Introduction
Expandir means “to expand”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Expandir means to expand, and it is used for businesses, gases, ideas and territories: expandir el negocio, expandir la empresa. It is a regular -ir verb. This page shows expandir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Expando el negocio a otros países.” — I expand the business to other countries.
Expandir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how expandir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use expandir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Expando el negocio a otros países.” — I expand the business to other countries.
“¿Expandes la empresa en América?” — Do you expand the company in America?
“Expande las ideas del grupo.” — He/she expands the group's ideas.
“Nosotros expandimos el gas en el laboratorio.” — We expand gas in the laboratory.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show expandir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo expandí el negocio a otros países.” — Yesterday, I expanded the business to other countries. (preterite)
“Antes, él expandía la empresa en América.” — Before, he used to expand the company in America. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of expandir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros expandiremos las ideas del grupo.” — Tomorrow, we will expand the group's ideas. (future)
“¿Tú has expandido el gas en el laboratorio?” — Have you expanded gas in the laboratory? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros expandís el negocio a otros países.” — You expand the business to other countries.
“Ellos expanden la empresa en América.” — They expand the company in America.
“Yo expando las ideas del grupo.” — I expand the group's ideas.
“Mi padre expande el gas en el laboratorio.” — My father expands gas in the laboratory.
Expandir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how expandir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú expandes la empresa en América?” — Do you expand the company in America?
Pedro: “Sí, yo expando el negocio a otros países.” — Yes, I expand the business to other countries.
Marta: “Nosotros expandimos el gas en el laboratorio.” — We expand gas in the laboratory.
Pedro: “Y ellos expanden la empresa en América.” — And they expand the company in America.
Marta: “Vosotros expandís las ideas del grupo.” — You expand the group's ideas.
Pedro: “Sí, y él expande el negocio a otros países.” — Yes, and he expands the business to other countries.
A short paragraph
Expande el negocio a otros países, y nosotros expandimos el gas en el laboratorio. Yo expando la empresa en América, y ellos expanden las ideas del grupo. Expandir is part of everyday life, because expand is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with expandir
These are the errors learners actually make with expandir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo expande el negocio a otros países.” Right: “Yo expando el negocio a otros países.” Why: The person matters: expande is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is expando. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo expando la empresa en América.” Right: “Ayer yo expandí la empresa en América.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: expando is happening now, while expandí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating expandir and ampliar as identical in every context.” Right: “Expandir means to expand, while ampliar means to widen, to expand.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: expandir fits sentences such as Expando el negocio a otros países, while ampliar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy expandido la empresa en América.” Right: “Yo he expandido la empresa en América.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he expandido, has expandido, ha expandido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo expandí las ideas del grupo todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo expandía las ideas del grupo todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (expandía), not the preterite. The preterite (expandí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: expandir in use
Ten questions on expandir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ el negocio a otros países.” (You expand the business to other countries.)
- (a) expandís
- (b) expando
- (c) expandes
Answer: expandís — The vosotros/as form of expandir in the present tense is expandís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la empresa en América.” (They expand the company in America.)
- (a) expandes
- (b) expanden
- (c) expando
Answer: expanden — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of expandir in the present tense is expanden.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ el negocio a otros países.” (Yesterday I expanded the business to other countries.)
- (a) expandiste
- (b) expandió
- (c) expandí
Answer: expandí — In the preterite, the yo form of expandir is expandí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ la empresa en América.” (Before, he used to expand the company in America.)
- (a) expandía
- (b) expando
- (c) expandías
Answer: expandía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of expandir is expandía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ las ideas del grupo.” (Tomorrow we will expand the group's ideas.)
- (a) expandirás
- (b) expandiremos
- (c) expandiré
Answer: expandiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of expandir is expandiremos.
6. What does expandir mean in English?
- (a) to expand
- (b) to emit, to broadcast
- (c) to widen, to expand
Answer: to expand — Expandir means “to expand”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo expande el negocio a otros países.
- (b) Ellos expande la empresa en América.
- (c) Yo expando el negocio a otros países.
Answer: Yo expando el negocio a otros países. — “Yo expando el negocio a otros países.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I expand the business to other countries.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre expande el gas en el laboratorio.
- (b) Expando el negocio a otros países.
- (c) Expanden el negocio a otros países.
Answer: Expando el negocio a otros países. — “Expando el negocio a otros países.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of expandir in the present tense?
- (a) expando
- (b) expandes
- (c) expandimos
Answer: expandimos — The nosotros form is expandimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros expandiremos las ideas del grupo.
- (b) Expando el negocio a otros países.
- (c) Ayer, yo expandí el negocio a otros países.
Answer: Expando el negocio a otros países. — “Expando el negocio a otros países.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I expand the business to other countries' in Spanish?
Say 'Expando el negocio a otros países'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Expando el negocio a otros países todos los días'.
How do you say 'He expands the company in America' in Spanish?
Say 'Él expande la empresa en América'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes expande.
What is the difference between expandir and ampliar?
Expandir means to expand, while ampliar means to widen, to expand. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use expandir when you mean to expand, as in 'Expando el negocio a otros países', and use ampliar for to widen, to expand.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of expandir — every tense of expandir in one place.
- Expandir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on expandir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of expandir until they are automatic.