Detectar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

detectar means to detect, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo detecto todos los días» — I detect every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use detectar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Detectar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where detectar lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo detecto todos los días. — I detect every day.
  2. Tú detectas en el trabajo. — You detect at work.
  3. Él detecta con mi familia. — He detects with my family.
  4. Nosotros detectamos por la mañana. — We detect in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo detecté por la tarde. — Yesterday I detected in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo detectaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to detect every day.
  3. La semana pasada él detectó dos veces. — Last week He detected twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo detectaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will detect without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo detectaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would detect right now.
  3. Hoy yo he detectado dos veces. — Today I have detected twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú detectes pronto. — I hope You detect soon.
  2. ¡detecta, por favor! — Detect, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy detectando. — Right now I am detecting.

Detectar in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo detecto en el trabajo.» — I detect at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo detecto con mi familia.» — I detect with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo detectaré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will detect without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo detectaría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would detect right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he detectado dos veces.» — Today I have detected twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo detecté por la tarde. Antes, yo detectaba todos los días. Hoy yo he detectado dos veces. Mañana yo detectaré sin falta.

Yesterday I detected in the afternoon. In the past, I used to detect every day. Today I have detected twice. Tomorrow I will detect without fail.

Common mistakes with detectar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo detectaba.

Right: Ayer yo detecté.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, detecté. The imperfect detectaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú detectas.

Right: Espero que tú detectes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: detectes, not the indicative detectas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No detecta.

Right: No detectes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no detectes. The affirmative detecta can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo detectar todos los días.

Right: Yo detecto todos los días.

The infinitive detectar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo detecto.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He detectando.

Right: He detectado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he detectado. The gerund detectando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy detectando»), never with haber.

Quiz: detectar in use

Test yourself on detectar in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the vosotros/as form of detectar in the present indicative?

- (a) detectas
- (b) detecto
- (c) detecta
- (d) detectáis

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of detectar in the preterite?

- (a) detectaste
- (b) detecté
- (c) detectó
- (d) detectaron

3. What is the yo form of detectar in the future?

- (a) detectaré
- (b) detectará
- (c) detectaremos
- (d) detectarás

4. What is the tú form of detectar in the present perfect?

- (a) he detectado
- (b) has detectado
- (c) hemos detectado
- (d) ha detectado

5. What is the vosotros/as form of detectar in the imperfect?

- (a) detectaba
- (b) detectabas
- (c) detectaba
- (d) detectabais

6. What is the gerund of detectar?

- (a) detecto
- (b) detectar
- (c) detectando
- (d) detectado

7. What is the past participle of detectar?

- (a) detecté
- (b) detectado
- (c) detectando
- (d) detectar

8. Which sentence uses detectar correctly?

- (a) *Yo detectar todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo detectas todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo detecta todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo detecto todos los días.* — I detect every day.

9. Which sentence uses detectar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo detectar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo detecto por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo detecté por la tarde.* — Yesterday I detected in the afternoon.
- (d) *Ayer yo detectaba por la tarde.*

10. What does detectar mean?

- (a) to determine
- (b) to defeat
- (c) to detect
- (d) to challenge

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of detectar is detectáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of detectar is detectaron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the future, the yo form of detectar is detectaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present perfect, the tú form of detectar is has detectado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the imperfect, the vosotros/as form of detectar is detectabais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — The gerund of detectar is detectando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy detectando». 7. (b) — The past participle of detectar is detectado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he detectado». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of detectar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (c) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of detectar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (c) — detectar means «to detect».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I detect' in Spanish?

Say «Yo detecto todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I detected' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo detecté por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is detectar reflexive?

No — detectar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo detecto, tú detectas, él detecta. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with detectar?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (detecté) for a single finished event and the imperfect (detectaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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