Introduction

copiar means “to copy”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to copy” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows copiar 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 copio el texto por la mañana.” — “I copy the text.”

copiar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how copiar 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 copio el texto cada día.” — “I copy the text.”
  2. “Tú copias el texto cada día.” — “you copy the text.”
  3. “Él copia el texto siempre.” — “He copies the text.”
  4. “Nosotros copiamos el texto todos los días.” — “We copy the text.”

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 copié el texto ayer.” — “I copyed the text.” (preterite) 6. “Él copió el texto ayer.” — “He copyed the text.” (preterite) 7. “Yo copiaba el texto cuando era joven.” — “I used to copy the text.” (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 copiaremos el texto mañana.” — “We will copy the text.” (future) 9. “Tú has copiado el texto hoy.” — “you have copyed the text.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo copie el texto.” — “I hope that I copy the text.” (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 copiáis el texto cada semana.” — “You copy the text.” 12. “Ellos copian el texto normalmente.” — “They copy the text.”

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

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú copias el texto?” — Do you copy the text?

Luis: “Sí, yo copio el texto cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I copy the text every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También copias el texto?” — And yesterday? Did you copy the text too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo copié el texto. Mañana nosotros copiaremos el texto otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I copyed the text. Tomorrow we will copy the text again.

A short paragraph

Él copia el texto cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how copiar 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 copio el texto — 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 copiar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is copié, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — copie — 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 copiar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For copiar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: copiamos. 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 copiado el texto. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy copiado is not the present perfect of copiar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing copiar with corresponder

copiar and corresponder 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 copiar — copy — the sentence needs copiar; if it needs the meaning of corresponder, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo copie el texto. Using the indicative — Espero que yo copio — is one of the most frequent learner errors with copiar. 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 copiar in the present?

  • A. copias
  • B. copia
  • C. copiamos
  • D. copio

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

  • A. copiamos
  • B. copiaste
  • C. copié
  • D. copió

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

  • A. copiabas
  • B. copiábamos
  • C. copiabais
  • D. copiaba

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

  • A. copiará
  • B. copiaremos
  • C. copiaré
  • D. copiarás

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

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

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

  • A. copie
  • B. copien
  • C. copie
  • D. copies

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

  • A. copiaste
  • B. copió
  • C. copiamos
  • D. copié

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

  • A. copiábamos
  • B. copiabas
  • C. copiaba
  • D. copiaba

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

  • A. copiaré
  • B. copiarás
  • C. copiaremos
  • D. copiará

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

  • A. copiaría
  • B. copiaríamos
  • C. copiaría
  • D. copiarías

Answer key

  1. copio — The present table gives yo = copio.
  2. copiaste — The preterite table gives tu = copiaste.
  3. copiaba — The imperfect table gives el = copiaba.
  4. copiaremos — The future table gives nosotros = copiaremos.
  5. habéis copiado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis copiado.
  6. copien — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = copien.
  7. copié — The preterite table gives yo = copié.
  8. copiabas — The imperfect table gives tu = copiabas.
  9. copiará — The future table gives el = copiará.
  10. copiaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = copiaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use copiar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo copio el texto.” — “I copy the text.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form copio first, then the preterite yo form copié and the participle copiado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund copiando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is copiar reflexive?

No — copiar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo copio el texto. 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 copiar?

On the main conjugation page for copiar, 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