Domesticar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

domesticar means “to domesticate” 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. Domesticar means to domesticate, to tame a wild animal species over generations so it can live with humans. It is used for dogs, cats, horses and farm animals, and it is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e. 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 domesticar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the domesticar present tense page.

domesticar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo domestico al perro durante miles de años. — “I domesticate the dog over thousands of years.”
  2. Él domestica al caballo para el trabajo. — “He domesticates the horse for work.”
  3. Nosotros domesticamos a los animales de la granja. — “We domesticate the farm animals.”
  4. Ellos domestican al gato para vivir en casa. — “They domesticate the cat to live in the house.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo domestiqué al caballo para el trabajo. — “Yesterday, I domesticated the horse for work.”
  2. Antes, nosotros domesticábamos a los animales de la granja. — “Before, we used to domesticate the farm animals.”
  3. Él domesticó al gato para vivir en casa. — “He domesticated the cat to live in the house.”
  4. Yo ya había domesticado al perro durante miles de años antes de salir. — “I had already domesticated the dog over thousands of years before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú domesticarás al perro durante miles de años. — “Tomorrow, you will domesticate the dog over thousands of years.”
  2. Yo domesticaría al caballo para el trabajo si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would domesticate the horse for work if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha domesticado a los animales de la granja. — “He has domesticated the farm animals.”
  4. Espero que él domestique al gato para vivir en casa. — “I hope he domesticates the cat to live in the house.”

domesticar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use domesticar 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 domestico al perro durante miles de años. — “I domesticate the dog over thousands of years.”
  • Bea: Él domestica al caballo para el trabajo. — “He domesticates the horse for work.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo domestiqué al caballo para el trabajo. — “Yesterday, I domesticated the horse for work.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú domesticarás al perro durante miles de años. — “Tomorrow, you will domesticate the dog over thousands of years.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros domesticamos a los animales de la granja. — “We domesticate the farm animals.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros domesticábamos a los animales de la granja. — “Before, we used to domesticate the farm animals.”
  • Luis: Yo domesticaría al caballo para el trabajo si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would domesticate the horse for work if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él domestique al gato para vivir en casa. — “I hope he domesticates the cat to live in the house.”

A short scene with domesticar

A short scene shows how domesticar works across the day. In the morning: Domestico al perro durante miles de años. In the afternoon: Domestica al caballo para el trabajo. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, domestiqué a los animales de la granja. And tomorrow: Mañana, domesticaré al gato para vivir en casa. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how domesticar 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 domesticar

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

✗ Yo domestica al perro durante miles de años.

✓ Correct: Yo domestico al perro durante miles de años.

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

✗ Espero que yo domestice al caballo para el trabajo.

✓ Correct: Espero que yo domestique al caballo para el trabajo.

Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is domestique, never domestice.

✗ Treating domesticar and adiestrar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Domesticar means to domesticate, while adiestrar means to train an animal.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: domesticar fits sentences such as Domestico al perro durante miles de años, while adiestrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy domesticado al caballo para el trabajo.

✓ Correct: Yo he domesticado al caballo para el trabajo.

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

✗ De niño, yo domestiqué a los animales de la granja todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo domesticaba a los animales de la granja todos los días.

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

Quiz: domesticar in use

Ten questions on domesticar — 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 ______ al caballo para el trabajo. — “He/she domesticates the horse for work.”

  • a) domestica
  • b) domestico
  • c) domesticas
  • d) domesticamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ a los animales de la granja. — “Yesterday, I domesticated the farm animals.”

  • a) domesticaste
  • b) domesticó
  • c) domesticaron
  • d) domestiqué

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al gato para vivir en casa cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to domesticate the cat to live in the house when they were young.”

  • a) domesticabas
  • b) domesticábamos
  • c) domesticaban
  • d) domesticaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ al perro durante miles de años. — “Tomorrow, we will domesticate the dog over thousands of years.”

  • a) domesticarán
  • b) domesticaremos
  • c) domesticaré
  • d) domesticarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al caballo para el trabajo si pudiera. — “He would domesticate the horse for work if he could.”

  • a) domesticaría
  • b) domesticarías
  • c) domesticaríamos
  • d) domestico

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a los animales de la granja. — “I have domesticated the farm animals.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ al gato para vivir en casa. — “I hope you domesticate the cat to live in the house.”

  • a) domestiquemos
  • b) domestico
  • c) domestiques
  • d) domestique

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

  • a) domestiqué
  • b) domesticado
  • c) domesticando
  • d) domestico

9. What does domesticar mean in English?

  • a) to domesticate
  • b) to train an animal
  • c) to train (an animal)
  • d) to pay, to fertilise

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él domestica al caballo para el trabajo.
  • b) Él domestico al caballo para el trabajo.
  • c) Nosotros domestica a los animales de la granja.
  • d) Yo domestica al perro durante miles de años.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  10. a) Él domestica al caballo para el trabajo. — Él domestica al caballo para el trabajo. 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 domesticar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Domestico al perro durante miles de años and Domestica al caballo para el trabajo. 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 domesticar and adiestrar?

Domesticar means “to domesticate”, while adiestrar means “to train an animal”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use domesticar when you mean “to domesticate” and adiestrar when you mean “to train an animal”.

Which tense do I need most with domesticar?

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

Domesticar 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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