Entrevistar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

entrevistar means to interview, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -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 entrevisto todos los días» — I interview every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use entrevistar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Entrevistar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo entrevisto todos los días. — I interview every day.
  2. Tú entrevistas en el trabajo. — You interview at work.
  3. Él entrevista con mi familia. — He interviews with my family.
  4. Nosotros entrevistamos por la mañana. — We interview 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 entrevisté por la tarde. — Yesterday I interviewed in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo entrevistaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to interview every day.
  3. La semana pasada él entrevistó dos veces. — Last week He interviewed 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 entrevistaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will interview without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo entrevistaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would interview right now.
  3. Hoy yo he entrevistado dos veces. — Today I have interviewed twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú entrevistes pronto. — I hope You interview soon.
  2. ¡entrevista, por favor! — Interview, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy entrevistando. — Right now I am interviewing.

Entrevistar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo entrevisté por la tarde. Antes, yo entrevistaba todos los días. Hoy yo he entrevistado dos veces. Mañana yo entrevistaré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with entrevistar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo entrevistaba.

Right: Ayer yo entrevisté.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, entrevisté. The imperfect entrevistaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú entrevistas.

Right: Espero que tú entrevistes.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No entrevista.

Right: No entrevistes.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo entrevistar todos los días.

Right: Yo entrevisto todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He entrevistando.

Right: He entrevistado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he entrevistado. The gerund entrevistando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy entrevistando»), never with haber.

Quiz: entrevistar in use

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

1. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of entrevistar in the present indicative?

- (a) entrevistan
- (b) entrevisto
- (c) entrevistas
- (d) entrevista

2. What is the yo form of entrevistar in the preterite?

- (a) entrevistamos
- (b) entrevistó
- (c) entrevisté
- (d) entrevistaste

3. What is the tú form of entrevistar in the future?

- (a) entrevistaremos
- (b) entrevistará
- (c) entrevistaré
- (d) entrevistarás

4. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of entrevistar in the present perfect?

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

5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of entrevistar in the imperfect?

- (a) entrevistaba
- (b) entrevistaban
- (c) entrevistaba
- (d) entrevistabas

6. What is the gerund of entrevistar?

- (a) entrevistar
- (b) entrevistado
- (c) entrevisto
- (d) entrevistando

7. What is the past participle of entrevistar?

- (a) entrevistar
- (b) entrevisté
- (c) entrevistado
- (d) entrevistando

8. Which sentence uses entrevistar correctly?

- (a) *Yo entrevista todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo entrevistas todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo entrevistar todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo entrevisto todos los días.* — I interview every day.

9. Which sentence uses entrevistar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo entrevisté por la tarde.* — Yesterday I interviewed in the afternoon.
- (b) *Ayer yo entrevisto por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo entrevistaba por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo entrevistar por la tarde.*

10. What does entrevistar mean?

- (a) to interview
- (b) to train
- (c) to train
- (d) to excite

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of entrevistar is entrevistan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the yo form of entrevistar is entrevisté. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the future, the tú form of entrevistar is entrevistarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of entrevistar is ha entrevistado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of entrevistar is entrevistaban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — The gerund of entrevistar is entrevistando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy entrevistando». 7. (c) — The past participle of entrevistar is entrevistado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he entrevistado». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of entrevistar; 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 entrevistar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (a) — entrevistar means «to interview».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I interview' in Spanish?

Say «Yo entrevisto 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 interviewed' about yesterday?

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

Is entrevistar reflexive?

No — entrevistar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo entrevisto, tú entrevistas, él entrevista. 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 entrevistar?

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

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