Engrosar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
engrosar means "to thicken" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see engrosar with his voice in the theatre, the army ranks, the book with new chapters and the wall with another layer — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo engroso la voz en el teatro. — "Every day, I thicken his voice in the theatre." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
engrosar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with engrosar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo engroso la voz en el teatro. — "Every day, I thicken his voice in the theatre." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo engrosé las filas del ejército. — "Yesterday, I thickened the army ranks." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo engrosaba el libro con nuevos capítulos. — "In the past, I used to thicken the book with new chapters." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros engrosaremos la pared con otra capa. — "Tomorrow, we will thicken the wall with another layer." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú engrosarías la voz en el teatro. — "If you could, you would thicken his voice in the theatre." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he engrosado las filas del ejército. — "I have thickened the army ranks." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él engrosa el libro con nuevos capítulos. — "Normally, he/she thickens the book with new chapters." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él engrosó la pared con otra capa. — "Yesterday, he/she thickened the wall with another layer." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros engrosábamos la voz en el teatro. — "In the past, we used to thicken his voice in the theatre." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo engrosaré las filas del ejército. — "Tomorrow, I will thicken the army ranks." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él engrose el libro con nuevos capítulos. — "I hope that he/she thickens the book with new chapters." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Engrosa la pared con otra capa! — "Thicken the wall with another layer!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using engrosar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: his voice in the theatre, the army ranks, the book with new chapters and the wall with another layer.
Dialogue 1: talking about his voice in the theatre
Ana: ¿Tú engrosas la voz en el teatro? — "Do you thicken his voice in the theatre?" Luis: Sí, yo engroso la voz en el teatro. — "I thicken his voice in the theatre." Ana: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Luis: Ayer, yo engrosé las filas del ejército. — "Yesterday, I thickened the army ranks." Ana: Mañana, nosotros engrosaremos el libro con nuevos capítulos. — "Tomorrow, we will thicken the book with new chapters." Luis: Si pudiera, yo engrosaría la pared con otra capa. — "If I could, I would thicken the wall with another layer." Ana: Antes, yo engrosaba las filas del ejército. — "In the past, I used to thicken the army ranks." Luis: Yo he engrosado la voz en el teatro. — "I have thickened his voice in the theatre." Ana: ¡Engrosa el libro con nuevos capítulos! — "Thicken the book with new chapters!"
In this dialogue engrosar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about the book with new chapters
Ana: Él engrosa el libro con nuevos capítulos. — "he/she thickens the book with new chapters." Luis: ¿De verdad? ¿Él engrosa el libro con nuevos capítulos todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she thickens the book with new chapters every day?" Ana: Sí, y ellos engrosan la pared con otra capa. — "they thicken the wall with another layer." Luis: Ayer, ellos engrosaron el libro con nuevos capítulos. — "Yesterday, they thickened the book with new chapters." Ana: Espero que él engrose la pared con otra capa. — "I hope that he/she thickens the wall with another layer." Luis: Mañana, él engrosará el libro con nuevos capítulos. — "Tomorrow, he/she will thicken the book with new chapters." Ana: Antes, nosotros engrosábamos la pared con otra capa. — "In the past, we used to thicken the wall with another layer." Luis: Nosotros engrosamos la voz en el teatro también. — "we thicken his voice in the theatre too."
This dialogue shows engrosar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with engrosar
The errors learners actually make with engrosar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me engroso la voz en el teatro.
- Right: Yo engroso la voz en el teatro.
- Why: engrosar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo engroso la voz en el teatro. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo engrosar la voz en el teatro.
- Right: Yo engroso la voz en el teatro.
- Why: The infinitive engrosar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form engroso.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo engroso las filas del ejército.
- Right: Ayer, yo engrosé las filas del ejército.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo engrosé las filas del ejército. — "Yesterday, I thickened the army ranks."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy engrosado el libro con nuevos capítulos.
- Right: Estoy engrosando el libro con nuevos capítulos.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund engrosando for the progressive. The participle engrosado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he engrosado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros engrosa la voz en el teatro.
- Right: Nosotros engrosamos la voz en el teatro.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes engrosamos, while engrosa belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: engrosar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on engrosar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of engrosar in the present tense?
- (a) engrosas
- (b) engrosa
- (c) engrosamos
- (d) engroso
Answer: (d) engroso. The yo form is engroso.
2. What is the tú form of engrosar in the present tense?
- (a) engrosa
- (b) engrosamos
- (c) engrosas
- (d) engroso
Answer: (c) engrosas. The tú form is engrosas.
3. What is the él/ella form of engrosar in the present tense?
- (a) engrosamos
- (b) engrosa
- (c) engroso
- (d) engrosas
Answer: (b) engrosa. The él/ella form is engrosa.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la voz en el teatro.
- (a) engroso
- (b) engrosas
- (c) engrosa
- (d) engrosamos
Answer: (a) engroso. The sentence needs the yo form engroso.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ las filas del ejército.
- (a) engrosaste
- (b) engrosó
- (c) engrosamos
- (d) engrosé
Answer: (d) engrosé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is engrosé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ el libro con nuevos capítulos.
- (a) engrosábamos
- (b) engrosabais
- (c) engrosaba
- (d) engrosabas
Answer: (c) engrosaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is engrosaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ la pared con otra capa.
- (a) engrosaremos
- (b) engrosaré
- (c) engrosarás
- (d) engrosará
Answer: (b) engrosaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is engrosaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la voz en el teatro.
- (a) hemos engrosado
- (b) he engrosado
- (c) has engrosado
- (d) ha engrosado
Answer: (b) he engrosado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he engrosado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el libro con nuevos capítulos.
- (a) engroses
- (b) engrosemos
- (c) engroséis
- (d) engrose
Answer: (d) engrose. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is engrose.
10. What does engrosar mean in English?
- (a) to get upset
- (b) to love each other
- (c) to sign up
- (d) to thicken
Answer: (d) to thicken. engrosar means "to thicken" in English.
Frequently asked questions about engrosar
What does engrosar mean?
engrosar means "to thicken" in English. Use it when you talk about his voice in the theatre, the army ranks, the book with new chapters and the wall with another layer — for example: Cada día, yo engroso la voz en el teatro. — "Every day, I thicken his voice in the theatre."
Is there a reflexive form of engrosar?
No. engrosar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo engroso la voz en el teatro. — "Every day, I thicken his voice in the theatre."
What is the most common mistake with engrosar?
The tense, not the form. Learners use the present tense for yesterday, or the preterite for a habit. Remember: Cada día, yo engroso la voz en el teatro. — "Every day, I thicken his voice in the theatre." is a habit, while Ayer, yo engrosé la voz en el teatro is one finished action.
How can I practise engrosar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.