Donar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

donar means to donate, 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 dono todos los días» — I donate every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use donar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Donar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo dono todos los días. — I donate every day.
  2. Tú donas en el trabajo. — You donate at work.
  3. Él dona con mi familia. — He donates with my family.
  4. Nosotros donamos por la mañana. — We donate 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 doné por la tarde. — Yesterday I donated in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo donaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to donate every day.
  3. La semana pasada él donó dos veces. — Last week He donated 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 donaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will donate without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo donaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would donate right now.
  3. Hoy yo he donado dos veces. — Today I have donated twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú dones pronto. — I hope You donate soon.
  2. ¡dona, por favor! — Donate, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy donando. — Right now I am donating.

Donar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo doné por la tarde. Antes, yo donaba todos los días. Hoy yo he donado dos veces. Mañana yo donaré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with donar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo donaba.

Right: Ayer yo doné.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, doné. The imperfect donaba 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 donas.

Right: Espero que tú dones.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No dona.

Right: No dones.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo donar todos los días.

Right: Yo dono todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He donando.

Right: He donado.

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

Quiz: donar in use

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

1. What is the yo form of donar in the present indicative?

- (a) donas
- (b) dona
- (c) dono
- (d) donamos

2. What is the tú form of donar in the preterite?

- (a) donamos
- (b) donó
- (c) doné
- (d) donaste

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of donar in the future?

- (a) donarás
- (b) donaré
- (c) donaremos
- (d) donará

4. What is the nosotros/as form of donar in the present perfect?

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

5. What is the yo form of donar in the imperfect?

- (a) donabas
- (b) donábamos
- (c) donaba
- (d) donaba

6. What is the gerund of donar?

- (a) donar
- (b) dono
- (c) donado
- (d) donando

7. What is the past participle of donar?

- (a) donar
- (b) doné
- (c) donando
- (d) donado

8. Which sentence uses donar correctly?

- (a) *Yo donar todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo dona todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo dono todos los días.* — I donate every day.
- (d) *Yo donas todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses donar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo donar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo dono por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo donaba por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo doné por la tarde.* — Yesterday I donated in the afternoon.

10. What does donar mean?

- (a) to last
- (b) to get distracted
- (c) to dominate
- (d) to donate

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of donar is dono. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the tú form of donar is donaste. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the future, the él/ella/Ud. form of donar is donará. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present perfect, the nosotros/as form of donar is hemos donado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the imperfect, the yo form of donar is donaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — The gerund of donar is donando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy donando». 7. (d) — The past participle of donar is donado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he donado». 8. (c) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of donar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of donar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (d) — donar means «to donate».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I donate' in Spanish?

Say «Yo dono 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 donated' about yesterday?

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

Is donar reflexive?

No — donar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo dono, tú donas, él dona. 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 donar?

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

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