Ensanchar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
ensanchar means "to widen" 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 ensanchar with the village road, the school corridor, his son's shirt and the hole in the wall — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "Every day, I widen the village road." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
ensanchar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with ensanchar, 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 ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "Every day, I widen the village road." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo ensanché el pasillo de la escuela. — "Yesterday, I widened the school corridor." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo ensanchaba la camisa de su hijo. — "In the past, I used to widen his son's shirt." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros ensancharemos el agujero en la pared. — "Tomorrow, we will widen the hole in the wall." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú ensancharías la carretera del pueblo. — "If you could, you would widen the village road." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he ensanchado el pasillo de la escuela. — "I have widened the school corridor." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él ensancha la camisa de su hijo. — "Normally, he/she widens his son's shirt." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él ensanchó el agujero en la pared. — "Yesterday, he/she widened the hole in the wall." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros ensanchábamos la carretera del pueblo. — "In the past, we used to widen the village road." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo ensancharé el pasillo de la escuela. — "Tomorrow, I will widen the school corridor." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él ensanche la camisa de su hijo. — "I hope that he/she widens his son's shirt." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Ensancha el agujero en la pared! — "Widen the hole in the wall!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using ensanchar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the village road, the school corridor, his son's shirt and the hole in the wall.
Dialogue 1: talking about the village road
Sofía: ¿Tú ensanchas la carretera del pueblo? — "Do you widen the village road?" Diego: Sí, yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "I widen the village road." Sofía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Diego: Ayer, yo ensanché el pasillo de la escuela. — "Yesterday, I widened the school corridor." Sofía: Mañana, nosotros ensancharemos la camisa de su hijo. — "Tomorrow, we will widen his son's shirt." Diego: Si pudiera, yo ensancharía el agujero en la pared. — "If I could, I would widen the hole in the wall." Sofía: Antes, yo ensanchaba el pasillo de la escuela. — "In the past, I used to widen the school corridor." Diego: Yo he ensanchado la carretera del pueblo. — "I have widened the village road." Sofía: ¡Ensancha la camisa de su hijo! — "Widen his son's shirt!"
In this dialogue ensanchar 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 his son's shirt
Sofía: Él ensancha la camisa de su hijo. — "he/she widens his son's shirt." Diego: ¿De verdad? ¿Él ensancha la camisa de su hijo todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she widens his son's shirt every day?" Sofía: Sí, y ellos ensanchan el agujero en la pared. — "they widen the hole in the wall." Diego: Ayer, ellos ensancharon la camisa de su hijo. — "Yesterday, they widened his son's shirt." Sofía: Espero que él ensanche el agujero en la pared. — "I hope that he/she widens the hole in the wall." Diego: Mañana, él ensanchará la camisa de su hijo. — "Tomorrow, he/she will widen his son's shirt." Sofía: Antes, nosotros ensanchábamos el agujero en la pared. — "In the past, we used to widen the hole in the wall." Diego: Nosotros ensanchamos la carretera del pueblo también. — "we widen the village road too."
This dialogue shows ensanchar 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 ensanchar
The errors learners actually make with ensanchar 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 ensancho la carretera del pueblo.
- Right: Yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo.
- Why: ensanchar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo ensanchar la carretera del pueblo.
- Right: Yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo.
- Why: The infinitive ensanchar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form ensancho.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo ensancho el pasillo de la escuela.
- Right: Ayer, yo ensanché el pasillo de la escuela.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo ensanché el pasillo de la escuela. — "Yesterday, I widened the school corridor."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy ensanchado la camisa de su hijo.
- Right: Estoy ensanchando la camisa de su hijo.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund ensanchando for the progressive. The participle ensanchado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he ensanchado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros ensancha la carretera del pueblo.
- Right: Nosotros ensanchamos la carretera del pueblo.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes ensanchamos, while ensancha belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: ensanchar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on ensanchar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of ensanchar in the present tense?
- (a) ensancho
- (b) ensanchas
- (c) ensancha
- (d) ensanchamos
Answer: (a) ensancho. The yo form is ensancho.
2. What is the tú form of ensanchar in the present tense?
- (a) ensancho
- (b) ensancha
- (c) ensanchamos
- (d) ensanchas
Answer: (d) ensanchas. The tú form is ensanchas.
3. What is the él/ella form of ensanchar in the present tense?
- (a) ensanchas
- (b) ensanchamos
- (c) ensancha
- (d) ensancho
Answer: (c) ensancha. The él/ella form is ensancha.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la carretera del pueblo.
- (a) ensanchamos
- (b) ensancho
- (c) ensanchas
- (d) ensancha
Answer: (b) ensancho. The sentence needs the yo form ensancho.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ el pasillo de la escuela.
- (a) ensanché
- (b) ensanchaste
- (c) ensanchó
- (d) ensanchamos
Answer: (a) ensanché. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is ensanché.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la camisa de su hijo.
- (a) ensanchabas
- (b) ensanchábamos
- (c) ensanchabais
- (d) ensanchaba
Answer: (d) ensanchaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is ensanchaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el agujero en la pared.
- (a) ensanchará
- (b) ensancharemos
- (c) ensancharé
- (d) ensancharás
Answer: (c) ensancharé. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is ensancharé.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la carretera del pueblo.
- (a) ha ensanchado
- (b) hemos ensanchado
- (c) he ensanchado
- (d) has ensanchado
Answer: (c) he ensanchado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he ensanchado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la camisa de su hijo.
- (a) ensanche
- (b) ensanches
- (c) ensanchemos
- (d) ensanchéis
Answer: (a) ensanche. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is ensanche.
10. What does ensanchar mean in English?
- (a) to widen
- (b) to stabilise
- (c) to familiarise
- (d) to finish
Answer: (a) to widen. ensanchar means "to widen" in English.
Frequently asked questions about ensanchar
What does ensanchar mean?
ensanchar means "to widen" in English. Use it when you talk about the village road, the school corridor, his son's shirt and the hole in the wall — for example: Cada día, yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "Every day, I widen the village road."
Is there a reflexive form of ensanchar?
No. ensanchar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "Every day, I widen the village road."
What is the most common mistake with ensanchar?
The tense, not the form. Learners use the present tense for yesterday, or the preterite for a habit. Remember: Cada día, yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "Every day, I widen the village road." is a habit, while Ayer, yo ensanché la carretera del pueblo is one finished action.
How can I practise ensanchar?
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.