Cumplir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

cumplir means "to fulfil, to turn (an age)" 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. Cumplir has two everyday meanings that learners must keep apart: cumplir años (to have a birthday, literally to turn years) and cumplir una promesa or cumplir un sueño (to fulfil a promise or a dream). The first is the one you will hear most — ¿cuántos años cumples?, how old are you turning? — and the second is the formal one, used for duties, rules and promises. It is a regular -ir verb, and its present tense follows the standard -ir endings exactly: cumplo, cumples, cumple, cumplimos, cumplís, cumplen. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, 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 cumplir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the cumplir present tense page.

cumplir in everyday use: examples with translations

Birthdays

  1. Yo cumplo veinte años en mayo. — "I turn twenty in May."
  2. ¿Cuántos años cumples tú? — "How old are you turning?"
  3. Ayer yo cumplí veinticinco años. — "Yesterday I turned twenty-five."
  4. De niño, yo cumplía años en verano. — "As a child, my birthday was in summer."

Keeping promises and duties

  1. Mi hermano cumple su promesa. — "My brother keeps his promise."
  2. Nosotros cumplimos las normas del colegio. — "We follow the school rules."
  3. Yo cumpliré mi promesa. — "I will keep my promise."
  4. Yo he cumplido mi parte del trabajo. — "I have done my part of the work."

Fulfilling dreams

  1. Ellos cumplen su sueño de viajar. — "They fulfil their dream of travelling."
  2. Ella cumple su sueño de ser médica. — "She fulfils her dream of being a doctor."
  3. Yo cumpliría mi sueño si tuviera dinero. — "I would fulfil my dream if I had money."
  4. Vosotros cumplís vuestra palabra. — "You keep your word."

cumplir in conversation

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

At a birthday party.

  • Ana: ¿Cuántos años cumples tú? — "How old are you turning?"
  • Bea: Yo cumplo veinte años en mayo. — "I turn twenty in May."
  • Ana: Mi hija cumple cinco años hoy. — "My daughter turns five today."
  • Bea: Ayer yo cumplí veinticinco años. — "Yesterday I turned twenty-five."

A father talks about promises.

  • Padre: Mi hermano cumple su promesa. — "My brother keeps his promise."
  • Hijo: Yo cumplo mi promesa. — "I will keep my promise."
  • Padre: Nosotros cumplimos las normas del colegio. — "We follow the school rules."
  • Hijo: Ella cumple su sueño de ser médica. — "She fulfils her dream of being a doctor."

Common mistakes with cumplir

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

✗ *Yo tengo veinte años en mayo (using tener for a birthday).

✓ Correct: Yo cumplo veinte años en mayo.

For a birthday you say cumplir años. Tener años states your age (tengo veinte años), cumplir años is the birthday event itself.

✗ *¿Cuántos años tienes tú en mayo?

✓ Correct: ¿Cuántos años cumples tú?

Cumples is the birthday question. Tienes asks your current age, not what you are turning.

✗ *Nosotros cumplimos con las normas (adding con where it is not needed).

✓ Correct: Nosotros cumplimos las normas del colegio.

Cumplir takes a direct object: cumplir las normas. Cumplir con is a different construction (cumplir con un deber is possible, but cumplir las normas takes no preposition).

✗ *Ellos cumplen a su sueño.

✓ Correct: Ellos cumplen su sueño de viajar.

A dream is a thing: cumplir su sueño, with no a before it.

Quiz: cumplir in use

Ten questions on cumplir — 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 ______ veinte años en mayo. — "I turn twenty in May."

  • a) cumple
  • b) cumples
  • c) cumplí
  • d) cumplo

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer yo ______ veinticinco años. — "Yesterday I turned twenty-five."

  • a) cumplo
  • b) cumpliste
  • c) cumplió
  • d) cumplí

3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ las normas del colegio. — "We follow the school rules."

  • a) cumplo
  • b) cumples
  • c) cumplimos
  • d) cumplimos

4. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ su sueño de viajar. — "They fulfil their dream of travelling."

  • a) cumples
  • b) cumplieron
  • c) cumplen
  • d) cumplo

5. Which is the correct present tense form of cumplir for yo?

  • a) cumple
  • b) cumples
  • c) cumplo
  • d) cumplimos

6. Which is the correct present tense form of cumplir for tú?

  • a) cumplimos
  • b) cumple
  • c) cumples
  • d) cumplo

7. Which is the correct present tense form of cumplir for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) cumplo
  • b) cumple
  • c) cumples
  • d) cumplen

8. Which sentence uses cumplir correctly?

  • a) Nosotros cumplíamos con nuestro trabajo.
  • b) Nosotros cumplimos con nuestro trabajo.
  • c) Nosotros cumple con nuestro trabajo.

9. What is the past participle of cumplir?

  • a) cumpliendo
  • b) cumplido
  • c) cumplió
  • d) cumplo

10. What does cumplir mean in English?

  • a) to fulfil, to turn (an age)
  • b) to go
  • c) to promise
  • d) to have

Answer key

  1. d) cumplo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: cumplo.

  2. d) cumplí — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: cumplí.

  3. c) cumplimos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form in the present: cumplimos.

  4. c) cumplen — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the present: cumplen.

  5. c) cumplo — The present tense form for yo is cumplo.

  6. c) cumples — The present tense form for tú is cumples.

  7. d) cumplen — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is cumplen.

  8. b) Nosotros cumplimos con nuestro trabajo. — Nosotros cumplimos con nuestro trabajo. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. b) cumplido — The past participle is cumplido. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he cumplido, has cumplido, ha cumplido.

  10. a) to fulfil, to turn (an age) — cumplir means "to fulfil, to turn (an age)".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use cumplir in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as cumplir años and cumplir una promesa. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between cumplir and prometer?

cumplir means "to fulfil, to turn (an age)", while prometer means "to promise". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use cumplir when you mean "to fulfil, to turn (an age)" and prometer when you mean "to promise".

Which tense do I need most with cumplir?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use cumplir most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is cumplir formal or informal?

cumplir is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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