Durar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

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

Durar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo duro todos los días. — I last every day.
  2. Tú duras en el trabajo. — You last at work.
  3. Él dura con mi familia. — He lasts with my family.
  4. Nosotros duramos por la mañana. — We last 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 duré por la tarde. — Yesterday I lasted in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo duraba todos los días. — In the past, I used to last every day.
  3. La semana pasada él duró dos veces. — Last week He lasted 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 duraré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will last without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo duraría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would last right now.
  3. Hoy yo he durado dos veces. — Today I have lasted twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú dures pronto. — I hope You last soon.
  2. ¡dura, por favor! — Last, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy durando. — Right now I am lasting.

Durar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo duré por la tarde. Antes, yo duraba todos los días. Hoy yo he durado dos veces. Mañana yo duraré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with durar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo duraba.

Right: Ayer yo duré.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, duré. The imperfect duraba 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 duras.

Right: Espero que tú dures.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No dura.

Right: No dures.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo durar todos los días.

Right: Yo duro todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He durando.

Right: He durado.

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

Quiz: durar in use

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

1. What is the tú form of durar in the present indicative?

- (a) duramos
- (b) duro
- (c) duras
- (d) dura

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of durar in the preterite?

- (a) duraste
- (b) duramos
- (c) duré
- (d) duró

3. What is the nosotros/as form of durar in the future?

- (a) durarás
- (b) durará
- (c) duraré
- (d) duraremos

4. What is the vosotros/as form of durar in the present perfect?

- (a) ha durado
- (b) he durado
- (c) habéis durado
- (d) has durado

5. What is the tú form of durar in the imperfect?

- (a) durabas
- (b) durábamos
- (c) duraba
- (d) duraba

6. What is the gerund of durar?

- (a) durar
- (b) durando
- (c) durado
- (d) duro

7. What is the past participle of durar?

- (a) durar
- (b) duré
- (c) durado
- (d) durando

8. Which sentence uses durar correctly?

- (a) *Yo duro todos los días.* — I last every day.
- (b) *Yo duras todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo dura todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo durar todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses durar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo durar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo duro por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo duraba por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo duré por la tarde.* — Yesterday I lasted in the afternoon.

10. What does durar mean?

- (a) to save
- (b) to dominate
- (c) to donate
- (d) to last

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the tú form of durar is duras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the él/ella/Ud. form of durar is duró. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the future, the nosotros/as form of durar is duraremos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present perfect, the vosotros/as form of durar is habéis durado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the imperfect, the tú form of durar is durabas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — The gerund of durar is durando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy durando». 7. (c) — The past participle of durar is durado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he durado». 8. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of durar; 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 durar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (d) — durar means «to last».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I last' in Spanish?

Say «Yo duro 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 lasted' about yesterday?

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

Is durar reflexive?

No — durar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo duro, tú duras, él dura. 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 durar?

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

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