló un abrazo sincero? — "And yesterday? Did a sincere hug consoled you?"
- Sí, ayer me consoló un abrazo sincero mucho. — "Yesterday, a sincere hug consoled me a lot."
- Mañana me consolará la música tranquila también. — "Tomorrow, the calm music will console me. too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Os consuela la música tranquila? — "Does the calm music console you?"
- Sí, nos consuela la música tranquila mucho. — "The calm music consoles us a lot."
- ¿Y a ellos? ¿Les consuela el recuerdo de los buenos momentos? — "And them? Does the memory of the good times console them?"
- Sí, les consuela el recuerdo de los buenos momentos también. — "The memory of the good times consoles them. too."
- Mañana nos consolará la música tranquila otra vez. — "Tomorrow, the calm music will console us. again."
Common mistakes with consolar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo consuelo las palabras.
- Right: Me consuelan las palabras.
- Why: When something consoles you, consolar works like gustar: me consuelan las palabras. Yo consuelo would mean I console someone.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me consuela las palabras.
- Right: Me consuelan las palabras.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Las palabras is plural, so the verb must be consuelan.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Consolar es lo mismo que animar.
- Right: Consolar means to console; animar means to encourage.
- Why: Consolar comforts someone who is sad. Animar gives someone energy and motivation. You consolar a person who has lost something; you animar a person who has to keep trying.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, me consolaron las palabras de su amiga.
- Right: Cada día, me consuelan las palabras de su amiga.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo consuelo las palabras de su amiga.
- Right: Me consuelan las palabras de su amiga.
- Why: Consolar works like gustar: the thing is the subject and you are the indirect object. Do not start the sentence with yo and the verb.
Quiz: consolar in use
Ten questions on consolar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of consolar in the present tense?
- (a) le consuelan
- (b) nos consuelan
- (c) me consuelan
- (d) te consuelan
Answer: (c) me consuelan. The i form in the present is me consuelan.
2. What is the he / she form of consolar in the present tense?
- (a) nos consuelan
- (b) le consuelan
- (c) me consuelan
- (d) te consuelan
Answer: (b) le consuelan. The he / she form in the present is le consuelan.
3. What is the he / she form of consolar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le consolaron
- (b) me consolaron
- (c) te consolaron
- (d) nos consolaron
Answer: (a) le consolaron. The he / she form in the preterite is le consolaron.
4. What is the i form of consolar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me consuelan
- (b) me consolaron
- (c) me consolarán
- (d) me consolaban
Answer: (d) me consolaban. The i form in the imperfect is me consolaban. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of consolar in the future tense?
- (a) le consolarán
- (b) nos consolarán
- (c) me consolarán
- (d) te consolarán
Answer: (c) me consolarán. The i form in the future is me consolarán.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) consolé
- (b) consolaba
- (c) consuelo
- (d) he consolado
Answer: (d) he consolado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he consolado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que te ___ las palabras de su amiga.
- (a) consolaba
- (b) consuele
- (c) consuela
- (d) consoló
Answer: (b) consuele. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: te consuele. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of consolar in the present tense?
- (a) me consuelan
- (b) te consuelan
- (c) le consuelan
- (d) nos consuelan
Answer: (d) nos consuelan. The we form in the present is nos consuelan.
9. What is the i form of consolar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le consolaron
- (b) nos consolaron
- (c) me consolaron
- (d) te consolaron
Answer: (c) me consolaron. The i form in the preterite is me consolaron.
10. What is the they form of consolar in the present tense?
- (a) le consuelan
- (b) les consuelan
- (c) me consuelan
- (d) te consuelan
Answer: (b) les consuelan. The they form in the present is les consuelan.
Frequently asked questions about consolar
Why is it 'me consuelan las palabras'?
Because consolar usually works like gustar. The consoling thing is the subject and you are the indirect object, and the verb agrees with that subject: las palabras needs consuelan.
Can consolar take a person as its object?
Yes: consuelo a mi hermana means I console my sister. Then the person is the direct object, with the personal a.
Is consolar regular?
According to the VerbFlow engine tables, consolar is stem-changing (o → ue): consuelo, consuelas, consuela, consolamos, consoláis, consuelan. The stem changes in the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative; the preterite and the other tenses keep the plain stem. The challenge is the sentence structure as well as the stem change.
How can I practise consolar?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.