Embarcar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

embarcar means to board, to embark, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a spelling-changing -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 embarco todos los días» — I board every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use embarcar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Embarcar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo embarco todos los días. — I board every day.
  2. Tú embarcas en el trabajo. — You board at work.
  3. Él embarca con mi familia. — He boards with my family.
  4. Nosotros embarcamos por la mañana. — We board 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 embarqué por la tarde. — Yesterday I boarded in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo embarcaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to board every day.
  3. La semana pasada él embarcó dos veces. — Last week He boarded 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 embarcaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will board without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo embarcaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would board right now.
  3. Hoy yo he embarcado dos veces. — Today I have boarded twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú embarques pronto. — I hope You board soon.
  2. ¡embarca, por favor! — Board, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy embarcando. — Right now I am boarding.

Embarcar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo embarqué por la tarde. Antes, yo embarcaba todos los días. Hoy yo he embarcado dos veces. Mañana yo embarcaré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with embarcar

1. Missing the spelling change in the preterite

Wrong: Yo embarcé.

Right: Yo embarqué.

The spelling changes so the pronunciation stays the same: the yo form in the preterite is embarqué, not embarcé. The endings are regular — only the spelling of the stem-final letter adjusts before e and i.

2. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo embarcaba.

Right: Ayer yo embarqué.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, embarqué. The imperfect embarcaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

3. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú embarcas.

Right: Espero que tú embarques.

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

4. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No embarca.

Right: No embarques.

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

5. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo embarcar todos los días.

Right: Yo embarco todos los días.

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

Quiz: embarcar in use

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

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

- (a) embarca
- (b) embarco
- (c) embarcas
- (d) embarcamos

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

- (a) embarcó
- (b) embarqué
- (c) embarcamos
- (d) embarcaste

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

- (a) embarcará
- (b) embarcarás
- (c) embarcaré
- (d) embarcaremos

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

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

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

- (a) embarcaba
- (b) embarcabas
- (c) embarcaba
- (d) embarcábamos

6. What is the gerund of embarcar?

- (a) embarcado
- (b) embarcando
- (c) embarco
- (d) embarcar

7. What is the past participle of embarcar?

- (a) embarqué
- (b) embarcar
- (c) embarcado
- (d) embarcando

8. Which sentence uses embarcar correctly?

- (a) *Yo embarco todos los días.* — I board every day.
- (b) *Yo embarcar todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo embarcas todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo embarca todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses embarcar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo embarcar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo embarqué por la tarde.* — Yesterday I boarded in the afternoon.
- (c) *Ayer yo embarco por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo embarcaba por la tarde.*

10. What does embarcar mean?

- (a) to board
- (b) to board, to embark
- (c) to eliminate
- (d) to praise

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I board' in Spanish?

Say «Yo embarco 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 boarded' about yesterday?

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

Is embarcar reflexive?

No — embarcar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo embarco, tú embarcas, él embarca. 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 embarcar?

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

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