Decorar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

decorar means “to decorate” 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. Decorar means to decorate, and it covers decorating a house, a room, a cake or a street for a party. It is a fully regular verb, used with the place or thing decorated and often with con for the decoration used. 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 decorar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the decorar present tense page.

decorar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo decoro la casa para Navidad. — “I decorate the house for Christmas.”
  2. Él decora el salón con flores. — “He decorates the living room with flowers.”
  3. Nosotros decoramos la tarta con nata y fresas. — “We decorate the cake with cream and strawberries.”
  4. Ellos decoran la calle para la fiesta. — “They decorate the street for the party.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo decoré el salón con flores. — “Yesterday, I decorated the living room with flowers.”
  2. Antes, nosotros decorábamos la tarta con nata y fresas. — “Before, we used to decorate the cake with cream and strawberries.”
  3. Él decoró la calle para la fiesta. — “He decorated the street for the party.”
  4. Yo ya había decorado la casa para Navidad antes de salir. — “I had already decorated the house for Christmas before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú decorarás la casa para Navidad. — “Tomorrow, you will decorate the house for Christmas.”
  2. Yo decoraría el salón con flores si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would decorate the living room with flowers if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha decorado la tarta con nata y fresas. — “He has decorated the cake with cream and strawberries.”
  4. Espero que él decore la calle para la fiesta. — “I hope he decorates the street for the party.”

decorar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use decorar 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 decoro la casa para Navidad. — “I decorate the house for Christmas.”
  • Bea: Él decora el salón con flores. — “He decorates the living room with flowers.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo decoré el salón con flores. — “Yesterday, I decorated the living room with flowers.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú decorarás la casa para Navidad. — “Tomorrow, you will decorate the house for Christmas.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros decoramos la tarta con nata y fresas. — “We decorate the cake with cream and strawberries.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros decorábamos la tarta con nata y fresas. — “Before, we used to decorate the cake with cream and strawberries.”
  • Luis: Yo decoraría el salón con flores si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would decorate the living room with flowers if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él decore la calle para la fiesta. — “I hope he decorates the street for the party.”

A short scene with decorar

A short scene shows how decorar works across the day. In the morning: Decoro la casa para Navidad. In the afternoon: Decora el salón con flores. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, decoré la tarta con nata y fresas. And tomorrow: Mañana, decoraré la calle para la fiesta. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how decorar 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 decorar

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

✗ Yo decora la casa para Navidad.

✓ Correct: Yo decoro la casa para Navidad.

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

✗ Ayer yo decoro el salón con flores.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo decoré el salón con flores.

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

✗ Treating decorar and pintar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Decorar means to decorate, while pintar means to paint.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: decorar fits sentences such as Decoro la casa para Navidad, while pintar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy decorado el salón con flores.

✓ Correct: Yo he decorado el salón con flores.

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

✗ De niño, yo decoré la tarta con nata y fresas todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo decoraba la tarta con nata y fresas todos los días.

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

Quiz: decorar in use

Ten questions on decorar — 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 ______ el salón con flores. — “He/she decorates the living room with flowers.”

  • a) decora
  • b) decoro
  • c) decoras
  • d) decoramos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la tarta con nata y fresas. — “Yesterday, I decorated the cake with cream and strawberries.”

  • a) decoraste
  • b) decoró
  • c) decoraron
  • d) decoré

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la calle para la fiesta cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to decorate the street for the party when they were young.”

  • a) decorabas
  • b) decorábamos
  • c) decoraban
  • d) decoraba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la casa para Navidad. — “Tomorrow, we will decorate the house for Christmas.”

  • a) decorarán
  • b) decoraremos
  • c) decoraré
  • d) decorarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el salón con flores si pudiera. — “He would decorate the living room with flowers if he could.”

  • a) decoraría
  • b) decorarías
  • c) decoraríamos
  • d) decoro

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la tarta con nata y fresas. — “I have decorated the cake with cream and strawberries.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ la calle para la fiesta. — “I hope you decorate the street for the party.”

  • a) decoremos
  • b) decoro
  • c) decores
  • d) decore

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

  • a) decoré
  • b) decorado
  • c) decorando
  • d) decoro

9. What does decorar mean in English?

  • a) to decorate
  • b) to paint
  • c) to carve
  • d) to model

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él decora el salón con flores.
  • b) Él decoro el salón con flores.
  • c) Nosotros decora la tarta con nata y fresas.
  • d) Yo decora la casa para Navidad.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  10. a) Él decora el salón con flores. — Él decora el salón con flores. 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 decorar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Decoro la casa para Navidad and Decora el salón con flores. 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 decorar and pintar?

Decorar means “to decorate”, while pintar means “to paint”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use decorar when you mean “to decorate” and pintar when you mean “to paint”.

Which tense do I need most with decorar?

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

Decorar 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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