Evaluar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

evaluar means "to evaluate" 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. Evaluar means to evaluate or assess: evaluar los resultados, evaluar a sus alumnos. It is common in education, business and official reports. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 evaluar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the evaluar present tense page.

evaluar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo evalúo los resultados del examen — "I evaluate the exam results"
  2. Mi amigo evalúa el proyecto antes de aprobarlo — "My friend evaluates the project before approving it"
  3. Mañana, tú evaluarás a sus alumnos cada trimestre — "Tomorrow, you will evaluate his pupils every term"
  4. Yo evaluaría los daños del incendio si pudiera — "I would evaluate the fire damage if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo evalué los resultados del examen — "Yesterday, I evaluated the exam results"
  2. Antes, nosotros evaluábamos el proyecto antes de aprobarlo — "Before, we used to evaluate the project before approving it"
  3. Él ha evaluado a sus alumnos cada trimestre — "He has evaluated his pupils every term"
  4. Yo ya había evaluado los daños del incendio antes de salir — "I already had evaluated the fire damage before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él evalúe los resultados del examen — "I hope he evaluates the exam results"
  2. Si yo evaluara el proyecto antes de aprobarlo, todo cambiaría — "If I evaluated the project before approving it, everything would change"
  3. Evalúa a sus alumnos cada trimestre. — "Evaluate his pupils every term."
  4. Yo habría evaluado los daños del incendio con más tiempo — "I would have evaluated the fire damage with more time"

evaluar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use evaluar 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 it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo evalúo los resultados del examen — "I evaluate the exam results"
  • Marcos: Él evalúa el proyecto antes de aprobarlo — "He evaluates the project before approving it"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo evalué a sus alumnos cada trimestre — "Yesterday, I evaluated his pupils every term"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú evaluarás los daños del incendio — "Tomorrow, you will evaluate the fire damage"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Evalúa la situación con calma. — "Evaluate the situation calmly."
  • Lucía: Él ha evaluado los resultados del examen — "He has evaluated the exam results"
  • Marcos: Espero que él evalúe el proyecto antes de aprobarlo — "I hope he evaluates the project before approving it"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo evaluaba a sus alumnos cada trimestre — "Before, I used to evaluate his pupils every term"

Common mistakes with evaluar

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

✗ *Espero que él evalúa los daños del incendio

✓ Correct: Espero que él evalúe los daños del incendio

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él evalúe los daños del incendio — not the indicative Espero que él evalúa los daños del incendio.

✗ *Ayer, yo evalúo la situación con calma

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo evalué la situación con calma

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo evalué la situación con calma.

✗ *De niño, yo evalué los resultados del examen todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo evaluaba los resultados del examen todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo evaluaba los resultados del examen todos los días.

✗ *Yo evalúo sus alumnos cada trimestre.

✓ Correct: Yo evalúo a sus alumnos cada trimestre.

evaluar takes a before this complement: Yo evalúo a sus alumnos cada trimestre. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

✗ *Vosotros evaluais el proyecto antes de aprobarlo.

✓ Correct: Vosotros evaluáis el proyecto antes de aprobarlo.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: evaluáis, not evaluais.

Quiz: evaluar in use

Ten questions on evaluar — 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: Yo ______ los resultados del examen — "I evaluate the exam results" (present) A. evalúa B. evaluamos C. evalúo D. evalúas

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el proyecto antes de aprobarlo — "Yesterday, I evaluated the project before approving it" (preterite) A. evaluaste B. evaluó C. evaluamos D. evalué

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ a sus alumnos cada trimestre — "Before, we used to evaluate his pupils every term" (imperfect) A. evaluabas B. evaluabais C. evaluábamos D. evaluaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ los daños del incendio — "Tomorrow, you will evaluate the fire damage" (future) A. evaluaremos B. evaluarás C. evaluaré D. evaluará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la situación con calma — "I would evaluate the situation calmly" (conditional) A. evaluaría B. evaluarías C. evaluaríamos D. evaluaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ los resultados del examen — "He has evaluated the exam results" (present perfect) A. ha evaluado B. he evaluado C. has evaluado D. hemos evaluado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el proyecto antes de aprobarlo — "I hope he evaluates the project before approving it" (present subjunctive) A. evaluéis B. evalúe C. evalúes D. evaluemos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ a sus alumnos cada trimestre. — "Evaluate his pupils every term." (affirmative imperative) A. evaluemos B. evaluad C. evalúa D. evalúe

  9. Which is the gerund of evaluar, used with estar for the progressive? A. evalúo B. evalué C. evaluando D. evaluado

  10. What does evaluar mean in English? A. to evaluate B. to assess, to value C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. evalúo — The present form for yo is evalúo.
  2. evalué — The preterite form for yo is evalué.
  3. evaluábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is evaluábamos.
  4. evaluarás — The future form for tú is evaluarás.
  5. evaluaría — The conditional form for yo is evaluaría.
  6. ha evaluado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha evaluado.
  7. evalúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is evalúe.
  8. evalúa — The affirmative imperative form is evalúa.
  9. evaluando — The gerund of evaluar is evaluando: estoy evaluando. The participle evaluado is used with haber instead.
  10. to evaluate — evaluar means to evaluate.

Frequently asked questions

What does evaluar mean in English?

evaluar means to evaluate. For example: Yo evalúo los resultados del examen — "I evaluate the exam results". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with evaluar?

evaluar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is evaluar regular?

Yes. evaluar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise evaluar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

Related links