Engordar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

engordar means "to gain weight" 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. Engordar means "to gain weight" — and, as a transitive verb, "to fatten (something or someone) up". The intransitive use is the everyday one: engordo en vacaciones, I gain weight on holiday. It is also used for food that fattens you up (el pan engorda, bread is fattening) and for animals being fattened. It is a fully regular -ar verb: engordo, engordas, engorda, engordamos, engordáis, engordan. Its opposite is adelgazar, to lose weight, and the two are usually learned as a pair. 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 engordar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the engordar present tense page.

engordar in everyday use: examples with translations

Gaining weight

  1. Yo engordo en vacaciones. — "I gain weight on holiday."
  2. Tú engordas dos kilos en Navidad. — "You gain two kilos at Christmas."
  3. Este año yo engordé tres kilos. — "This year I gained three kilos."
  4. De joven, yo no engordaba nunca. — "When I was young, I never used to gain weight."

Food that fattens

  1. El chocolate engorda mucho. — "Chocolate is very fattening."
  2. El bebé engorda muy bien. — "The baby gains weight very well."
  3. Yo engordaré si sigo comiendo así. — "I will gain weight if I keep eating like this."
  4. Yo he engordado dos kilos este mes. — "I have gained two kilos this month."

Gaining weight over time

  1. Nosotros engordamos con la edad. — "We gain weight with age."
  2. Los cerdos engordan rápido. — "The pigs fatten up quickly."
  3. Yo engordaría si no hiciera ejercicio. — "I would gain weight if I didn't exercise."
  4. Vosotros engordáis con la comida rápida. — "You gain weight with fast food."

engordar in conversation

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

After Christmas, friends compare notes.

  • Ana: ¿Tú engordas dos kilos en Navidad? — "Do you gain two kilos at Christmas?"
  • Bea: Yo engordo en vacaciones. — "I gain weight on holiday."
  • Ana: El chocolate engorda mucho. — "Chocolate is very fattening."
  • Bea: Este año yo engordé tres kilos. — "This year I gained three kilos."

At the doctor's, talking about weight.

  • Médico: Nosotros engordamos con la edad. — "We gain weight with age."
  • Paciente: Yo engordo si como dulces. — "I gain weight if I eat sweets."
  • Médico: El bebé engorda muy bien. — "The baby gains weight very well."
  • Paciente: Yo engordaré si sigo comiendo así. — "I will gain weight if I keep eating like this."

Common mistakes with engordar

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

✗ *Yo engordo a dos kilos en Navidad (adding a before the amount).

✓ Correct: Tú engordas dos kilos en Navidad.

The amount is a direct object with no preposition: engordar dos kilos, not engordar a dos kilos.

✗ *El chocolate engordan mucho (plural ending for a singular subject).

✓ Correct: El chocolate engorda mucho.

El chocolate is singular: engorda. Engordan needs a plural subject.

✗ *Vosotros engordáis con la comida rápida (written without the accent: engordais).

✓ Correct: Vosotros engordáis con la comida rápida.

Engordáis needs the written accent on the á.

✗ *Nosotros engordamos de la edad.

✓ Correct: Nosotros engordamos con la edad.

The cause takes con here: engordar con la edad. Never use de for the cause.

Quiz: engordar in use

Ten questions on engordar — 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: Yo ______ en vacaciones. — "I gain weight on holiday."

  • a) engorda
  • b) engordé
  • c) engordo
  • d) engordas

2. Complete the sentence: Este año yo ______ tres kilos. — "This year I gained three kilos."

  • a) engordó
  • b) engordo
  • c) engordé
  • d) engordaste

3. Complete the sentence: El bebé ______ muy bien. — "The baby gains weight very well."

  • a) engordas
  • b) engordo
  • c) engordó
  • d) engorda

4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ con la edad. — "We gain weight with age."

  • a) engordas
  • b) engordamos
  • c) engordo
  • d) engordamos

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

  • a) engordamos
  • b) engordas
  • c) engordo
  • d) engorda

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

  • a) engordo
  • b) engordamos
  • c) engorda
  • d) engordas

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

  • a) engorda
  • b) engordas
  • c) engordan
  • d) engordo

8. Which sentence uses engordar correctly?

  • a) Nosotros engordamos en las fiestas.
  • b) Nosotros engordábamos en las fiestas.
  • c) Nosotros engorda en las fiestas.

9. What is the past participle of engordar?

  • a) engordando
  • b) engordado
  • c) engordo
  • d) engordó

10. What does engordar mean in English?

  • a) to go
  • b) to gain weight
  • c) to have
  • d) to lose weight

Answer key

  1. c) engordo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: engordo.

  2. c) engordé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: engordé.

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

  4. b) engordamos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form in the present: engordamos.

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

  6. d) engordas — The present tense form for tú is engordas.

  7. c) engordan — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is engordan.

  8. a) Nosotros engordamos en las fiestas. — Nosotros engordamos en las fiestas. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

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

  10. b) to gain weight — engordar means "to gain weight".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use engordar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as engordar en vacaciones and el pan engorda. 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 engordar and adelgazar?

engordar means "to gain weight", while adelgazar means "to lose weight". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use engordar when you mean "to gain weight" and adelgazar when you mean "to lose weight".

Which tense do I need most with engordar?

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

engordar 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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