Dañar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

dañar means “to damage, to harm” 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. Dañar means to damage or to harm, and it is used for damaging a car in an accident, harming a company's reputation, damaging the environment and harming health with tobacco. It is a regular -ar verb, common in insurance, news and health language. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, 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 dañar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the dañar present tense page.

dañar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with dañar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo daño el coche en el accidente. — I damage the car in the accident.
  2. Él/Ella daña la reputación de la empresa. — He damages the company's reputation.
  3. Nosotros/as dañamos el medio ambiente. — We damage the environment.
  4. Ellos/as dañan la salud con el tabaco. — They damage health with tobacco.

In the past

Four sentences with dañar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo dañé el medio ambiente. — Yesterday, I damaged the environment.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as dañábamos la salud con el tabaco. — Before, We used to damage health with tobacco.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella dañó el coche en el accidente. — Yesterday, He damaged the car in the accident.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as dañaban la reputación de la empresa. — As children, They used to damage the company's reputation.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with dañar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú dañarás el coche en el accidente. — Tomorrow, You will damage the car in the accident.
  2. Yo dañaría la reputación de la empresa. — I would damage the company's reputation.
  3. Espero que él dañe el medio ambiente. — I hope he damages the environment.
  4. Él/Ella ha dañado la salud con el tabaco. — He has damaged health with tobacco.

dañar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú dañas el coche en el accidente mañana? — Are you going to damage the car in the accident tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo daño el coche en el accidente todos los días. — Yes, I damage the car in the accident every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana dañarás la reputación de la empresa? — And tomorrow, will you damage the company's reputation? Luis: Claro, mañana dañaré la reputación de la empresa sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will damage the company's reputation without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo dañaré el medio ambiente también. — Perfect. I will damage the environment too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer dañé el medio ambiente. — Yesterday, I damaged the environment. Ana: ¿Y antes dañabas la salud con el tabaco? — And before, did you use to damage health with tobacco? Luis: Sí, antes dañaba la salud con el tabaco todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to damage health with tobacco every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos dañaron el coche en el accidente? — And did your brothers damaged the car in the accident? Luis: Sí, ellos dañaron el coche en el accidente por la tarde. — Yes, they damaged the car in the accident in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo daña el coche en el accidente. — Right: Yo daño el coche en el accidente. — The person matters: daña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is daño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating dañar and perjudicar as identical in every context. — Right: Dañar means to damage, to harm, while perjudicar means to harm or damage someone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: dañar fits sentences such as Daño el coche en el accidente, while perjudicar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy dañado la reputación de la empresa. — Right: Yo he dañado la reputación de la empresa. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he dañado, has dañado, ha dañado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo dañé el medio ambiente todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo dañaba el medio ambiente todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (dañaba), not the preterite. The preterite (dañé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on dañar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la salud con el tabaco. (present tense) A. dañan B. daño C. dañas D. daña

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ el coche en el accidente. (preterite tense) A. dañé B. dañaste C. dañó D. dañamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la reputación de la empresa. (imperfect tense) A. dañábamos B. dañabais C. dañabas D. dañaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ el medio ambiente. (future tense) A. dañaremos B. dañará C. dañaré D. dañarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la salud con el tabaco. (conditional tense) A. dañaríamos B. dañaría C. dañarías D. dañaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ el coche en el accidente. (present-perfect tense) A. has dañado B. ha dañado C. hemos dañado D. he dañado

  7. What does dañar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to damage, to harm D. to harm or damage someone

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo dañé el medio ambiente. B. Yo daña el coche en el accidente. C. Yo daño el coche en el accidente. D. Él/Ella daña la reputación de la empresa.

  9. Which is the gerund of dañar, used with estar for the progressive? A. dañando B. dañado C. daño D. dañé

  10. Which is the past participle of dañar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. dañando B. daño C. dañé D. dañado

Answer key

  1. dañan — The correct form here is dañan.
  2. dañamos — The correct form here is dañamos.
  3. dañabas — The correct form here is dañabas.
  4. dañará — The correct form here is dañará.
  5. dañaríamos — The correct form here is dañaríamos.
  6. he dañado — The correct form here is he dañado.
  7. to damage, to harm — Dañar means to damage, to harm. Perjudicar means to harm or damage someone, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo daña el coche en el accidente. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo daño el coche en el accidente.. The person matters: daña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is daño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. dañando — The gerund of dañar is dañando: estoy dañando.
  10. dañado — The past participle of dañar is dañado: he dañado, has dañado, ha dañado.

Frequently asked questions

What does dañar mean?

Dañar means to damage, to harm. Dañar means to damage or to harm, and it is used for damaging a car in an accident, harming a company's reputation, damaging the environment and harming health with tobacco. It is a regular -ar verb, common in insurance, news and health language.

When do people use dañar most?

People use dañar most in everyday situations such as Yo daño el coche en el accidente. and Ayer, Yo dañé el medio ambiente.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between dañar and perjudicar?

Dañar means to damage, to harm, while perjudicar means to harm or damage someone. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of dañar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of dañar as your reference, the dañar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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