Introduction

consumir means “to consume”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to consume” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows consumir 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: “Yo consumo mucha agua por la mañana.” — “I consume a lot of water.”

consumir in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how consumir 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.

  1. “Yo consumo mucha agua cada día.” — “I consume a lot of water.”
  2. “Tú consumes mucha agua cada día.” — “you consume a lot of water.”
  3. “Él consume mucha agua siempre.” — “He consumes a lot of water.”
  4. “Nosotros consumimos mucha agua todos los días.” — “We consume a lot of water.”

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. “Yo consumí mucha agua ayer.” — “I consumed a lot of water.” (preterite) 6. “Él consumió mucha agua ayer.” — “He consumed a lot of water.” (preterite) 7. “Yo consumía mucha agua cuando era joven.” — “I used to consume a lot of water.” (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. “Nosotros consumiremos mucha agua mañana.” — “We will consume a lot of water.” (future) 9. “Tú has consumido mucha agua hoy.” — “you have consumed a lot of water.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo consuma mucha agua.” — “I hope that I consume a lot of water.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros consumís mucha agua cada semana.” — “You consume a lot of water.” 12. “Ellos consumen mucha agua normalmente.” — “They consume a lot of water.”

consumir 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 consumir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú consumes mucha agua?” — Do you consume a lot of water?

Luis: “Sí, yo consumo mucha agua cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I consume a lot of water every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También consumes mucha agua?” — And yesterday? Did you consume a lot of water too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo consumí mucha agua. Mañana nosotros consumiremos mucha agua otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I consumed a lot of water. Tomorrow we will consume a lot of water again.

A short paragraph

Él consume mucha agua cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how consumir 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 consumo mucha agua — 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 consumir yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is consumí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — consumi — 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 consumir.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For consumir, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: consumimos. 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 consumido mucha agua. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy consumido is not the present perfect of consumir — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing consumir with conservar

consumir 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 consumir — consume — the sentence needs consumir; 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 consuma mucha agua. Using the indicative — Espero que yo consumo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with consumir. 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 consumir in the present?

  • A. consumes
  • B. consume
  • C. consumimos
  • D. consumo

2. What is the tu form of consumir in the preterite?

  • A. consumimos
  • B. consumiste
  • C. consumí
  • D. consumió

3. What is the el form of consumir in the imperfect?

  • A. consumías
  • B. consumíamos
  • C. consumíais
  • D. consumía

4. What is the nosotros form of consumir in the future?

  • A. consumirá
  • B. consumiremos
  • C. consumiré
  • D. consumirás

5. What is the vosotros form of consumir in the present perfect?

  • A. he consumido
  • B. has consumido
  • C. ha consumido
  • D. habéis consumido

6. What is the ellos form of consumir in the present subjunctive?

  • A. consuma
  • B. consuman
  • C. consuma
  • D. consumas

7. What is the yo form of consumir in the preterite?

  • A. consumiste
  • B. consumió
  • C. consumimos
  • D. consumí

8. What is the tu form of consumir in the imperfect?

  • A. consumíamos
  • B. consumías
  • C. consumía
  • D. consumía

9. What is the el form of consumir in the future?

  • A. consumiré
  • B. consumirás
  • C. consumiremos
  • D. consumirá

10. What is the nosotros form of consumir in the conditional?

  • A. consumiría
  • B. consumiríamos
  • C. consumiría
  • D. consumirías

Answer key

  1. consumo — The present table gives yo = consumo.
  2. consumiste — The preterite table gives tu = consumiste.
  3. consumía — The imperfect table gives el = consumía.
  4. consumiremos — The future table gives nosotros = consumiremos.
  5. habéis consumido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis consumido.
  6. consuman — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = consuman.
  7. consumí — The preterite table gives yo = consumí.
  8. consumías — The imperfect table gives tu = consumías.
  9. consumirá — The future table gives el = consumirá.
  10. consumiríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = consumiríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use consumir in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo consumo mucha agua.” — “I consume a lot of water.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of consumir to learn first?

Learn the present yo form consumo first, then the preterite yo form consumí and the participle consumido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund consumiendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is consumir reflexive?

No — consumir is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo consumo mucha agua. 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 consumir?

On the main conjugation page for consumir, 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