Enfocar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

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

Enfocar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo enfoco todos los días. — I focus every day.
  2. Tú enfocas en el trabajo. — You focus at work.
  3. Él enfoca con mi familia. — He focuses with my family.
  4. Nosotros enfocamos por la mañana. — We focus 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 enfoqué por la tarde. — Yesterday I focussed in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo enfocaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to focus every day.
  3. La semana pasada él enfocó dos veces. — Last week He focussed 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 enfocaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will focus without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo enfocaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would focus right now.
  3. Hoy yo he enfocado dos veces. — Today I have focussed twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú enfoques pronto. — I hope You focus soon.
  2. ¡enfoca, por favor! — Focus, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy enfocando. — Right now I am focussing.

Enfocar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo enfoqué por la tarde. Antes, yo enfocaba todos los días. Hoy yo he enfocado dos veces. Mañana yo enfocaré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with enfocar

1. Missing the spelling change in the preterite

Wrong: Yo enfocé.

Right: Yo enfoqué.

The spelling changes so the pronunciation stays the same: the yo form in the preterite is enfoqué, not enfocé. 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 enfocaba.

Right: Ayer yo enfoqué.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, enfoqué. The imperfect enfocaba 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 enfocas.

Right: Espero que tú enfoques.

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

4. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No enfoca.

Right: No enfoques.

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

5. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo enfocar todos los días.

Right: Yo enfoco todos los días.

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

Quiz: enfocar in use

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

1. What is the nosotros/as form of enfocar in the present indicative?

- (a) enfocamos
- (b) enfoco
- (c) enfoca
- (d) enfocas

2. What is the vosotros/as form of enfocar in the preterite?

- (a) enfocó
- (b) enfocaste
- (c) enfocasteis
- (d) enfoqué

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfocar in the future?

- (a) enfocará
- (b) enfocaré
- (c) enfocarán
- (d) enfocarás

4. What is the yo form of enfocar in the present perfect?

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

5. What is the nosotros/as form of enfocar in the imperfect?

- (a) enfocaba
- (b) enfocábamos
- (c) enfocaba
- (d) enfocabas

6. What is the gerund of enfocar?

- (a) enfocado
- (b) enfoco
- (c) enfocar
- (d) enfocando

7. What is the past participle of enfocar?

- (a) enfocado
- (b) enfocar
- (c) enfocando
- (d) enfoqué

8. Which sentence uses enfocar correctly?

- (a) *Yo enfoco todos los días.* — I focus every day.
- (b) *Yo enfocas todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo enfoca todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo enfocar todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses enfocar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo enfoqué por la tarde.* — Yesterday I focussed in the afternoon.
- (b) *Ayer yo enfoco por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo enfocar por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo enfocaba por la tarde.*

10. What does enfocar mean?

- (a) to focus
- (b) to take charge of
- (c) to face
- (d) to fall ill

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of enfocar is enfocamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of enfocar is enfocasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the future, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfocar is enfocarán. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present perfect, the yo form of enfocar is he enfocado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the imperfect, the nosotros/as form of enfocar is enfocábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — The gerund of enfocar is enfocando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy enfocando». 7. (a) — The past participle of enfocar is enfocado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he enfocado». 8. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of enfocar; 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 enfocar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (a) — enfocar means «to focus».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I focus' in Spanish?

Say «Yo enfoco 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 focussed' about yesterday?

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

Is enfocar reflexive?

No — enfocar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo enfoco, tú enfocas, él enfoca. 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 enfocar?

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

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