Escapar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

escapar means to escape, 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 escapo todos los días» — I escape every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use escapar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Escapar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo escapo todos los días. — I escape every day.
  2. Tú escapas en el trabajo. — You escape at work.
  3. Él escapa con mi familia. — He escapes with my family.
  4. Nosotros escapamos por la mañana. — We escape 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 escapé por la tarde. — Yesterday I escaped in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo escapaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to escape every day.
  3. La semana pasada él escapó dos veces. — Last week He escaped 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 escaparé sin falta. — Tomorrow I will escape without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo escaparía ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would escape right now.
  3. Hoy yo he escapado dos veces. — Today I have escaped twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú escapes pronto. — I hope You escape soon.
  2. ¡escapa, por favor! — Escape, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy escapando. — Right now I am escaping.

Escapar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo escapé por la tarde. Antes, yo escapaba todos los días. Hoy yo he escapado dos veces. Mañana yo escaparé sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with escapar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo escapaba.

Right: Ayer yo escapé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, escapé. The imperfect escapaba 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 escapas.

Right: Espero que tú escapes.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No escapa.

Right: No escapes.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo escapar todos los días.

Right: Yo escapo todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He escapando.

Right: He escapado.

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

Quiz: escapar in use

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

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

- (a) escapo
- (b) escapa
- (c) escapan
- (d) escapas

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

- (a) escapé
- (b) escapamos
- (c) escapaste
- (d) escapó

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

- (a) escaparás
- (b) escaparemos
- (c) escapará
- (d) escaparé

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

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

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

- (a) escapaban
- (b) escapaba
- (c) escapaba
- (d) escapabas

6. What is the gerund of escapar?

- (a) escapo
- (b) escapado
- (c) escapar
- (d) escapando

7. What is the past participle of escapar?

- (a) escapando
- (b) escapado
- (c) escapar
- (d) escapé

8. Which sentence uses escapar correctly?

- (a) *Yo escapar todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo escapas todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo escapa todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo escapo todos los días.* — I escape every day.

9. Which sentence uses escapar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo escapar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo escapaba por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo escapo por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo escapé por la tarde.* — Yesterday I escaped in the afternoon.

10. What does escapar mean?

- (a) to escape
- (b) to err
- (c) to balance
- (d) to escape

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of escapar is escapan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the yo form of escapar is escapé. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the future, the tú form of escapar is escaparás. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of escapar is ha escapado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of escapar is escapaban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — The gerund of escapar is escapando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy escapando». 7. (b) — The past participle of escapar is escapado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he escapado». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of escapar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of escapar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (a) — escapar means «to escape».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I escape' in Spanish?

Say «Yo escapo 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 escaped' about yesterday?

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

Is escapar reflexive?

No — escapar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo escapo, tú escapas, él escapa. 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 escapar?

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

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