Introduction

cultivar means “to cultivate, to grow”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to cultivate, to grow” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows cultivar 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 cultivo tomates por la mañana.” — “I cultivate tomatoes.”

cultivar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how cultivar 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 cultivo tomates cada día.” — “I cultivate tomatoes.”
  2. “Tú cultivas tomates cada día.” — “you cultivate tomatoes.”
  3. “Él cultiva tomates siempre.” — “He cultivates tomatoes.”
  4. “Nosotros cultivamos tomates todos los días.” — “We cultivate tomatoes.”

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 cultivé tomates ayer.” — “I cultivated tomatoes.” (preterite) 6. “Él cultivó tomates ayer.” — “He cultivated tomatoes.” (preterite) 7. “Yo cultivaba tomates cuando era joven.” — “I used to cultivate tomatoes.” (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 cultivaremos tomates mañana.” — “We will cultivate tomatoes.” (future) 9. “Tú has cultivado tomates hoy.” — “you have cultivated tomatoes.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo cultive tomates.” — “I hope that I cultivate tomatoes.” (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 cultiváis tomates cada semana.” — “You cultivate tomatoes.” 12. “Ellos cultivan tomates normalmente.” — “They cultivate tomatoes.”

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

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú cultivas tomates?” — Do you cultivate tomatoes?

Carlos: “Sí, yo cultivo tomates cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I cultivate tomatoes every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También cultivas tomates?” — And yesterday? Did you cultivate tomatoes too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo cultivé tomates. Mañana nosotros cultivaremos tomates otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I cultivated tomatoes. Tomorrow we will cultivate tomatoes again.

A short paragraph

Él cultiva tomates cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how cultivar 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 cultivo tomates — 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 cultivar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is cultivé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — cultive — 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 cultivar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

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

Confusing cultivar with culpar

cultivar and culpar 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 cultivar — cultivate — the sentence needs cultivar; if it needs the meaning of culpar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo cultive tomates. Using the indicative — Espero que yo cultivo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with cultivar. 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 cultivar in the present?

  • A. cultivas
  • B. cultiva
  • C. cultivamos
  • D. cultivo

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

  • A. cultivamos
  • B. cultivaste
  • C. cultivé
  • D. cultivó

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

  • A. cultivabas
  • B. cultivábamos
  • C. cultivabais
  • D. cultivaba

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

  • A. cultivará
  • B. cultivaremos
  • C. cultivaré
  • D. cultivarás

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

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

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

  • A. cultive
  • B. cultiven
  • C. cultive
  • D. cultives

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

  • A. cultivaste
  • B. cultivó
  • C. cultivamos
  • D. cultivé

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

  • A. cultivábamos
  • B. cultivabas
  • C. cultivaba
  • D. cultivaba

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

  • A. cultivaré
  • B. cultivarás
  • C. cultivaremos
  • D. cultivará

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

  • A. cultivaría
  • B. cultivaríamos
  • C. cultivaría
  • D. cultivarías

Answer key

  1. cultivo — The present table gives yo = cultivo.
  2. cultivaste — The preterite table gives tu = cultivaste.
  3. cultivaba — The imperfect table gives el = cultivaba.
  4. cultivaremos — The future table gives nosotros = cultivaremos.
  5. habéis cultivado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis cultivado.
  6. cultiven — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = cultiven.
  7. cultivé — The preterite table gives yo = cultivé.
  8. cultivabas — The imperfect table gives tu = cultivabas.
  9. cultivará — The future table gives el = cultivará.
  10. cultivaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = cultivaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use cultivar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo cultivo tomates.” — “I cultivate tomatoes.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form cultivo first, then the preterite yo form cultivé and the participle cultivado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund cultivando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is cultivar reflexive?

No — cultivar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo cultivo tomates. 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 cultivar?

On the main conjugation page for cultivar, 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