Estrenar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

estrenar means “to premiere, to wear for the first time” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Estrenar means to premiere, to show a film or a play for the first time, and also to wear a piece of clothing for the first time. It is a fully regular verb, and the two meanings share the idea of a first time. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of estrenar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the estrenar present tense page.

estrenar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo estreno la película en el festival de cine. — “I premiere the film at the film festival.”
  2. Él estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid. — “He premieres the play in Madrid.”
  3. Nosotros estrenamos el vestido nuevo en la boda. — “We premiere the new dress at the wedding.”
  4. Ellos estrenan los zapatos en la fiesta. — “They premiere the shoes at the party.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo estrené la obra de teatro en Madrid. — “Yesterday, I premiered the play in Madrid.”
  2. Antes, nosotros estrenábamos el vestido nuevo en la boda. — “Before, we used to premiere the new dress at the wedding.”
  3. Él estrenó los zapatos en la fiesta. — “He premiered the shoes at the party.”
  4. Yo ya había estrenado la película en el festival de cine antes de salir. — “I had already premiered the film at the film festival before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú estrenarás la película en el festival de cine. — “Tomorrow, you will premiere the film at the film festival.”
  2. Yo estrenaría la obra de teatro en Madrid si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would premiere the play in Madrid if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha estrenado el vestido nuevo en la boda. — “He has premiered the new dress at the wedding.”
  4. Espero que él estrene los zapatos en la fiesta. — “I hope he premieres the shoes at the party.”

estrenar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use estrenar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo estreno la película en el festival de cine. — “I premiere the film at the film festival.”
  • Bea: Él estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid. — “He premieres the play in Madrid.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo estrené la obra de teatro en Madrid. — “Yesterday, I premiered the play in Madrid.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú estrenarás la película en el festival de cine. — “Tomorrow, you will premiere the film at the film festival.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros estrenamos el vestido nuevo en la boda. — “We premiere the new dress at the wedding.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros estrenábamos el vestido nuevo en la boda. — “Before, we used to premiere the new dress at the wedding.”
  • Luis: Yo estrenaría la obra de teatro en Madrid si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would premiere the play in Madrid if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él estrene los zapatos en la fiesta. — “I hope he premieres the shoes at the party.”

A short scene with estrenar

A short scene shows how estrenar works across the day. In the morning: Estreno la película en el festival de cine. In the afternoon: Estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, estrené el vestido nuevo en la boda. And tomorrow: Mañana, estrenaré los zapatos en la fiesta. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how estrenar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with estrenar

The errors learners actually make with estrenar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo estrena la película en el festival de cine.

✓ Correct: Yo estreno la película en el festival de cine.

The person matters: estrena is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is estreno. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo estreno la obra de teatro en Madrid.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo estrené la obra de teatro en Madrid.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: estreno is happening now, while estrené is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating estrenar and presentar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Estrenar means to premiere, to wear for the first time, while presentar means to present or introduce.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: estrenar fits sentences such as Estreno la película en el festival de cine, while presentar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy estrenado la obra de teatro en Madrid.

✓ Correct: Yo he estrenado la obra de teatro en Madrid.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he estrenado, has estrenado, ha estrenado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo estrené el vestido nuevo en la boda todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo estrenaba el vestido nuevo en la boda todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (estrenaba), not the preterite. The preterite (estrené) is for one finished action.

Quiz: estrenar in use

Ten questions on estrenar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la obra de teatro en Madrid. — “He/she premieres the play in Madrid.”

  • a) estrena
  • b) estreno
  • c) estrenas
  • d) estrenamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el vestido nuevo en la boda. — “Yesterday, I premiered the new dress at the wedding.”

  • a) estrenaste
  • b) estrenó
  • c) estrenaron
  • d) estrené

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ los zapatos en la fiesta cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to premiere the shoes at the party when they were young.”

  • a) estrenabas
  • b) estrenábamos
  • c) estrenaban
  • d) estrenaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la película en el festival de cine. — “Tomorrow, we will premiere the film at the film festival.”

  • a) estrenarán
  • b) estrenaremos
  • c) estrenaré
  • d) estrenarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la obra de teatro en Madrid si pudiera. — “He would premiere the play in Madrid if he could.”

  • a) estrenaría
  • b) estrenarías
  • c) estrenaríamos
  • d) estreno

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el vestido nuevo en la boda. — “I have premiered the new dress at the wedding.”

  • a) has estrenado
  • b) ha estrenado
  • c) han estrenado
  • d) he estrenado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ los zapatos en la fiesta. — “I hope you premiere the shoes at the party.”

  • a) estrenemos
  • b) estreno
  • c) estrenes
  • d) estrene

8. Which is the past participle of estrenar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) estrené
  • b) estrenado
  • c) estrenando
  • d) estreno

9. What does estrenar mean in English?

  • a) to premiere, to wear for the first time
  • b) to present or introduce
  • c) to exhibit
  • d) to film

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid.
  • b) Él estreno la obra de teatro en Madrid.
  • c) Nosotros estrena el vestido nuevo en la boda.
  • d) Yo estrena la película en el festival de cine.

Answer key

  1. a) estrena — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: estrena.

  2. d) estrené — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: estrené, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) estrenaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: estrenaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) estrenaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: estrenaremos.

  5. a) estrenaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: estrenaría.

  6. d) he estrenado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he estrenado, haber + estrenado.

  7. c) estrenes — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is estrenes.

  8. b) estrenado — The past participle is estrenado: he estrenado, has estrenado, ha estrenado. The gerund estrenando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to premiere, to wear for the first time — estrenar means to premiere, to wear for the first time. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid. — Él estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use estrenar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Estreno la película en el festival de cine and Estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between estrenar and presentar?

Estrenar means “to premiere, to wear for the first time”, while presentar means “to present or introduce”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use estrenar when you mean “to premiere, to wear for the first time” and presentar when you mean “to present or introduce”.

Which tense do I need most with estrenar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use estrenar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is estrenar formal or informal?

Estrenar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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