Descargar Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Descargar means “to unload”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Descargar means to unload, and it covers unloading a lorry, downloading a file and unloading a burden. It is a spelling-change verb: the g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is descargué and the subjunctive is descargue. This page shows descargar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo descargo las cajas del camión.” — I unload the boxes from the lorry.
Descargar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how descargar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use descargar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Descargo las cajas del camión.” — I unload the boxes from the lorry.
“¿Tú descargas el archivo de internet?” — Do you unload the file from the internet?
“Descarga la maleta del coche.” — He/she unloads the suitcase from the car.
“Descargamos las bolsas en la cocina.” — We unload the bags in the kitchen.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show descargar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo descargué las cajas del camión.” — Yesterday, I unloaded the boxes from the lorry. (preterite)
“Él descargaba el archivo de internet todos los días.” — He used to unload the file from the internet every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of descargar stays the same.
“Nosotros descargaremos la maleta del coche mañana.” — We will unload the suitcase from the car tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has descargado las bolsas en la cocina?” — Have you unloaded the bags in the kitchen? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Descargáis las cajas del camión.” — You unload the boxes from the lorry.
“Descargan el archivo de internet.” — They unload the file from the internet.
“Descargo la maleta del coche.” — I unload the suitcase from the car.
“Descarga las bolsas en la cocina.” — He/she unloads the bags in the kitchen.
Descargar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how descargar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú descargas las cajas del camión?” — Do you unload the boxes from the lorry?
Carlos: “Sí, yo descargo las cajas del camión.” — Yes, I unload the boxes from the lorry.
Lucía: “Nosotros descargamos el archivo de internet.” — We unload the file from the internet.
Carlos: “Y ellos descargan la maleta del coche.” — And they unload the suitcase from the car.
Lucía: “Vosotros descargáis las bolsas en la cocina.” — You unload the bags in the kitchen.
Carlos: “Sí, y él descarga el archivo de internet.” — Yes, and he unloads the file from the internet.
A short paragraph
Lucía descarga las cajas del camión, y Carlos descarga el archivo de internet. Nosotros descargamos la maleta del coche, y ellos descargan las bolsas en la cocina. Yo descargo la maleta del coche, y mi padre descarga las bolsas en la cocina. Descargar is part of everyday life, because to unload is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with descargar
These are the errors learners actually make with descargar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo descarga las cajas del camión.” Right: “Yo descargo las cajas del camión.” Why: The person matters: descarga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is descargo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo descargé el archivo de internet.” Right: “Ayer yo descargué el archivo de internet.” Why: Descargar has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is descargué, not the regular descargé. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
Wrong: “Treating descargar and cargar as identical in every context.” Right: “Descargar means to unload, while cargar means to load.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: descargar fits sentences such as Descargo las cajas del camión, while cargar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy descargado el archivo de internet.” Right: “Yo he descargado el archivo de internet.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he descargado, has descargado, ha descargado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo descargué la maleta del coche todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo descargaba la maleta del coche todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (descargaba), not the preterite. The preterite (descargué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: descargar in use
Ten questions on descargar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ las cajas del camión.” (The boxes from the lorry.)
- (a) descargáis
- (b) descargo
- (c) descargas
Answer: descargáis — The vosotros/as form of descargar in the present is descargáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el archivo de internet.” (The file from the internet.)
- (a) descargo
- (b) descargas
- (c) descargan
Answer: descargan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of descargar in the present is descargan.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ las cajas del camión.” (The boxes from the lorry.)
- (a) descargó
- (b) descargué
- (c) descargaste
Answer: descargué — The yo form of descargar in the preterite is descargué.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el archivo de internet.” (The file from the internet.)
- (a) descargaba
- (b) descargabas
- (c) descargábamos
Answer: descargaba — The él/ella/Ud. form of descargar in the imperfect is descargaba.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ la maleta del coche.” (The suitcase from the car.)
- (a) descargaré
- (b) descargarás
- (c) descargaremos
Answer: descargaremos — The nosotros/as form of descargar in the future is descargaremos.
6. What does descargar mean in English?
- (a) to drag
- (b) to unload
- (c) to load
Answer: to unload — Descargar means “to unload”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo descargo las cajas del camión.
- (b) Ellos descarga las cajas del camión.
- (c) Yo descargo el archivo de internet ayer.
Answer: Yo descargo las cajas del camión. — “Yo descargo las cajas del camión.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I unload the boxes from the lorry.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo descargan las cajas del camión.
- (b) Yo descargué las cajas del camión.
- (c) Yo descargo las cajas del camión.
Answer: Yo descargo las cajas del camión. — “Yo descargo las cajas del camión.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of descargar in the present tense?
- (a) descargas
- (b) descargamos
- (c) descargo
Answer: descargamos — The nosotros form is descargamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo descargué las cajas del camión.
- (b) Nosotros descargaremos las cajas del camión mañana.
- (c) Yo descargo las cajas del camión.
Answer: Yo descargo las cajas del camión. — “Yo descargo las cajas del camión.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I unload' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo descargo las cajas del camión'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo descargo las cajas del camión todos los días'.
How do you say 'I unload' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo descargué el archivo de internet'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo descargaba el archivo de internet todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he descargado el archivo de internet'.
What is the difference between descargar and cargar?
Descargar means to unload, while cargar means to load. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use descargar when you mean to unload, as in Descargo las cajas del camión.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of descargar — every tense of descargar in one place.
- Descargar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on descargar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of descargar until they are automatic.