Criar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

criar means "to raise, to breed" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Criar means to raise children or to breed animals: criar a sus hijos, criar gallinas. It covers both bringing up a child and rearing animals for a purpose. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of criar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the criar present tense page.

criar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo crío a sus hijos con cariño — "I raise his children lovingly"
  2. Mi amigo cría gallinas en el campo — "My friend raises chickens in the country"
  3. Mañana, tú criarás perros de raza — "Tomorrow, you will raise pedigree dogs"
  4. Yo criaría a su hijo en el pueblo si pudiera — "I would raise his son in the village if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo crie a sus hijos con cariño — "Yesterday, I raised his children lovingly"
  2. Antes, nosotros criábamos gallinas en el campo — "Before, we used to raise chickens in the country"
  3. Él ha criado perros de raza — "He has raised pedigree dogs"
  4. Yo ya había criado a su hijo en el pueblo antes de salir — "I already had raised his son in the village before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él críe a sus hijos con cariño — "I hope he raises his children lovingly"
  2. Si yo criara gallinas en el campo, todo cambiaría — "If I raised chickens in the country, everything would change"
  3. Cría perros de raza. — "Raise pedigree dogs."
  4. Yo habría criado a su hijo en el pueblo con más tiempo — "I would have raised his son in the village with more time"

criar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use criar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo crío a sus hijos con cariño — "I raise his children lovingly"
  • Marcos: Él cría gallinas en el campo — "He raises chickens in the country"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo crie perros de raza — "Yesterday, I raised pedigree dogs"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú criarás a su hijo en el pueblo — "Tomorrow, you will raise his son in the village"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Cría abejas para la miel. — "Raise bees for honey."
  • Lucía: Él ha criado a sus hijos con cariño — "He has raised his children lovingly"
  • Marcos: Espero que él críe gallinas en el campo — "I hope he raises chickens in the country"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo criaba perros de raza — "Before, I used to raise pedigree dogs"

Common mistakes with criar

The errors learners actually make with criar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Espero que él cría a su hijo en el pueblo

✓ Correct: Espero que él críe a su hijo en el pueblo

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él críe a su hijo en el pueblo — not the indicative Espero que él cría a su hijo en el pueblo.

✗ *Ayer, yo crío abejas para la miel

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo crie abejas para la miel

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo crie abejas para la miel.

✗ *De niño, yo crie a sus hijos con cariño todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo criaba a sus hijos con cariño todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo criaba a sus hijos con cariño todos los días.

✗ *Yo crío en perros de raza.

✓ Correct: Yo crío perros de raza.

criar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo crío perros de raza.

✗ *Vosotros criais gallinas en el campo.

✓ Correct: Vosotros criáis gallinas en el campo.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: criáis, not criais.

Quiz: criar in use

Ten questions on criar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a sus hijos con cariño — "I raise his children lovingly" (present) A. criamos B. crío C. crías D. cría

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ gallinas en el campo — "Yesterday, I raised chickens in the country" (preterite) A. criamos B. crie C. criaste D. crio

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ perros de raza — "Before, we used to raise pedigree dogs" (imperfect) A. criábamos B. criaba C. criabas D. criabais

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ a su hijo en el pueblo — "Tomorrow, you will raise his son in the village" (future) A. criarás B. criaré C. criará D. criaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ abejas para la miel — "I would raise bees for honey" (conditional) A. criaríais B. criaría C. criarías D. criaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a sus hijos con cariño — "He has raised his children lovingly" (present perfect) A. he criado B. has criado C. hemos criado D. ha criado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ gallinas en el campo — "I hope he raises chickens in the country" (present subjunctive) A. críes B. criemos C. criéis D. críe

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ perros de raza. — "Raise pedigree dogs." (affirmative imperative) A. cría B. críe C. criemos D. criad

  9. Which is the gerund of criar, used with estar for the progressive? A. crie B. criando C. criado D. crío

  10. What does criar mean in English? A. to educate B. to enjoy C. to cross D. to raise

Answer key

  1. crío — The present form for yo is crío.
  2. crie — The preterite form for yo is crie.
  3. criábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is criábamos.
  4. criarás — The future form for tú is criarás.
  5. criaría — The conditional form for yo is criaría.
  6. ha criado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha criado.
  7. críe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is críe.
  8. cría — The affirmative imperative form is cría.
  9. criando — The gerund of criar is criando: estoy criando. The participle criado is used with haber instead.
  10. to raise — criar means to raise.

Frequently asked questions

What does criar mean in English?

criar means to raise, to breed. For example: Yo crío a sus hijos con cariño — "I raise his children lovingly". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with criar?

criar takes a before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with criar.

Is criar regular?

Yes. criar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise criar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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