Enmarcar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

enmarcar means “to frame” 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. Enmarcar means to frame, to put a picture or a photo into a frame. It is used in homes, galleries and workshops, and it is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, 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 enmarcar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the enmarcar present tense page.

enmarcar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo enmarco la foto de la familia. — “I frame the family photo.”
  2. Él enmarca el cuadro del salón. — “He frames the picture in the living room.”
  3. Nosotros enmarcamos el diploma de la universidad. — “We frame the university diploma.”
  4. Ellos enmarcan el póster de la película. — “They frame the film poster.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo enmarqué el cuadro del salón. — “Yesterday, I framed the picture in the living room.”
  2. Antes, nosotros enmarcábamos el diploma de la universidad. — “Before, we used to frame the university diploma.”
  3. Él enmarcó el póster de la película. — “He framed the film poster.”
  4. Yo ya había enmarcado la foto de la familia antes de salir. — “I had already framed the family photo before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú enmarcarás la foto de la familia. — “Tomorrow, you will frame the family photo.”
  2. Yo enmarcaría el cuadro del salón si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would frame the picture in the living room if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha enmarcado el diploma de la universidad. — “He has framed the university diploma.”
  4. Espero que él enmarque el póster de la película. — “I hope he frames the film poster.”

enmarcar in conversation

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

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo enmarco la foto de la familia. — “I frame the family photo.”
  • Bea: Él enmarca el cuadro del salón. — “He frames the picture in the living room.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo enmarqué el cuadro del salón. — “Yesterday, I framed the picture in the living room.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú enmarcarás la foto de la familia. — “Tomorrow, you will frame the family photo.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros enmarcamos el diploma de la universidad. — “We frame the university diploma.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros enmarcábamos el diploma de la universidad. — “Before, we used to frame the university diploma.”
  • Luis: Yo enmarcaría el cuadro del salón si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would frame the picture in the living room if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él enmarque el póster de la película. — “I hope he frames the film poster.”

A short scene with enmarcar

A short scene shows how enmarcar works across the day. In the morning: Enmarco la foto de la familia. In the afternoon: Enmarca el cuadro del salón. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, enmarqué el diploma de la universidad. And tomorrow: Mañana, enmarcaré el póster de la película. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how enmarcar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with enmarcar

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

✗ Yo enmarca la foto de la familia.

✓ Correct: Yo enmarco la foto de la familia.

The person matters: enmarca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is enmarco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Espero que yo enmarce el cuadro del salón.

✓ Correct: Espero que yo enmarque el cuadro del salón.

Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is enmarque, never enmarce.

✗ Treating enmarcar and colgar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Enmarcar means to frame, while colgar means to hang something up.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: enmarcar fits sentences such as Enmarco la foto de la familia, while colgar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy enmarcado el cuadro del salón.

✓ Correct: Yo he enmarcado el cuadro del salón.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he enmarcado, has enmarcado, ha enmarcado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo enmarqué el diploma de la universidad todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo enmarcaba el diploma de la universidad todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (enmarcaba), not the preterite. The preterite (enmarqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: enmarcar in use

Ten questions on enmarcar — 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: Él ______ el cuadro del salón. — “He/she frames the picture in the living room.”

  • a) enmarca
  • b) enmarco
  • c) enmarcas
  • d) enmarcamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el diploma de la universidad. — “Yesterday, I framed the university diploma.”

  • a) enmarcaste
  • b) enmarcó
  • c) enmarcaron
  • d) enmarqué

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el póster de la película cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to frame the film poster when they were young.”

  • a) enmarcabas
  • b) enmarcábamos
  • c) enmarcaban
  • d) enmarcaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la foto de la familia. — “Tomorrow, we will frame the family photo.”

  • a) enmarcarán
  • b) enmarcaremos
  • c) enmarcaré
  • d) enmarcarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el cuadro del salón si pudiera. — “He would frame the picture in the living room if he could.”

  • a) enmarcaría
  • b) enmarcarías
  • c) enmarcaríamos
  • d) enmarco

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el diploma de la universidad. — “I have framed the university diploma.”

  • a) has enmarcado
  • b) ha enmarcado
  • c) han enmarcado
  • d) he enmarcado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ el póster de la película. — “I hope you frame the film poster.”

  • a) enmarquemos
  • b) enmarco
  • c) enmarques
  • d) enmarque

8. Which is the past participle of enmarcar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) enmarqué
  • b) enmarcado
  • c) enmarcando
  • d) enmarco

9. What does enmarcar mean in English?

  • a) to frame
  • b) to hang something up
  • c) to disembark
  • d) to land (a plane)

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él enmarca el cuadro del salón.
  • b) Él enmarco el cuadro del salón.
  • c) Nosotros enmarca el diploma de la universidad.
  • d) Yo enmarca la foto de la familia.

Answer key

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

  2. d) enmarqué — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: enmarqué, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) enmarcaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: enmarcaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) enmarcaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: enmarcaremos.

  5. a) enmarcaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: enmarcaría.

  6. d) he enmarcado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he enmarcado, haber + enmarcado.

  7. c) enmarques — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is enmarques.

  8. b) enmarcado — The past participle is enmarcado: he enmarcado, has enmarcado, ha enmarcado. The gerund enmarcando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to frame — enmarcar means to frame. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él enmarca el cuadro del salón. — Él enmarca el cuadro del salón. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use enmarcar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Enmarco la foto de la familia and Enmarca el cuadro del salón. 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 enmarcar and colgar?

Enmarcar means “to frame”, while colgar means “to hang something up”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use enmarcar when you mean “to frame” and colgar when you mean “to hang something up”.

Which tense do I need most with enmarcar?

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

Enmarcar 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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