Introduction
Disminuir means “to decrease”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Disminuir means to decrease or to reduce, and it is used for prices, speed, noise and numbers: disminuir el precio, disminuir la velocidad. It is a -uir verb: yo disminuyo, él disminuye, with y before the vowel endings. This page shows disminuir 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: “Disminuyo el precio de la casa.” — I decrease the price of the house.
Disminuir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how disminuir 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 disminuir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Disminuyo el precio de la casa.” — I decrease the price of the house.
“¿Disminuyes la velocidad en la curva?” — Do you decrease speed on the bend?
“Disminuye el ruido por la noche.” — He/she decreases noise at night.
“Nosotros disminuimos los gastos del mes.” — We decrease the month's expenses.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show disminuir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo disminuí el precio de la casa.” — Yesterday, I decreased the price of the house. (preterite)
“Antes, él disminuía la velocidad en la curva.” — Before, he used to decrease speed on the bend. (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 disminuir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros disminuiremos el ruido por la noche.” — Tomorrow, we will decrease noise at night. (future)
“¿Tú has disminuido los gastos del mes?” — Have you decreased the month's expenses? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros disminuís el precio de la casa.” — You decrease the price of the house.
“Ellos disminuyen la velocidad en la curva.” — They decrease speed on the bend.
“Yo disminuyo el ruido por la noche.” — I decrease noise at night.
“Mi padre disminuye los gastos del mes.” — My father decreases the month's expenses.
Disminuir 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 disminuir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú disminuyes la velocidad en la curva?” — Do you decrease speed on the bend?
Pedro: “Sí, yo disminuyo el precio de la casa.” — Yes, I decrease the price of the house.
Marta: “Nosotros disminuimos los gastos del mes.” — We decrease the month's expenses.
Pedro: “Y ellos disminuyen la velocidad en la curva.” — And they decrease speed on the bend.
Marta: “Vosotros disminuís el ruido por la noche.” — You decrease noise at night.
Pedro: “Sí, y él disminuye el precio de la casa.” — Yes, and he decreases the price of the house.
A short paragraph
Disminuye el precio de la casa, y nosotros disminuimos los gastos del mes. Yo disminuyo la velocidad en la curva, y ellos disminuyen el ruido por la noche. Disminuir is part of everyday life, because decrease is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with disminuir
These are the errors learners actually make with disminuir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo disminuye el precio de la casa.” Right: “Yo disminuyo el precio de la casa.” Why: The person matters: disminuye is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is disminuyo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo disminuo la velocidad en la curva.” Right: “Yo disminuyo la velocidad en la curva.” Why: Disminuir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is disminuyo and disminuye, and the gerund is disminuyendo. The form disminuyo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.
Wrong: “Treating disminuir and reducir as identical in every context.” Right: “Disminuir means to decrease, while reducir means to reduce.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: disminuir fits sentences such as Disminuyo el precio de la casa, while reducir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy disminuido la velocidad en la curva.” Right: “Yo he disminuido la velocidad en la curva.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he disminuido, has disminuido, ha disminuido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo disminuí el ruido por la noche todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo disminuía el ruido por la noche todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (disminuía), not the preterite. The preterite (disminuí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: disminuir in use
Ten questions on disminuir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ el precio de la casa.” (You decrease the price of the house.)
- (a) disminuís
- (b) disminuyo
- (c) disminuyes
Answer: disminuís — The vosotros/as form of disminuir in the present tense is disminuís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la velocidad en la curva.” (They decrease speed on the bend.)
- (a) disminuyes
- (b) disminuyen
- (c) disminuyo
Answer: disminuyen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of disminuir in the present tense is disminuyen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ el precio de la casa.” (Yesterday I decreased the price of the house.)
- (a) disminuiste
- (b) disminuyó
- (c) disminuí
Answer: disminuí — In the preterite, the yo form of disminuir is disminuí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ la velocidad en la curva.” (Before, he used to decrease speed on the bend.)
- (a) disminuía
- (b) disminuyo
- (c) disminuías
Answer: disminuía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of disminuir is disminuía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ el ruido por la noche.” (Tomorrow we will decrease noise at night.)
- (a) disminuirás
- (b) disminuiremos
- (c) disminuiré
Answer: disminuiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of disminuir is disminuiremos.
6. What does disminuir mean in English?
- (a) to decrease
- (b) to direct
- (c) to reduce
Answer: to decrease — Disminuir means “to decrease”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo disminuye el precio de la casa.
- (b) Ellos disminuye la velocidad en la curva.
- (c) Yo disminuyo el precio de la casa.
Answer: Yo disminuyo el precio de la casa. — “Yo disminuyo el precio de la casa.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I decrease the price of the house.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre disminuye los gastos del mes.
- (b) Disminuyo el precio de la casa.
- (c) Disminuyen el precio de la casa.
Answer: Disminuyo el precio de la casa. — “Disminuyo el precio de la casa.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of disminuir in the present tense?
- (a) disminuyo
- (b) disminuyes
- (c) disminuimos
Answer: disminuimos — The nosotros form is disminuimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros disminuiremos el ruido por la noche.
- (b) Disminuyo el precio de la casa.
- (c) Ayer, yo disminuí el precio de la casa.
Answer: Disminuyo el precio de la casa. — “Disminuyo el precio de la casa.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I decrease the price of the house' in Spanish?
Say 'Disminuyo el precio de la casa'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Disminuyo el precio de la casa todos los días'.
How do you say 'He decreases speed on the bend' in Spanish?
Say 'Él disminuye la velocidad en la curva'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes disminuye.
What is the difference between disminuir and reducir?
Disminuir means to decrease, while reducir means to reduce. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use disminuir when you mean to decrease, as in 'Disminuyo el precio de la casa', and use reducir for to reduce.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of disminuir — every tense of disminuir in one place.
- Disminuir 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 disminuir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of disminuir until they are automatic.