Introduction

cursar means “to take (a course)”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to take (a course)” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows cursar 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 curso un curso de español por la mañana.” — “I take a Spanish course.”

cursar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how cursar 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 curso un curso de español cada día.” — “I take a Spanish course.”
  2. “Tú cursas un curso de español cada día.” — “you take a Spanish course.”
  3. “Él cursa un curso de español siempre.” — “He takes a Spanish course.”
  4. “Nosotros cursamos un curso de español todos los días.” — “We take a Spanish course.”

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 cursé un curso de español ayer.” — “I took a Spanish course.” (preterite) 6. “Él cursó un curso de español ayer.” — “He took a Spanish course.” (preterite) 7. “Yo cursaba un curso de español cuando era joven.” — “I used to take a Spanish course.” (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 cursaremos un curso de español mañana.” — “We will take a Spanish course.” (future) 9. “Tú has cursado un curso de español hoy.” — “you have taken a Spanish course.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo curse un curso de español.” — “I hope that I take a Spanish course.” (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 cursáis un curso de español cada semana.” — “You take a Spanish course.” 12. “Ellos cursan un curso de español normalmente.” — “They take a Spanish course.”

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

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿Tú cursas un curso de español?” — Do you take a Spanish course?

Diego: “Sí, yo curso un curso de español cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I take a Spanish course every day. It is part of my routine.

Sofía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También cursas un curso de español?” — And yesterday? Did you take a Spanish course too?

Diego: “Sí, ayer yo cursé un curso de español. Mañana nosotros cursaremos un curso de español otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I took a Spanish course. Tomorrow we will take a Spanish course again.

A short paragraph

Él cursa un curso de español cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how cursar 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 curso un curso de español — 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 cursar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is cursé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — curse — 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 cursar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For cursar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: cursamos. 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 cursado un curso de español. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy cursado is not the present perfect of cursar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing cursar with curar

cursar and curar 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 cursar — take — the sentence needs cursar; if it needs the meaning of curar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo curse un curso de español. Using the indicative — Espero que yo curso — is one of the most frequent learner errors with cursar. 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 cursar in the present?

  • A. cursas
  • B. cursa
  • C. cursamos
  • D. curso

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

  • A. cursamos
  • B. cursaste
  • C. cursé
  • D. cursó

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

  • A. cursabas
  • B. cursábamos
  • C. cursabais
  • D. cursaba

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

  • A. cursará
  • B. cursaremos
  • C. cursaré
  • D. cursarás

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

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

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

  • A. curse
  • B. cursen
  • C. curse
  • D. curses

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

  • A. cursaste
  • B. cursó
  • C. cursamos
  • D. cursé

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

  • A. cursábamos
  • B. cursabas
  • C. cursaba
  • D. cursaba

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

  • A. cursaré
  • B. cursarás
  • C. cursaremos
  • D. cursará

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

  • A. cursaría
  • B. cursaríamos
  • C. cursaría
  • D. cursarías

Answer key

  1. curso — The present table gives yo = curso.
  2. cursaste — The preterite table gives tu = cursaste.
  3. cursaba — The imperfect table gives el = cursaba.
  4. cursaremos — The future table gives nosotros = cursaremos.
  5. habéis cursado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis cursado.
  6. cursen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = cursen.
  7. cursé — The preterite table gives yo = cursé.
  8. cursabas — The imperfect table gives tu = cursabas.
  9. cursará — The future table gives el = cursará.
  10. cursaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = cursaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use cursar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo curso un curso de español.” — “I take a Spanish course.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form curso first, then the preterite yo form cursé and the participle cursado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund cursando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is cursar reflexive?

No — cursar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo curso un curso de español. 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 cursar?

On the main conjugation page for cursar, 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