Empeorar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

empeorar means "to get worse" 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. Empeorar means "to get worse", and it is the exact opposite of mejorar — the weather gets worse, a patient's health gets worse, a situation gets worse, your Spanish gets worse without practice. It works the same two ways as mejorar: something gets worse on its own (empeora el tiempo) and you can make something worse (empeoro la situación). It is a fully regular -ar verb, and it is the verb you need whenever things are going in the wrong direction. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, 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 empeorar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the empeorar present tense page.

empeorar in everyday use: examples with translations

Weather and traffic getting worse

  1. El tiempo empeora por la noche. — "The weather gets worse at night."
  2. El tráfico empeora en hora punta. — "The traffic gets worse at rush hour."
  3. Ayer el tiempo empeoró mucho. — "Yesterday the weather got much worse."
  4. Antes el tráfico no empeoraba tanto. — "Before, the traffic didn't use to get so bad."

Health getting worse

  1. El paciente empeora cada día. — "The patient gets worse every day."
  2. El dolor empeora por la noche. — "The pain gets worse at night."
  3. Su salud empeorará si no descansa. — "His health will get worse if he doesn't rest."
  4. La situación ha ha empeorado mucho. — "The situation has got much worse."

Making things worse

  1. Tú empeoras las cosas con tus mentiras. — "You make things worse with your lies."
  2. Nosotros empeoramos la situación con discusiones. — "We make the situation worse with arguments."
  3. Yo empeoraría mi inglés si no practicara. — "I would let my English get worse if I didn't practise."
  4. Vosotros empeoráis vuestras notas sin estudiar. — "You let your grades get worse without studying."

empeorar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use empeorar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Checking the weather forecast.

  • Ana: El tiempo empeora por la noche. — "The weather gets worse at night."
  • Luis: El tráfico empeora en hora punta. — "The traffic gets worse at rush hour."
  • Ana: Ayer el tiempo empeoró mucho. — "Yesterday the weather got much worse."
  • Luis: El dolor empeora por la noche. — "The pain gets worse at night."

A teacher warns a student.

  • Profesor: Tú empeoras tu español sin práctica. — "You let your Spanish get worse without practice."
  • Alumno: Yo empeoro mi inglés si no practico. — "My English gets worse if I don't practise."
  • Profesor: Vosotros empeoráis vuestras notas sin estudiar. — "You let your grades get worse without studying."
  • Alumno: Yo empeoraría mi inglés si no practicara. — "I would let my English get worse if I didn't practise."

Common mistakes with empeorar

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

✗ *El tiempo empeoran por la noche (plural ending for a singular subject).

✓ Correct: El tiempo empeora por la noche.

El tiempo is singular: empeora. Empeoran needs a plural subject.

✗ *Tú empeoras a las cosas con tus mentiras.

✓ Correct: Tú empeoras las cosas con tus mentiras.

Things take no personal a: empeorar las cosas, not empeorar a las cosas.

✗ *Vosotros empeoráis vuestras notas (written without the accent: empeorais).

✓ Correct: Vosotros empeoráis vuestras notas sin estudiar.

Empeoráis needs the written accent on the á.

✗ *Yo empeoro de mi salud.

✓ Correct: Yo empeoro mi salud con tanto estrés.

Empeorar takes a direct object: empeorar mi salud, never empeorar de mi salud.

Quiz: empeorar in use

Ten questions on empeorar — 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: El tiempo ______ por la noche. — "The weather gets worse at night."

  • a) empeoro
  • b) empeoras
  • c) empeora
  • d) empeoró

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer el tiempo ______ mucho. — "Yesterday the weather got much worse."

  • a) empeoraste
  • b) empeoré
  • c) empeora
  • d) empeoró

3. Complete the sentence: El dolor ______ por la noche. — "The pain gets worse at night."

  • a) empeoras
  • b) empeoro
  • c) empeoró
  • d) empeora

4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ las cosas con tus mentiras. — "You make things worse with your lies."

  • a) empeoro
  • b) empeoras
  • c) empeoraste
  • d) empeora

5. Which is the correct present tense form of empeorar for yo?

  • a) empeoramos
  • b) empeora
  • c) empeoro
  • d) empeoras

6. Which is the correct present tense form of empeorar for tú?

  • a) empeoramos
  • b) empeoras
  • c) empeoro
  • d) empeora

7. Which is the correct present tense form of empeorar for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) empeoras
  • b) empeora
  • c) empeoro
  • d) empeoran

8. Which sentence uses empeorar correctly?

  • a) Nosotros empeora la situación con discusiones.
  • b) Nosotros empeorábamos la situación con discusiones.
  • c) Nosotros empeoramos la situación con discusiones.

9. What is the past participle of empeorar?

  • a) empeoró
  • b) empeorado
  • c) empeoro
  • d) empeorando

10. What does empeorar mean in English?

  • a) to have
  • b) to go
  • c) to get worse
  • d) to improve

Answer key

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

  2. d) empeoró — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite: empeoró.

  3. d) empeora — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: empeora.

  4. b) empeoras — The sentence needs the tú form in the present: empeoras.

  5. c) empeoro — The present tense form for yo is empeoro.

  6. b) empeoras — The present tense form for tú is empeoras.

  7. d) empeoran — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is empeoran.

  8. c) Nosotros empeoramos la situación con discusiones. — Nosotros empeoramos la situación con discusiones. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. b) empeorado — The past participle is empeorado. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he empeorado, has empeorado, ha empeorado.

  10. c) to get worse — empeorar means "to get worse".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use empeorar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as empeorar el tiempo and empeorar la salud. 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 empeorar and mejorar?

empeorar means "to get worse", while mejorar means "to improve". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use empeorar when you mean "to get worse" and mejorar when you mean "to improve".

Which tense do I need most with empeorar?

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

empeorar 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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