Extrañar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

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

Extrañar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo extraño todos los días. — I miss every day.
  2. Tú extrañas en el trabajo. — You miss at work.
  3. Él extraña con mi familia. — He misses with my family.
  4. Nosotros extrañamos por la mañana. — We miss 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 extrañé por la tarde. — Yesterday I missed in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo extrañaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to miss every day.
  3. La semana pasada él extrañó dos veces. — Last week He missed 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 extrañaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will miss without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo extrañaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would miss right now.
  3. Hoy yo he extrañado dos veces. — Today I have missed twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú extrañes pronto. — I hope You miss soon.
  2. ¡extraña, por favor! — Miss, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy extrañando. — Right now I am missing.

Extrañar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo extrañé por la tarde. Antes, yo extrañaba todos los días. Hoy yo he extrañado dos veces. Mañana yo extrañaré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with extrañar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo extrañaba.

Right: Ayer yo extrañé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, extrañé. The imperfect extrañaba 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 extrañas.

Right: Espero que tú extrañes.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No extraña.

Right: No extrañes.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo extrañar todos los días.

Right: Yo extraño todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He extrañando.

Right: He extrañado.

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

Quiz: extrañar in use

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

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

- (a) extrañas
- (b) extraña
- (c) extraño
- (d) extrañamos

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

- (a) extrañó
- (b) extrañaste
- (c) extrañamos
- (d) extrañé

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

- (a) extrañaré
- (b) extrañará
- (c) extrañaremos
- (d) extrañarás

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

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

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

- (a) extrañabas
- (b) extrañábamos
- (c) extrañaba
- (d) extrañaba

6. What is the gerund of extrañar?

- (a) extrañando
- (b) extraño
- (c) extrañado
- (d) extrañar

7. What is the past participle of extrañar?

- (a) extrañé
- (b) extrañando
- (c) extrañar
- (d) extrañado

8. Which sentence uses extrañar correctly?

- (a) *Yo extrañar todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo extraña todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo extraño todos los días.* — I miss every day.
- (d) *Yo extrañas todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses extrañar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo extrañar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo extrañaba por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo extrañé por la tarde.* — Yesterday I missed in the afternoon.
- (d) *Ayer yo extraño por la tarde.*

10. What does extrañar mean?

- (a) to be surprised
- (b) to express oneself
- (c) to miss, to find strange
- (d) to express

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I miss' in Spanish?

Say «Yo extraño 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 missed' about yesterday?

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

Is extrañar reflexive?

No — extrañar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo extraño, tú extrañas, él extraña. 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 extrañar?

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

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