Introduction

convocar means “to call, to convene”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to call, to convene” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows convocar 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 convoco una reunión por la mañana.” — “I call a meeting.”

convocar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how convocar 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 convoco una reunión cada día.” — “I call a meeting.”
  2. “Tú convocas una reunión cada día.” — “you call a meeting.”
  3. “Él convoca una reunión siempre.” — “He calls a meeting.”
  4. “Nosotros convocamos una reunión todos los días.” — “We call a meeting.”

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 convoqué una reunión ayer.” — “I called a meeting.” (preterite) 6. “Él convocó una reunión ayer.” — “He called a meeting.” (preterite) 7. “Yo convocaba una reunión cuando era joven.” — “I used to call a meeting.” (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 convocaremos una reunión mañana.” — “We will call a meeting.” (future) 9. “Tú has convocado una reunión hoy.” — “you have called a meeting.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo convoque una reunión.” — “I hope that I call a meeting.” (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 convocáis una reunión cada semana.” — “You call a meeting.” 12. “Ellos convocan una reunión normalmente.” — “They call a meeting.”

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

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú convocas una reunión?” — Do you call a meeting?

Carlos: “Sí, yo convoco una reunión cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I call a meeting every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También convocas una reunión?” — And yesterday? Did you call a meeting too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo convoqué una reunión. Mañana nosotros convocaremos una reunión otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I called a meeting. Tomorrow we will call a meeting again.

A short paragraph

Él convoca una reunión cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how convocar 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 convoco una reunión — 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 convocar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is convoqué, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — convoque — 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 convocar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For convocar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: convocamos. 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 convocado una reunión. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy convocado is not the present perfect of convocar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing convocar with conservar

convocar 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 convocar — call — the sentence needs convocar; 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 convoque una reunión. Using the indicative — Espero que yo convoco — is one of the most frequent learner errors with convocar. 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 convocar in the present?

  • A. convocas
  • B. convoca
  • C. convocamos
  • D. convoco

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

  • A. convocamos
  • B. convocaste
  • C. convoqué
  • D. convocó

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

  • A. convocabas
  • B. convocábamos
  • C. convocabais
  • D. convocaba

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

  • A. convocará
  • B. convocaremos
  • C. convocaré
  • D. convocarás

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

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

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

  • A. convoque
  • B. convoquen
  • C. convoque
  • D. convoques

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

  • A. convocaste
  • B. convocó
  • C. convocamos
  • D. convoqué

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

  • A. convocábamos
  • B. convocabas
  • C. convocaba
  • D. convocaba

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

  • A. convocaré
  • B. convocarás
  • C. convocaremos
  • D. convocará

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

  • A. convocaría
  • B. convocaríamos
  • C. convocaría
  • D. convocarías

Answer key

  1. convoco — The present table gives yo = convoco.
  2. convocaste — The preterite table gives tu = convocaste.
  3. convocaba — The imperfect table gives el = convocaba.
  4. convocaremos — The future table gives nosotros = convocaremos.
  5. habéis convocado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis convocado.
  6. convoquen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = convoquen.
  7. convoqué — The preterite table gives yo = convoqué.
  8. convocabas — The imperfect table gives tu = convocabas.
  9. convocará — The future table gives el = convocará.
  10. convocaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = convocaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use convocar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo convoco una reunión.” — “I call a meeting.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form convoco first, then the preterite yo form convoqué and the participle convocado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund convocando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is convocar reflexive?

No — convocar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo convoco una reunión. 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 convocar?

On the main conjugation page for convocar, 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