Extraer Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Extraer means “to extract”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Extraer means to extract, and it is used for extracting a tooth, extracting oil from the ground and extracting information from a document. It follows the pattern of traer, with the present extraigo, the preterite extraje, the gerund extrayendo and the participle extraído. This page shows extraer 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: “Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista.” — I extract a tooth at the dentist's.
Extraer in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how extraer 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 extraer in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Extraigo una muela en el dentista.” — I extract a tooth at the dentist's.
“¿Tú extraes petróleo del fondo del mar?” — Do you extract oil from the bottom of the sea?
“Extrae datos del informe.” — He/she extracts data from the report.
“Extraemos el jugo de la naranja.” — We extract the juice from the orange.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show extraer in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo extraje una muela en el dentista.” — Yesterday, I extracted a tooth at the dentist's. (preterite)
“Él extraía petróleo del fondo del mar todos los días.” — He used to extract oil from the bottom of the sea every day. (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 extraer stays the same.
“Nosotros extraeremos datos del informe mañana.” — We will extract data from the report tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has extraído el jugo de la naranja?” — Have you extracted the juice from the orange? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Extraéis una muela en el dentista.” — You extract a tooth at the dentist's.
“Extraen petróleo del fondo del mar.” — They extract oil from the bottom of the sea.
“Extraigo datos del informe.” — I extract data from the report.
“Extrae el jugo de la naranja.” — He/she extracts the juice from the orange.
Extraer 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 extraer appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú extraes una muela en el dentista?” — Do you extract a tooth at the dentist's?
Carlos: “Sí, yo extraigo una muela en el dentista.” — Yes, I extract a tooth at the dentist's.
Lucía: “Nosotros extraemos petróleo del fondo del mar.” — We extract oil from the bottom of the sea.
Carlos: “Y ellos extraen datos del informe.” — And they extract data from the report.
Lucía: “Vosotros extraéis el jugo de la naranja.” — You extract the juice from the orange.
Carlos: “Sí, y él extrae petróleo del fondo del mar.” — Yes, and he extracts oil from the bottom of the sea.
A short paragraph
Lucía extrae una muela en el dentista, y Carlos extrae petróleo del fondo del mar. Nosotros extraemos datos del informe, y ellos extraen el jugo de la naranja. Yo extraigo datos del informe, y mi padre extrae el jugo de la naranja. Extraer is part of everyday life, because to extract is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with extraer
These are the errors learners actually make with extraer. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo extrae una muela en el dentista.” Right: “Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista.” Why: The person matters: extrae is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is extraigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo extraí petróleo del fondo del mar.” Right: “Ayer yo extraje petróleo del fondo del mar.” Why: Extraer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is extraje, not the regular extraí. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
Wrong: “Treating extraer and sacar as identical in every context.” Right: “Extraer means to extract, while sacar means to take out.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: extraer fits sentences such as Extraigo una muela en el dentista, while sacar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy extraído petróleo del fondo del mar.” Right: “Yo he extraído petróleo del fondo del mar.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he extraído, has extraído, ha extraído. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo extraje datos del informe todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo extraía datos del informe todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (extraía), not the preterite. The preterite (extraje) is for one finished action.
Quiz: extraer in use
Ten questions on extraer in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ una muela en el dentista.” (A tooth at the dentist's.)
- (a) extraéis
- (b) extraigo
- (c) extraes
Answer: extraéis — The vosotros/as form of extraer in the present is extraéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ petróleo del fondo del mar.” (Oil from the bottom of the sea.)
- (a) extraigo
- (b) extraes
- (c) extraen
Answer: extraen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of extraer in the present is extraen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ una muela en el dentista.” (A tooth at the dentist's.)
- (a) extrajo
- (b) extraje
- (c) extrajiste
Answer: extraje — The yo form of extraer in the preterite is extraje.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ petróleo del fondo del mar.” (Oil from the bottom of the sea.)
- (a) extraía
- (b) extraías
- (c) extraíamos
Answer: extraía — The él/ella/Ud. form of extraer in the imperfect is extraía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ datos del informe.” (Data from the report.)
- (a) extraeré
- (b) extraerás
- (c) extraeremos
Answer: extraeremos — The nosotros/as form of extraer in the future is extraeremos.
6. What does extraer mean in English?
- (a) to distract
- (b) to extract
- (c) to take out
Answer: to extract — Extraer means “to extract”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista.
- (b) Ellos extrae una muela en el dentista.
- (c) Yo extraigo petróleo del fondo del mar ayer.
Answer: Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista. — “Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I extract a tooth at the dentist's.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo extraen una muela en el dentista.
- (b) Yo extraje una muela en el dentista.
- (c) Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista.
Answer: Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista. — “Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of extraer in the present tense?
- (a) extraes
- (b) extraemos
- (c) extraigo
Answer: extraemos — The nosotros form is extraemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo extraje una muela en el dentista.
- (b) Nosotros extraeremos una muela en el dentista mañana.
- (c) Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista.
Answer: Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista. — “Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I extract' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo extraigo una muela en el dentista todos los días'.
How do you say 'I extract' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo extraje petróleo del fondo del mar'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo extraía petróleo del fondo del mar todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he extraído petróleo del fondo del mar'.
What is the difference between extraer and sacar?
Extraer means to extract, while sacar means to take out. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use extraer when you mean to extract, as in Extraigo una muela en el dentista.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of extraer — every tense of extraer in one place.
- Extraer in the preterite 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 extraer and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of extraer until they are automatic.