Debilitar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

debilitar means "to weaken" 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. Debilitar means to weaken something: debilitar su salud, debilitar al enemigo. It is the opposite of fortalecer, and it is used for health, structures, will and defences. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 debilitar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the debilitar present tense page.

debilitar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo debilito su salud con el trabajo — "I weaken his health with work"
  2. Mi amigo debilita al enemigo con el bloqueo — "My friend weakens the enemy with the blockade"
  3. Mañana, tú debilitarás la estructura del puente — "Tomorrow, you will weaken the bridge's structure"
  4. Yo debilitaría su voluntad con las dudas si pudiera — "I would weaken his will with doubts if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo debilité su salud con el trabajo — "Yesterday, I weakened his health with work"
  2. Antes, nosotros debilitábamos al enemigo con el bloqueo — "Before, we used to weaken the enemy with the blockade"
  3. Él ha debilitado la estructura del puente — "He has weakened the bridge's structure"
  4. Yo ya había debilitado su voluntad con las dudas antes de salir — "I already had weakened his will with doubts before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él debilite su salud con el trabajo — "I hope he weakens his health with work"
  2. Si yo debilitara al enemigo con el bloqueo, todo cambiaría — "If I weakened the enemy with the blockade, everything would change"
  3. Debilita la estructura del puente. — "Weaken the bridge's structure."
  4. Yo habría debilitado su voluntad con las dudas con más tiempo — "I would have weakened his will with doubts with more time"

debilitar in conversation

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

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo debilito su salud con el trabajo — "I weaken his health with work"
  • Marcos: Él debilita al enemigo con el bloqueo — "He weakens the enemy with the blockade"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo debilité la estructura del puente — "Yesterday, I weakened the bridge's structure"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú debilitarás su voluntad con las dudas — "Tomorrow, you will weaken his will with doubts"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Debilita las defensas con el estrés. — "Weaken his defences with stress."
  • Lucía: Él ha debilitado su salud con el trabajo — "He has weakened his health with work"
  • Marcos: Espero que él debilite al enemigo con el bloqueo — "I hope he weakens the enemy with the blockade"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo debilitaba la estructura del puente — "Before, I used to weaken the bridge's structure"

Common mistakes with debilitar

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

✗ *Espero que él debilita su voluntad con las dudas

✓ Correct: Espero que él debilite su voluntad con las dudas

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él debilite su voluntad con las dudas — not the indicative Espero que él debilita su voluntad con las dudas.

✗ *Ayer, yo debilito las defensas con el estrés

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo debilité las defensas con el estrés

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo debilité las defensas con el estrés.

✗ *De niño, yo debilité su salud con el trabajo todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo debilitaba su salud con el trabajo todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo debilitaba su salud con el trabajo todos los días.

✗ *Yo debilito en la estructura del puente.

✓ Correct: Yo debilito la estructura del puente.

debilitar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo debilito la estructura del puente.

✗ *Vosotros debilitais al enemigo con el bloqueo.

✓ Correct: Vosotros debilitáis al enemigo con el bloqueo.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: debilitáis, not debilitais.

Quiz: debilitar in use

Ten questions on debilitar — 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 ______ su salud con el trabajo — "I weaken his health with work" (present) A. debilitamos B. debilito C. debilitas D. debilita

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ al enemigo con el bloqueo — "Yesterday, I weakened the enemy with the blockade" (preterite) A. debilitó B. debilitamos C. debilité D. debilitaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la estructura del puente — "Before, we used to weaken the bridge's structure" (imperfect) A. debilitaba B. debilitabas C. debilitabais D. debilitábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ su voluntad con las dudas — "Tomorrow, you will weaken his will with doubts" (future) A. debilitarás B. debilitaré C. debilitará D. debilitaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ las defensas con el estrés — "I would weaken his defences with stress" (conditional) A. debilitaría B. debilitarías C. debilitaríamos D. debilitaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ su salud con el trabajo — "He has weakened his health with work" (present perfect) A. has debilitado B. hemos debilitado C. ha debilitado D. he debilitado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ al enemigo con el bloqueo — "I hope he weakens the enemy with the blockade" (present subjunctive) A. debilitéis B. debilite C. debilites D. debilitemos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la estructura del puente. — "Weaken the bridge's structure." (affirmative imperative) A. debilite B. debilitemos C. debilitad D. debilita

  9. Which is the gerund of debilitar, used with estar for the progressive? A. debilito B. debilité C. debilitando D. debilitado

  10. What does debilitar mean in English? A. to weaken B. to strengthen C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. debilito — The present form for yo is debilito.
  2. debilité — The preterite form for yo is debilité.
  3. debilitábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is debilitábamos.
  4. debilitarás — The future form for tú is debilitarás.
  5. debilitaría — The conditional form for yo is debilitaría.
  6. ha debilitado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha debilitado.
  7. debilite — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is debilite.
  8. debilita — The affirmative imperative form is debilita.
  9. debilitando — The gerund of debilitar is debilitando: estoy debilitando. The participle debilitado is used with haber instead.
  10. to weaken — debilitar means to weaken.

Frequently asked questions

What does debilitar mean in English?

debilitar means to weaken. For example: Yo debilito su salud con el trabajo — "I weaken his health with work". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with debilitar?

debilitar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is debilitar regular?

Yes. debilitar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise debilitar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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