Demorar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

demorar means “to delay” 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. Demorar means to delay, to make something take longer or to take a long time doing something. It is used for flights, work and replies, and it is fully regular. 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 demorar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the demorar present tense page.

demorar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo demoro el vuelo por la niebla. — “I delay the flight because of the fog.”
  2. Él demora la respuesta una semana. — “He delays the reply by a week.”
  3. Nosotros demoramos la entrega del pedido. — “We delay the delivery of the order.”
  4. Ellos demoran mucho en contestar el mensaje. — “They delay a long time answering the message.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo demoré la respuesta una semana. — “Yesterday, I delayed the reply by a week.”
  2. Antes, nosotros demorábamos la entrega del pedido. — “Before, we used to delay the delivery of the order.”
  3. Él demoró mucho en contestar el mensaje. — “He delayed a long time answering the message.”
  4. Yo ya había demorado el vuelo por la niebla antes de salir. — “I had already delayed the flight because of the fog before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú demorarás el vuelo por la niebla. — “Tomorrow, you will delay the flight because of the fog.”
  2. Yo demoraría la respuesta una semana si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would delay the reply by a week if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha demorado la entrega del pedido. — “He has delayed the delivery of the order.”
  4. Espero que él demore mucho en contestar el mensaje. — “I hope he delays a long time answering the message.”

demorar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use demorar 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 demoro el vuelo por la niebla. — “I delay the flight because of the fog.”
  • Bea: Él demora la respuesta una semana. — “He delays the reply by a week.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo demoré la respuesta una semana. — “Yesterday, I delayed the reply by a week.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú demorarás el vuelo por la niebla. — “Tomorrow, you will delay the flight because of the fog.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros demoramos la entrega del pedido. — “We delay the delivery of the order.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros demorábamos la entrega del pedido. — “Before, we used to delay the delivery of the order.”
  • Luis: Yo demoraría la respuesta una semana si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would delay the reply by a week if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él demore mucho en contestar el mensaje. — “I hope he delays a long time answering the message.”

A short scene with demorar

A short scene shows how demorar works across the day. In the morning: Demoro el vuelo por la niebla. In the afternoon: Demora la respuesta una semana. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, demoré la entrega del pedido. And tomorrow: Mañana, demoraré mucho en contestar el mensaje. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how demorar 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 demorar

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

✗ Yo demora el vuelo por la niebla.

✓ Correct: Yo demoro el vuelo por la niebla.

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

✗ Ayer yo demoro la respuesta una semana.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo demoré la respuesta una semana.

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

✗ Treating demorar and retrasar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Demorar means to delay, while retrasar means to delay, a close synonym.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: demorar fits sentences such as Demoro el vuelo por la niebla, while retrasar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy demorado la respuesta una semana.

✓ Correct: Yo he demorado la respuesta una semana.

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

✗ De niño, yo demoré la entrega del pedido todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo demoraba la entrega del pedido todos los días.

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

Quiz: demorar in use

Ten questions on demorar — 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 ______ la respuesta una semana. — “He/she delays the reply by a week.”

  • a) demora
  • b) demoro
  • c) demoras
  • d) demoramos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la entrega del pedido. — “Yesterday, I delayed the delivery of the order.”

  • a) demoraste
  • b) demoró
  • c) demoraron
  • d) demoré

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ mucho en contestar el mensaje cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to delay a long time answering the message when they were young.”

  • a) demorabas
  • b) demorábamos
  • c) demoraban
  • d) demoraba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ el vuelo por la niebla. — “Tomorrow, we will delay the flight because of the fog.”

  • a) demorarán
  • b) demoraremos
  • c) demoraré
  • d) demorarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la respuesta una semana si pudiera. — “He would delay the reply by a week if he could.”

  • a) demoraría
  • b) demorarías
  • c) demoraríamos
  • d) demoro

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la entrega del pedido. — “I have delayed the delivery of the order.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ mucho en contestar el mensaje. — “I hope you delay a long time answering the message.”

  • a) demoremos
  • b) demoro
  • c) demores
  • d) demore

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

  • a) demoré
  • b) demorado
  • c) demorando
  • d) demoro

9. What does demorar mean in English?

  • a) to delay
  • b) to delay, a close synonym
  • c) to report, to denounce
  • d) to chat, to converse

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él demora la respuesta una semana.
  • b) Él demoro la respuesta una semana.
  • c) Nosotros demora la entrega del pedido.
  • d) Yo demora el vuelo por la niebla.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  10. a) Él demora la respuesta una semana. — Él demora la respuesta una semana. 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 demorar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Demoro el vuelo por la niebla and Demora la respuesta una semana. 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 demorar and retrasar?

Demorar means “to delay”, while retrasar means “to delay, a close synonym”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use demorar when you mean “to delay” and retrasar when you mean “to delay, a close synonym”.

Which tense do I need most with demorar?

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

Demorar 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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