Declarar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

declarar means “to declare” 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. Declarar means to declare, and it covers declaring your income to the tax office, declaring love, declaring yourself innocent and declaring an emergency. It is a fully regular verb used in formal, legal and personal contexts alike. 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 declarar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the declarar present tense page.

declarar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda. — “I declare my income to the tax office.”
  2. Él declara su amor en público. — “He declares my love in public.”
  3. Nosotros declaramos su inocencia ante el juez. — “We declare my innocence before the judge.”
  4. Ellos declaran el estado de emergencia. — “They declare a state of emergency.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo declaré su amor en público. — “Yesterday, I declared my love in public.”
  2. Antes, nosotros declarábamos su inocencia ante el juez. — “Before, we used to declare my innocence before the judge.”
  3. Él declaró el estado de emergencia. — “He declared a state of emergency.”
  4. Yo ya había declarado sus ingresos a Hacienda antes de salir. — “I had already declared my income to the tax office before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú declararás sus ingresos a Hacienda. — “Tomorrow, you will declare my income to the tax office.”
  2. Yo declararía su amor en público si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would declare my love in public if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha declarado su inocencia ante el juez. — “He has declared my innocence before the judge.”
  4. Espero que él declare el estado de emergencia. — “I hope he declares a state of emergency.”

declarar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use declarar 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 their day.

  • Ana: Yo declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda. — “I declare my income to the tax office.”
  • Bea: Él declara su amor en público. — “He declares my love in public.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo declaré su amor en público. — “Yesterday, I declared my love in public.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú declararás sus ingresos a Hacienda. — “Tomorrow, you will declare my income to the tax office.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros declaramos su inocencia ante el juez. — “We declare my innocence before the judge.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros declarábamos su inocencia ante el juez. — “Before, we used to declare my innocence before the judge.”
  • Luis: Yo declararía su amor en público si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would declare my love in public if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él declare el estado de emergencia. — “I hope he declares a state of emergency.”

A short scene with declarar

A short scene shows how declarar works across the day. In the morning: Declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda. In the afternoon: Declara su amor en público. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, declaré su inocencia ante el juez. And tomorrow: Mañana, declararé el estado de emergencia. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how declarar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with declarar

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

✗ Yo declara sus ingresos a Hacienda.

✓ Correct: Yo declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda.

The person matters: declara is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is declaro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo declaro su amor en público.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo declaré su amor en público.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: declaro is happening now, while declaré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating declarar and anunciar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Declarar means to declare, while anunciar means to announce.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: declarar fits sentences such as Declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda, while anunciar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy declarado su amor en público.

✓ Correct: Yo he declarado su amor en público.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he declarado, has declarado, ha declarado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo declaré su inocencia ante el juez todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo declaraba su inocencia ante el juez todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (declaraba), not the preterite. The preterite (declaré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: declarar in use

Ten questions on declarar — 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: Él ______ su amor en público. — “He/she declares my love in public.”

  • a) declara
  • b) declaro
  • c) declaras
  • d) declaramos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ su inocencia ante el juez. — “Yesterday, I declared my innocence before the judge.”

  • a) declaraste
  • b) declaró
  • c) declararon
  • d) declaré

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el estado de emergencia cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to declare a state of emergency when they were young.”

  • a) declarabas
  • b) declarábamos
  • c) declaraban
  • d) declaraba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ sus ingresos a Hacienda. — “Tomorrow, we will declare my income to the tax office.”

  • a) declararán
  • b) declararemos
  • c) declararé
  • d) declararás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ su amor en público si pudiera. — “He would declare my love in public if he could.”

  • a) declararía
  • b) declararías
  • c) declararíamos
  • d) declaro

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ su inocencia ante el juez. — “I have declared my innocence before the judge.”

  • a) has declarado
  • b) ha declarado
  • c) han declarado
  • d) he declarado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ el estado de emergencia. — “I hope you declare a state of emergency.”

  • a) declaremos
  • b) declaro
  • c) declares
  • d) declare

8. Which is the past participle of declarar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) declaré
  • b) declarado
  • c) declarando
  • d) declaro

9. What does declarar mean in English?

  • a) to declare
  • b) to announce
  • c) to draw, to tie (a match)
  • d) to referee

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él declara su amor en público.
  • b) Él declaro su amor en público.
  • c) Nosotros declara su inocencia ante el juez.
  • d) Yo declara sus ingresos a Hacienda.

Answer key

  1. a) declara — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: declara.

  2. d) declaré — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: declaré, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) declaraban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: declaraban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) declararemos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: declararemos.

  5. a) declararía — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: declararía.

  6. d) he declarado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he declarado, haber + declarado.

  7. c) declares — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is declares.

  8. b) declarado — The past participle is declarado: he declarado, has declarado, ha declarado. The gerund declarando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to declare — declarar means to declare. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él declara su amor en público. — Él declara su amor en público. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use declarar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda and Declara su amor en público. 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 declarar and anunciar?

Declarar means “to declare”, while anunciar means “to announce”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use declarar when you mean “to declare” and anunciar when you mean “to announce”.

Which tense do I need most with declarar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use declarar 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 declarar formal or informal?

Declarar 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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