Defender Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

defender means "to defend" 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. Defender means to defend: a lawyer defiende a su cliente, a goalkeeper defiende la portería, a student defiende su tesis. It takes a direct object for what is defended. 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 defender; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the defender present tense page.

defender 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 defiendo a su cliente en el juicio — "I defend his client at the trial"
  2. Mi amigo defiende su tesis ante el tribunal — "My friend defends his thesis before the panel"
  3. Mañana, tú defenderás la portería en el partido — "Tomorrow, you will defend the goal in the match"
  4. Yo defendería sus ideas con pasión si pudiera — "I would defend his ideas passionately 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 defendí a su cliente en el juicio — "Yesterday, I defended his client at the trial"
  2. Antes, nosotros defendíamos su tesis ante el tribunal — "Before, we used to defend his thesis before the panel"
  3. Él ha defendido la portería en el partido — "He has defended the goal in the match"
  4. Yo ya había defendido sus ideas con pasión antes de salir — "I already had defended his ideas passionately 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 defienda a su cliente en el juicio — "I hope he defends his client at the trial"
  2. Si yo defendiera su tesis ante el tribunal, todo cambiaría — "If I defended his thesis before the panel, everything would change"
  3. Defiende la portería en el partido. — "Defend the goal in the match."
  4. Yo habría defendido sus ideas con pasión con más tiempo — "I would have defended his ideas passionately with more time"

defender in conversation

Two short dialogues that use defender 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 defiendo a su cliente en el juicio — "I defend his client at the trial"
  • Marcos: Él defiende su tesis ante el tribunal — "He defends his thesis before the panel"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo defendí la portería en el partido — "Yesterday, I defended the goal in the match"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú defenderás sus ideas con pasión — "Tomorrow, you will defend his ideas passionately"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Defiende el castillo del enemigo. — "Defend the castle from the enemy."
  • Lucía: Él ha defendido a su cliente en el juicio — "He has defended his client at the trial"
  • Marcos: Espero que él defienda su tesis ante el tribunal — "I hope he defends his thesis before the panel"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo defendía la portería en el partido — "Before, I used to defend the goal in the match"

Common mistakes with defender

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

✗ *Yo defendo sus ideas con pasión.

✓ Correct: Yo defiendo sus ideas con pasión.

defender is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is defiendo, not defendo.

✗ *Espero que él defiende sus ideas con pasión

✓ Correct: Espero que él defienda sus ideas con pasión

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él defienda sus ideas con pasión — not the indicative Espero que él defiende sus ideas con pasión.

✗ *Ayer, yo defiendo el castillo del enemigo

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo defendí el castillo del enemigo

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo defendí el castillo del enemigo.

✗ *De niño, yo defendí a su cliente en el juicio todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo defendía a su cliente en el juicio todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo defendía a su cliente en el juicio todos los días.

✗ *Yo defiendo en la portería en el partido.

✓ Correct: Yo defiendo la portería en el partido.

defender takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo defiendo la portería en el partido.

Quiz: defender in use

Ten questions on defender — 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 ______ a su cliente en el juicio — "I defend his client at the trial" (present) A. defiendes B. defiende C. defendemos D. defiendo

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ su tesis ante el tribunal — "Yesterday, I defended his thesis before the panel" (preterite) A. defendiste B. defendió C. defendimos D. defendí

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la portería en el partido — "Before, we used to defend the goal in the match" (imperfect) A. defendía B. defendías C. defendíais D. defendíamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ sus ideas con pasión — "Tomorrow, you will defend his ideas passionately" (future) A. defenderé B. defenderá C. defenderemos D. defenderás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el castillo del enemigo — "I would defend the castle from the enemy" (conditional) A. defenderíais B. defendería C. defenderías D. defenderíamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su cliente en el juicio — "He has defended his client at the trial" (present perfect) A. ha defendido B. he defendido C. has defendido D. hemos defendido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ su tesis ante el tribunal — "I hope he defends his thesis before the panel" (present subjunctive) A. defendamos B. defendáis C. defienda D. defiendas

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la portería en el partido. — "Defend the goal in the match." (affirmative imperative) A. defienda B. defendamos C. defended D. defiende

  9. Which is the gerund of defender, used with estar for the progressive? A. defendí B. defendiendo C. defendido D. defiendo

  10. What does defender mean in English? A. to protect B. to enjoy C. to cross D. to defend

Answer key

  1. defiendo — The present form for yo is defiendo.
  2. defendí — The preterite form for yo is defendí.
  3. defendíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is defendíamos.
  4. defenderás — The future form for tú is defenderás.
  5. defendería — The conditional form for yo is defendería.
  6. ha defendido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha defendido.
  7. defienda — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is defienda.
  8. defiende — The affirmative imperative form is defiende.
  9. defendiendo — The gerund of defender is defendiendo: estoy defendiendo. The participle defendido is used with haber instead.
  10. to defend — defender means to defend.

Frequently asked questions

What does defender mean in English?

defender means to defend. For example: Yo defiendo a su cliente en el juicio — "I defend his client at the trial". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with defender?

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

Is defender regular?

No. defender is a stem-changing -er verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: defiendo, defiendes, defiende and defienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: defendemos, defendéis.

How do I practise defender?

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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