Elogiar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

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

Elogiar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo elogio todos los días. — I praise every day.
  2. Tú elogias en el trabajo. — You praise at work.
  3. Él elogia con mi familia. — He praises with my family.
  4. Nosotros elogiamos por la mañana. — We praise 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 elogié por la tarde. — Yesterday I praised in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo elogiaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to praise every day.
  3. La semana pasada él elogió dos veces. — Last week He praised 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 elogiaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will praise without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo elogiaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would praise right now.
  3. Hoy yo he elogiado dos veces. — Today I have praised twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú elogies pronto. — I hope You praise soon.
  2. ¡elogia, por favor! — Praise, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy elogiando. — Right now I am praising.

Elogiar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo elogié por la tarde. Antes, yo elogiaba todos los días. Hoy yo he elogiado dos veces. Mañana yo elogiaré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with elogiar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo elogiaba.

Right: Ayer yo elogié.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, elogié. The imperfect elogiaba 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 elogias.

Right: Espero que tú elogies.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No elogia.

Right: No elogies.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo elogiar todos los días.

Right: Yo elogio todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He elogiando.

Right: He elogiado.

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

Quiz: elogiar in use

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

1. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of elogiar in the present indicative?

- (a) elogian
- (b) elogia
- (c) elogias
- (d) elogio

2. What is the yo form of elogiar in the preterite?

- (a) elogié
- (b) elogiaste
- (c) elogió
- (d) elogiamos

3. What is the tú form of elogiar in the future?

- (a) elogiará
- (b) elogiarás
- (c) elogiaremos
- (d) elogiaré

4. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of elogiar in the present perfect?

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

5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of elogiar in the imperfect?

- (a) elogiaban
- (b) elogiabas
- (c) elogiaba
- (d) elogiaba

6. What is the gerund of elogiar?

- (a) elogiado
- (b) elogiando
- (c) elogiar
- (d) elogio

7. What is the past participle of elogiar?

- (a) elogiado
- (b) elogiar
- (c) elogié
- (d) elogiando

8. Which sentence uses elogiar correctly?

- (a) *Yo elogiar todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo elogias todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo elogia todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo elogio todos los días.* — I praise every day.

9. Which sentence uses elogiar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo elogiar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo elogié por la tarde.* — Yesterday I praised in the afternoon.
- (c) *Ayer yo elogiaba por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo elogio por la tarde.*

10. What does elogiar mean?

- (a) to board
- (b) to praise
- (c) to eliminate
- (d) to raise

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of elogiar is elogian. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the yo form of elogiar is elogié. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the future, the tú form of elogiar is elogiarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of elogiar is ha elogiado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of elogiar is elogiaban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — The gerund of elogiar is elogiando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy elogiando». 7. (a) — The past participle of elogiar is elogiado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he elogiado». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of elogiar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (b) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of elogiar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (b) — elogiar means «to praise».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I praise' in Spanish?

Say «Yo elogio 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 praised' about yesterday?

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

Is elogiar reflexive?

No — elogiar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo elogio, tú elogias, él elogia. 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 elogiar?

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

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