Especificar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

especificar means to specify, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Especificar means to specify, and it covers specifying a date in a contract, the details of an order, a price on an invoice and the terms of an agreement. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. This page puts especificar 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 especificar, and the full tables are on the especificar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo especifico la fecha en el contrato. — I specify the date in the contract.
  2. Él especifica los detalles del pedido. — He/she specifies the details of the order.
  3. Ayer, yo especifiqué el precio en la factura. — Yesterday, I specified the price on the invoice.
  4. Antes, nosotros especificábamos las condiciones del acuerdo. — Before, we used to specify the terms of the agreement.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú especificarás la fecha en el contrato. — Tomorrow, you will specify the date in the contract.
  2. Yo especificaría los detalles del pedido. — I would specify the details of the order.
  3. Él ha especificado el precio en la factura. — He/she has specified the price on the invoice.
  4. Espero que él especifique las condiciones del acuerdo. — I hope he/she specifies the terms of the agreement.

With other people

  1. Nosotros especificamos la fecha en el contrato. — We specify the date in the contract.
  2. Vosotros especificáis los detalles del pedido. — You all specify the details of the order.
  3. Antes, ellos especificaban el precio en la factura. — Before, they used to specify the price on the invoice.
  4. Mañana, él especificará las condiciones del acuerdo. — Tomorrow, he/she will specify the terms of the agreement.

Especificar in context

Two short dialogues that use especificar 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 especifico la fecha en el contrato." — "Today I specify the date in the contract."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, especifiqué el precio en la factura." — "Yesterday I specified the price on the invoice."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú especificarás los detalles del pedido?" — "And tomorrow, will you will specify the details of the order?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros especificamos las condiciones del acuerdo." — "Tomorrow we specify the terms of the agreement."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo especificaría los detalles del pedido si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would specify the details of the order if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él especifique la fecha en el contrato." — "I hope he specifies the date in the contract."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha especificado el precio en la factura." — "Surely. He has already has specified the price on the invoice."
  • 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 especifica la fecha en el contrato. — Right: Yo especifico la fecha en el contrato. — The person matters: especifica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is especifico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo especificé los detalles del pedido. — Right: Yo especifiqué los detalles del pedido. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is especifiqué, not especificé. especificar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating especificar and explicar as identical in every context. — Right: Especificar means to specify, while explicar means to explain, the close verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: especificar fits sentences such as Especifico la fecha en el contrato, while explicar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy especificado los detalles del pedido. — Right: Yo he especificado los detalles del pedido. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he especificado, has especificado, ha especificado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo especifiqué el precio en la factura todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo especificaba el precio en la factura todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (especificaba), not the preterite. The preterite (especifiqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on especificar: 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 ___ la fecha en el contrato. (present tense) A. especifico B. especificas C. especifica D. especificamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ los detalles del pedido. (preterite tense) A. especifiqué B. especificaste C. especificamos D. especificó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el precio en la factura. (future tense) A. especificará B. especificaremos C. especificarás D. especificaré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las condiciones del acuerdo. (imperfect tense) A. especificabais B. especificábamos C. especificaba D. especificabas

  5. What does "Yo especifico la fecha en el contrato." mean in English? A. I specify the date in the contract. B. I specify the details of the order. C. I specify the price on the invoice. D. I specify the terms of the agreement.

  6. What does "Él especificó los detalles del pedido." mean in English? A. He/she specified the date in the contract. B. He/she specified the price on the invoice. C. He/she specified the terms of the agreement. D. He/she specified the details of the order.

  7. What does "Nosotros especificaremos el precio en la factura." mean in English? A. We will specify the details of the order. B. We will specify the terms of the agreement. C. We will specify the price on the invoice. D. We will specify the date in the contract.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo especifican los detalles del pedido. B. Yo especifica los detalles del pedido. C. Yo especifico los detalles del pedido.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él especifiqué el precio en la factura. B. Él especificó el precio en la factura. C. Él especificaron el precio en la factura.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo especifique las condiciones del acuerdo. B. Yo especifice las condiciones del acuerdo. C. Yo especifique las condiciones del acuerdo.

Answer key

  1. especifico — The yo present form of especificar is especifico.
  2. especificó — The el preterite form of especificar is especificó.
  3. especificarás — The tu future form of especificar is especificarás.
  4. especificábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of especificar is especificábamos.
  5. I specify the date in the contract. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form especifico, so the English is "I specify the date in the contract." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she specified the details of the order. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form especificó, so the English is "He/she specified the details of the order." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will specify the price on the invoice. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form especificaremos, so the English is "We will specify the price on the invoice." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo especifico los detalles del pedido. — The correct sentence is "Yo especifico los detalles del pedido." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él especificó el precio en la factura. — The correct sentence is "Él especificó el precio en la factura." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo especifique las condiciones del acuerdo. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo especifique las condiciones del acuerdo." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

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

Especificar means to specify. Especificar means to specify, and it covers specifying a date in a contract, the details of an order, a price on an invoice and the terms of an agreement. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. A good first sentence to remember is Yo especifico la fecha en el contrato. — "I specify the date in the contract."

What is the difference between especificar and explicar?

Especificar means to specify, while explicar means to explain, the close verb. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use especificar when you mean to specify, as in Yo especifico los detalles del pedido., and use explicar for to explain, the close verb.

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

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo especifiqué los detalles del pedido.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo especificaba el precio en la factura.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he especificado los detalles del pedido..

How do I practise especificar?

Start with the especificar conjugation page for the full tables, then the especificar in the present tense page for the tense in focus, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is especifiqué and the subjunctive is especifique.

Related links