Doblar Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Doblar means “to turn, to fold”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Doblar means to turn or to fold, and it covers turning a corner in the street, folding a letter or a shirt, and doubling an amount. It is fully regular, and the context tells you which meaning is meant. This page shows doblar 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 doblo a la derecha en la esquina.” — I turn to the right at the corner.
Doblar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how doblar 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 doblar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Doblo a la derecha en la esquina.” — I turn to the right at the corner.
“¿Tú doblas la carta antes de meterla?” — Do you turn the letter before putting it in?
“Dobla la ropa después de planchar.” — He/she turns the clothes after ironing.
“Doblamos a la izquierda en el cruce.” — We turn to the left at the crossroads.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show doblar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo doblé a la derecha en la esquina.” — Yesterday, I turned to the right at the corner. (preterite)
“Él doblaba la carta antes de meterla todos los días.” — He used to turn the letter before putting it in 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 doblar stays the same.
“Nosotros doblaremos la ropa después de planchar mañana.” — We will turn the clothes after ironing tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has doblado a la izquierda en el cruce?” — Have you turned to the left at the crossroads? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Dobláis a la derecha en la esquina.” — You turn to the right at the corner.
“Doblan la carta antes de meterla.” — They turn the letter before putting it in.
“Doblo la ropa después de planchar.” — I turn the clothes after ironing.
“Dobla a la izquierda en el cruce.” — He/she turns to the left at the crossroads.
Doblar 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 doblar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú doblas a la derecha en la esquina?” — Do you turn to the right at the corner?
Carlos: “Sí, yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina.” — Yes, I turn to the right at the corner.
Lucía: “Nosotros doblamos la carta antes de meterla.” — We turn the letter before putting it in.
Carlos: “Y ellos doblan la ropa después de planchar.” — And they turn the clothes after ironing.
Lucía: “Vosotros dobláis a la izquierda en el cruce.” — You turn to the left at the crossroads.
Carlos: “Sí, y él dobla la carta antes de meterla.” — Yes, and he turns the letter before putting it in.
A short paragraph
Lucía dobla a la derecha en la esquina, y Carlos dobla la carta antes de meterla. Nosotros doblamos la ropa después de planchar, y ellos doblan a la izquierda en el cruce. Yo doblo la ropa después de planchar, y mi padre dobla a la izquierda en el cruce. Doblar is part of everyday life, because to turn, to fold is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with doblar
These are the errors learners actually make with doblar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo dobla a la derecha en la esquina.” Right: “Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina.” Why: The person matters: dobla is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is doblo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo doblo la carta antes de meterla.” Right: “Ayer yo doblé la carta antes de meterla.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: doblo is happening now, while doblé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating doblar and girar as identical in every context.” Right: “Doblar means to turn, to fold, while girar means to turn.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: doblar fits sentences such as Doblo a la derecha en la esquina, while girar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy doblado la carta antes de meterla.” Right: “Yo he doblado la carta antes de meterla.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he doblado, has doblado, ha doblado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo doblé la ropa después de planchar todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo doblaba la ropa después de planchar todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (doblaba), not the preterite. The preterite (doblé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: doblar in use
Ten questions on doblar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ a la derecha en la esquina.” (To the right at the corner.)
- (a) dobláis
- (b) doblo
- (c) doblas
Answer: dobláis — The vosotros/as form of doblar in the present is dobláis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la carta antes de meterla.” (The letter before putting it in.)
- (a) doblo
- (b) doblas
- (c) doblan
Answer: doblan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of doblar in the present is doblan.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ a la derecha en la esquina.” (To the right at the corner.)
- (a) dobló
- (b) doblé
- (c) doblaste
Answer: doblé — The yo form of doblar in the preterite is doblé.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ la carta antes de meterla.” (The letter before putting it in.)
- (a) doblaba
- (b) doblabas
- (c) doblábamos
Answer: doblaba — The él/ella/Ud. form of doblar in the imperfect is doblaba.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ la ropa después de planchar.” (The clothes after ironing.)
- (a) doblaré
- (b) doblarás
- (c) doblaremos
Answer: doblaremos — The nosotros/as form of doblar in the future is doblaremos.
6. What does doblar mean in English?
- (a) to accelerate
- (b) to turn, to fold
- (c) to turn
Answer: to turn, to fold — Doblar means “to turn, to fold”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina.
- (b) Ellos dobla a la derecha en la esquina.
- (c) Yo doblo la carta antes de meterla ayer.
Answer: Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina. — “Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I turn to the right at the corner.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo doblan a la derecha en la esquina.
- (b) Yo doblé a la derecha en la esquina.
- (c) Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina.
Answer: Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina. — “Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina.” 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 doblar in the present tense?
- (a) doblas
- (b) doblamos
- (c) doblo
Answer: doblamos — The nosotros form is doblamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo doblé a la derecha en la esquina.
- (b) Nosotros doblaremos a la derecha en la esquina mañana.
- (c) Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina.
Answer: Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina. — “Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I turn' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo doblo a la derecha en la esquina todos los días'.
How do you say 'I turn' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo doblé la carta antes de meterla'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo doblaba la carta antes de meterla todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he doblado la carta antes de meterla'.
What is the difference between doblar and girar?
Doblar means to turn, to fold, while girar means to turn. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use doblar when you mean to turn, to fold, as in Doblo a la derecha en la esquina.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of doblar — every tense of doblar in one place.
- Doblar 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 doblar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of doblar until they are automatic.