Emprender Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

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

Emprender in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo emprendo todos los días. — I undertake every day.
  2. Tú emprendes en el trabajo. — You undertake at work.
  3. Él emprende con mi familia. — He undertakes with my family.
  4. Nosotros emprendemos por la mañana. — We undertake 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 emprendí por la tarde. — Yesterday I undertook in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo emprendía todos los días. — In the past, I used to undertake every day.
  3. La semana pasada él emprendió dos veces. — Last week He undertook 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 emprenderé sin falta. — Tomorrow I will undertake without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo emprendería ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would undertake right now.
  3. Hoy yo he emprendido dos veces. — Today I have undertook twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú emprendas pronto. — I hope You undertake soon.
  2. ¡emprende, por favor! — Undertake, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy emprendiendo. — Right now I am undertaking.

Emprender in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo emprendí por la tarde. Antes, yo emprendía todos los días. Hoy yo he emprendido dos veces. Mañana yo emprenderé sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with emprender

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo emprendía.

Right: Ayer yo emprendí.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, emprendí. The imperfect emprendía 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 emprendes.

Right: Espero que tú emprendas.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No emprende.

Right: No emprendas.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo emprender todos los días.

Right: Yo emprendo todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He emprendiendo.

Right: He emprendido.

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

Quiz: emprender in use

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

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

- (a) emprendes
- (b) emprenden
- (c) emprendo
- (d) emprende

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

- (a) emprendió
- (b) emprendí
- (c) emprendiste
- (d) emprendimos

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

- (a) emprenderé
- (b) emprenderá
- (c) emprenderemos
- (d) emprenderás

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

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

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

- (a) emprendían
- (b) emprendías
- (c) emprendía
- (d) emprendía

6. What is the gerund of emprender?

- (a) emprendiendo
- (b) emprender
- (c) emprendido
- (d) emprendo

7. What is the past participle of emprender?

- (a) emprendido
- (b) emprender
- (c) emprendí
- (d) emprendiendo

8. Which sentence uses emprender correctly?

- (a) *Yo emprendes todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo emprende todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo emprender todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo emprendo todos los días.* — I undertake every day.

9. Which sentence uses emprender correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo emprendí por la tarde.* — Yesterday I undertook in the afternoon.
- (b) *Ayer yo emprender por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo emprendo por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo emprendía por la tarde.*

10. What does emprender mean?

- (a) to undertake
- (b) to win someone's love
- (c) to get emotional
- (d) to employ

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I undertake' in Spanish?

Say «Yo emprendo 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 undertook' about yesterday?

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

Is emprender reflexive?

No — emprender is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo emprendo, tú emprendes, él emprende. 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 emprender?

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

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