Cuidar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
cuidar means "to take care of" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows cuidar 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 cuidar, 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 cuidar
Taking care of people
Cuidar a alguien means to look after a person: cuido a mi abuela enferma. The personal a is required, and it is the warmest use of this verb.
- Cada día, yo cuido a mi abuela enferma. — "Every day, I take care of my sick grandmother."
- Hoy, él / ella cuida de las plantas del jardín. — "Today, he / she takes care of the garden plants."
- Ayer, yo cuidé a los niños del barrio. — "Yesterday, I took care of the neighbourhood children."
- Antes, yo cuidaba mi salud. — "Before, I used to take care of my health."
- Mañana, yo cuidaré a mi abuela enferma. — "Tomorrow, I will take care of my sick grandmother."
- Hoy, yo he cuidado de las plantas del jardín. — "Today, I have taken care of the garden plants."
Taking care of things
Cuidar de algo means to look after a thing: cuido de las plantas. With things, Spanish often uses cuidar de, and the difference between a and de is worth learning.
- Cada día, yo cuido a los niños del barrio. — "Every day, I take care of the neighbourhood children."
- Hoy, él / ella cuida mi salud. — "Today, he / she takes care of my health."
- Ayer, yo cuidé a mi abuela enferma. — "Yesterday, I took care of my sick grandmother."
- Antes, yo cuidaba de las plantas del jardín. — "Before, I used to take care of the garden plants."
- Mañana, yo cuidaré a los niños del barrio. — "Tomorrow, I will take care of the neighbourhood children."
- Hoy, yo he cuidado mi salud. — "Today, I have taken care of my health."
Cuidar in conversation
The two dialogues below show cuidar in natural conversation. The first is about taking care of people, and the second is about taking care of things. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú cuidas a mi abuela enferma? — "Do you take care of my sick grandmother?"
- Sí, yo cuido a mi abuela enferma cada día. — "Yes, I take care of my sick grandmother every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú cuidaste de las plantas del jardín? — "And yesterday? Did you take care of the garden plants?"
- Sí, ayer yo cuidé de las plantas del jardín. — "Yes, yesterday I took care of the garden plants."
- Mañana yo cuidaré a los niños del barrio también. — "Tomorrow I will take care of the neighbourhood children too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros cuidáis a los niños del barrio? — "Do you take care of the neighbourhood children?"
- Sí, nosotros cuidamos a los niños del barrio los fines de semana. — "Yes, we take care of the neighbourhood children at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos cuidan mi salud? — "And them? Do they take care of my health?"
- Sí, ellos cuidan mi salud también. — "Yes, they take care of my health too."
- Mañana nosotros cuidaremos a los niños del barrio otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will take care of the neighbourhood children again."
Common mistakes with cuidar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo cuido mi abuela.
- Right: Yo cuido a mi abuela.
- Why: When the object is a person, cuidar needs the personal a: cuido a mi abuela, cuido a los niños.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Yo cuido a las plantas.
- Right: Yo cuido de las plantas.
- Why: With things, Spanish prefers cuidar de: cuido de las plantas. Cuidar a is for people; cuidar de is for things.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Cuidar es lo mismo que proteger.
- Right: Cuidar means to take care of; proteger means to protect.
- Why: Cuidar is daily, patient attention over time. Proteger is defending against a specific danger. You care for a garden; you protect a house.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo cuidé a mi abuela enferma.
- Right: Cada día, yo cuido a mi abuela enferma.
- 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 cuido a mi abuela enferma ayer por la mañana.
- Right: Ayer por la mañana yo cuidé a mi abuela enferma.
- Why: Ayer por la mañana means yesterday morning, so the action is finished and needs the preterite, not the present.
Quiz: cuidar in use
Ten questions on cuidar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of cuidar in the present tense?
- (a) cuida
- (b) cuidamos
- (c) cuido
- (d) cuidas
Answer: (c) cuido. The i form in the present is cuido.
2. What is the he / she form of cuidar in the present tense?
- (a) cuidamos
- (b) cuida
- (c) cuido
- (d) cuidas
Answer: (b) cuida. The he / she form in the present is cuida.
3. What is the he / she form of cuidar in the preterite tense?
- (a) cuidó
- (b) cuidé
- (c) cuidaste
- (d) cuidamos
Answer: (a) cuidó. The he / she form in the preterite is cuidó.
4. What is the i form of cuidar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) cuido
- (b) cuidé
- (c) cuidaré
- (d) cuidaba
Answer: (d) cuidaba. The i form in the imperfect is cuidaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of cuidar in the future tense?
- (a) cuidará
- (b) cuidaremos
- (c) cuidaré
- (d) cuidarás
Answer: (c) cuidaré. The i form in the future is cuidaré.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) cuidé
- (b) cuidaba
- (c) cuido
- (d) he cuidado
Answer: (d) he cuidado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he cuidado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a mi abuela enferma.
- (a) cuidaba
- (b) cuide
- (c) cuida
- (d) cuidó
Answer: (b) cuide. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: cuide. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of cuidar in the present tense?
- (a) cuido
- (b) cuidas
- (c) cuida
- (d) cuidamos
Answer: (d) cuidamos. The we form in the present is cuidamos.
9. What is the i form of cuidar in the preterite tense?
- (a) cuidó
- (b) cuidamos
- (c) cuidé
- (d) cuidaste
Answer: (c) cuidé. The i form in the preterite is cuidé.
10. What is the they form of cuidar in the present tense?
- (a) cuida
- (b) cuidan
- (c) cuido
- (d) cuidas
Answer: (b) cuidan. The they form in the present is cuidan.
Frequently asked questions about cuidar
Does cuidar take a or de?
Before a person it takes a: cuido a mi abuela. Before a thing it usually takes de: cuido de las plantas. With an abstract thing like health, no preposition is needed: cuido mi salud.
What is the difference between cuidar and cuidarse?
Cuido a mi abuela means I look after my grandmother. Me cuido means I look after myself. The reflexive form is about self-care.
Is cuido spelled with an accent?
No. The yo form is cuido, with no written accent. The stress falls naturally on the first syllable, and the spelling is regular.
How can I practise cuidar?
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.