Evitar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

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

Evitar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo evito todos los días. — I avoid every day.
  2. Tú evitas en el trabajo. — You avoid at work.
  3. Él evita con mi familia. — He avoids with my family.
  4. Nosotros evitamos por la mañana. — We avoid 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 evité por la tarde. — Yesterday I avoided in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo evitaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to avoid every day.
  3. La semana pasada él evitó dos veces. — Last week He avoided 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 evitaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will avoid without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo evitaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would avoid right now.
  3. Hoy yo he evitado dos veces. — Today I have avoided twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú evites pronto. — I hope You avoid soon.
  2. ¡evita, por favor! — Avoid, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy evitando. — Right now I am avoiding.

Evitar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo evité por la tarde. Antes, yo evitaba todos los días. Hoy yo he evitado dos veces. Mañana yo evitaré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with evitar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo evitaba.

Right: Ayer yo evité.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, evité. The imperfect evitaba 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 evitas.

Right: Espero que tú evites.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No evita.

Right: No evites.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo evitar todos los días.

Right: Yo evito todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He evitando.

Right: He evitado.

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

Quiz: evitar in use

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

1. What is the tú form of evitar in the present indicative?

- (a) evitamos
- (b) evito
- (c) evita
- (d) evitas

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of evitar in the preterite?

- (a) evitaste
- (b) evitó
- (c) evitamos
- (d) evité

3. What is the nosotros/as form of evitar in the future?

- (a) evitará
- (b) evitarás
- (c) evitaremos
- (d) evitaré

4. What is the vosotros/as form of evitar in the present perfect?

- (a) ha evitado
- (b) has evitado
- (c) he evitado
- (d) habéis evitado

5. What is the tú form of evitar in the imperfect?

- (a) evitaba
- (b) evitaba
- (c) evitabas
- (d) evitábamos

6. What is the gerund of evitar?

- (a) evitar
- (b) evitando
- (c) evito
- (d) evitado

7. What is the past participle of evitar?

- (a) evitado
- (b) evitando
- (c) evité
- (d) evitar

8. Which sentence uses evitar correctly?

- (a) *Yo evito todos los días.* — I avoid every day.
- (b) *Yo evitas todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo evita todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo evitar todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses evitar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo evité por la tarde.* — Yesterday I avoided in the afternoon.
- (b) *Ayer yo evitar por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo evito por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo evitaba por la tarde.*

10. What does evitar mean?

- (a) to avoid
- (b) to examine
- (c) to settle
- (d) to estimate

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of evitar is evitas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the preterite, the él/ella/Ud. form of evitar is evitó. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the future, the nosotros/as form of evitar is evitaremos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present perfect, the vosotros/as form of evitar is habéis evitado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the imperfect, the tú form of evitar is evitabas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — The gerund of evitar is evitando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy evitando». 7. (a) — The past participle of evitar is evitado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he evitado». 8. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of evitar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of evitar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (a) — evitar means «to avoid».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I avoid' in Spanish?

Say «Yo evito 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 avoided' about yesterday?

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

Is evitar reflexive?

No — evitar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo evito, tú evitas, él evita. 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 evitar?

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

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