Esculpir Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

esculpir means to sculpt, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Esculpir means to sculpt, and it is used for sculpting in stone, wood and clay, and for the sculptor's work in general. It is a regular -ir verb, and it belongs to the art group with dibujar and pintar. This page puts esculpir to work: twelve example sentences in different tenses and persons, grouped by use, then two short dialogues where the verb appears naturally, then the common mistakes to avoid, and finally a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every Spanish form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for esculpir, and the full tables are on the esculpir conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo esculpo una estatua de mármol. — I sculpt a marble statue.
  2. Él esculpe en madera en el taller. — He/she sculpts in wood in the workshop.
  3. Ayer, yo esculpí figuras de barro. — Yesterday, I sculpted clay figures.
  4. Antes, nosotros esculpíamos con paciencia durante meses. — Before, we used to sculpt patiently over months.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú esculpirás una estatua de mármol. — Tomorrow, you will sculpt a marble statue.
  2. Yo esculpiría en madera en el taller. — I would sculpt in wood in the workshop.
  3. Él ha esculpido figuras de barro. — He/she has sculpted clay figures.
  4. Espero que él esculpa con paciencia durante meses. — I hope he/she sculpts patiently over months.

With other people

  1. Nosotros esculpimos una estatua de mármol. — We sculpt a marble statue.
  2. Vosotros esculpís en madera en el taller. — You all sculpt in wood in the workshop.
  3. Antes, ellos esculpían figuras de barro. — Before, they used to sculpt clay figures.
  4. Mañana, él esculpirá con paciencia durante meses. — Tomorrow, he/she will sculpt patiently over months.

Esculpir in context

Two short dialogues that use esculpir the way people really use it. Read them aloud — the verb forms will stick much faster in a conversation than in a table.

Dialogue 1: today and yesterday

  • Ana: "Hola, ¿qué tal?" — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Luis: "Hoy esculpo una estatua de mármol." — "Today I sculpt a marble statue."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, esculpí figuras de barro." — "Yesterday I sculpted clay figures."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú esculpirás en madera en el taller?" — "And tomorrow, will you will sculpt in wood in the workshop?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros esculpimos con paciencia durante meses." — "Tomorrow we sculpt patiently over months."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo esculpiría en madera en el taller si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would sculpt in wood in the workshop if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él esculpa una estatua de mármol." — "I hope he sculpts a marble statue."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha esculpido figuras de barro." — "Surely. He has already has sculpted clay figures."
  • Marta: "Vale, nos vemos mañana." — "OK, see you tomorrow."

Notice how the same verb changes with the tense: the present for the plan, the conditional for the wish, the subjunctive after espero que, and the present perfect for what has already happened. That is the whole point of learning a verb across its tenses, not just in one form.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo esculpe una estatua de mármol. — Right: Yo esculpo una estatua de mármol. — The person matters: esculpe is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is esculpo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros esculpis en madera en el taller. — Right: Vosotros esculpís en madera en el taller. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: esculpís, not esculpis. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating esculpir and dibujar as identical in every context. — Right: Esculpir means to sculpt, while dibujar means to draw, the art partner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: esculpir fits sentences such as Esculpo una estatua de mármol, while dibujar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy esculpido en madera en el taller. — Right: Yo he esculpido en madera en el taller. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he esculpido, has esculpido, ha esculpido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo esculpí figuras de barro todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo esculpía figuras de barro todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (esculpía), not the preterite. The preterite (esculpí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on esculpir: four on the forms, three on the meaning, and three on spotting the correct sentence. Check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una estatua de mármol. (present tense) A. esculpo B. esculpes C. esculpe D. esculpimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ en madera en el taller. (preterite tense) A. esculpí B. esculpiste C. esculpimos D. esculpió

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ figuras de barro. (future tense) A. esculpirá B. esculpiremos C. esculpirás D. esculpiré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con paciencia durante meses. (imperfect tense) A. esculpíais B. esculpíamos C. esculpía D. esculpías

  5. What does "Yo esculpo una estatua de mármol." mean in English? A. I sculpt a marble statue. B. I sculpt in wood in the workshop. C. I sculpt clay figures. D. I sculpt patiently over months.

  6. What does "Él esculpió en madera en el taller." mean in English? A. He/she sculpted a marble statue. B. He/she sculpted clay figures. C. He/she sculpted patiently over months. D. He/she sculpted in wood in the workshop.

  7. What does "Nosotros esculpiremos figuras de barro." mean in English? A. We will sculpt in wood in the workshop. B. We will sculpt patiently over months. C. We will sculpt clay figures. D. We will sculpt a marble statue.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo esculpen en madera en el taller. B. Yo esculpe en madera en el taller. C. Yo esculpo en madera en el taller.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él esculpí figuras de barro. B. Él esculpió figuras de barro. C. Él esculpieron figuras de barro.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo esculpa con paciencia durante meses. B. Yo esculpan con paciencia durante meses. C. Yo esculpa con paciencia durante meses.

Answer key

  1. esculpo — The yo present form of esculpir is esculpo.
  2. esculpió — The el preterite form of esculpir is esculpió.
  3. esculpirás — The tu future form of esculpir is esculpirás.
  4. esculpíamos — The nosotros imperfect form of esculpir is esculpíamos.
  5. I sculpt a marble statue. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form esculpo, so the English is "I sculpt a marble statue." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she sculpted in wood in the workshop. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form esculpió, so the English is "He/she sculpted in wood in the workshop." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will sculpt clay figures. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form esculpiremos, so the English is "We will sculpt clay figures." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo esculpo en madera en el taller. — The correct sentence is "Yo esculpo en madera en el taller." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él esculpió figuras de barro. — The correct sentence is "Él esculpió figuras de barro." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo esculpa con paciencia durante meses. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo esculpa con paciencia durante meses." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

What does esculpir mean, and when do I use it?

Esculpir means to sculpt. Esculpir means to sculpt, and it is used for sculpting in stone, wood and clay, and for the sculptor's work in general. It is a regular -ir verb, and it belongs to the art group with dibujar and pintar. A good first sentence to remember is Yo esculpo una estatua de mármol. — "I sculpt a marble statue."

What is the difference between esculpir and dibujar?

Esculpir means to sculpt, while dibujar means to draw, the art partner. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use esculpir when you mean to sculpt, as in Yo esculpo en madera en el taller., and use dibujar for to draw, the art partner.

How do I say "I sculpt" in the past?

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo esculpí en madera en el taller.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo esculpía figuras de barro.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he esculpido en madera en el taller..

How do I practise esculpir?

Start with the esculpir conjugation page for the full tables, then the esculpir in the present tense page for the tense in focus, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure. Esculpir is a regular -ir verb: esculpí, esculpía, esculpiré. The p is pronounced in esculpir, unlike in some English words.

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