Introduction
Extinguir means “to extinguish”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Extinguir means to extinguish, and it is used for fires, lights, debts and species: extinguir un incendio, extinguir una especie. It is a -guir verb: the u drops before o and a, so yo extingo and the subjunctive extinga. This page shows extinguir 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: “Extingo un incendio en el bosque.” — I extinguish a fire in the forest.
Extinguir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how extinguir 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 extinguir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Extingo un incendio en el bosque.” — I extinguish a fire in the forest.
“¿Extingues la luz de la vela?” — Do you extinguish the candle light?
“Extingue una especie en peligro.” — He/she extinguishes an endangered species.
“Nosotros extinguimos una deuda antigua.” — We extinguish an old debt.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show extinguir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo extinguí un incendio en el bosque.” — Yesterday, I extinguished a fire in the forest. (preterite)
“Antes, él extinguía la luz de la vela.” — Before, he used to extinguish the candle light. (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 extinguir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros extinguiremos una especie en peligro.” — Tomorrow, we will extinguish an endangered species. (future)
“¿Tú has extinguido una deuda antigua?” — Have you extinguished an old debt? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros extinguís un incendio en el bosque.” — You extinguish a fire in the forest.
“Ellos extinguen la luz de la vela.” — They extinguish the candle light.
“Yo extingo una especie en peligro.” — I extinguish an endangered species.
“Mi padre extingue una deuda antigua.” — My father extinguishes an old debt.
Extinguir 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 extinguir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú extingues la luz de la vela?” — Do you extinguish the candle light?
Pedro: “Sí, yo extingo un incendio en el bosque.” — Yes, I extinguish a fire in the forest.
Marta: “Nosotros extinguimos una deuda antigua.” — We extinguish an old debt.
Pedro: “Y ellos extinguen la luz de la vela.” — And they extinguish the candle light.
Marta: “Vosotros extinguís una especie en peligro.” — You extinguish an endangered species.
Pedro: “Sí, y él extingue un incendio en el bosque.” — Yes, and he extinguishes a fire in the forest.
A short paragraph
Extingue un incendio en el bosque, y nosotros extinguimos una deuda antigua. Yo extingo la luz de la vela, y ellos extinguen una especie en peligro. Extinguir is part of everyday life, because extinguish is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with extinguir
These are the errors learners actually make with extinguir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo extingue un incendio en el bosque.” Right: “Yo extingo un incendio en el bosque.” Why: The person matters: extingue is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is extingo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo extinguo la luz de la vela.” Right: “Yo extingo la luz de la vela.” Why: Extinguir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is extingo and extingue, and the gerund is extinguiendo. The form extingo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.
Wrong: “Treating extinguir and apagar as identical in every context.” Right: “Extinguir means to extinguish, while apagar means to put out.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: extinguir fits sentences such as Extingo un incendio en el bosque, while apagar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy extinguido la luz de la vela.” Right: “Yo he extinguido la luz de la vela.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he extinguido, has extinguido, ha extinguido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo extinguí una especie en peligro todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo extinguía una especie en peligro todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (extinguía), not the preterite. The preterite (extinguí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: extinguir in use
Ten questions on extinguir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ un incendio en el bosque.” (You extinguish a fire in the forest.)
- (a) extinguís
- (b) extingo
- (c) extingues
Answer: extinguís — The vosotros/as form of extinguir in the present tense is extinguís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la luz de la vela.” (They extinguish the candle light.)
- (a) extingues
- (b) extinguen
- (c) extingo
Answer: extinguen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of extinguir in the present tense is extinguen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ un incendio en el bosque.” (Yesterday I extinguished a fire in the forest.)
- (a) extinguiste
- (b) extinguió
- (c) extinguí
Answer: extinguí — In the preterite, the yo form of extinguir is extinguí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ la luz de la vela.” (Before, he used to extinguish the candle light.)
- (a) extinguía
- (b) extingo
- (c) extinguías
Answer: extinguía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of extinguir is extinguía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ una especie en peligro.” (Tomorrow we will extinguish an endangered species.)
- (a) extinguirás
- (b) extinguiremos
- (c) extinguiré
Answer: extinguiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of extinguir is extinguiremos.
6. What does extinguir mean in English?
- (a) to extinguish
- (b) to expand
- (c) to put out
Answer: to extinguish — Extinguir means “to extinguish”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo extingue un incendio en el bosque.
- (b) Ellos extingue la luz de la vela.
- (c) Yo extingo un incendio en el bosque.
Answer: Yo extingo un incendio en el bosque. — “Yo extingo un incendio en el bosque.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I extinguish a fire in the forest.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre extingue una deuda antigua.
- (b) Extingo un incendio en el bosque.
- (c) Extinguen un incendio en el bosque.
Answer: Extingo un incendio en el bosque. — “Extingo un incendio en el bosque.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of extinguir in the present tense?
- (a) extingo
- (b) extingues
- (c) extinguimos
Answer: extinguimos — The nosotros form is extinguimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros extinguiremos una especie en peligro.
- (b) Extingo un incendio en el bosque.
- (c) Ayer, yo extinguí un incendio en el bosque.
Answer: Extingo un incendio en el bosque. — “Extingo un incendio en el bosque.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I extinguish a fire in the forest' in Spanish?
Say 'Extingo un incendio en el bosque'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Extingo un incendio en el bosque todos los días'.
How do you say 'He extinguishes the candle light' in Spanish?
Say 'Él extingue la luz de la vela'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes extingue.
What is the difference between extinguir and apagar?
Extinguir means to extinguish, while apagar means to put out. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use extinguir when you mean to extinguish, as in 'Extingo un incendio en el bosque', and use apagar for to put out.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of extinguir — every tense of extinguir in one place.
- Extinguir 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 extinguir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of extinguir until they are automatic.