Extraviar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
extraviar means "to misplace" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see extraviar with his keys in the park, his passport on the trip, his wallet on the bus and the document in the office — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo extravío las llaves en el parque. — "Every day, I misplace his keys in the park." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
extraviar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with extraviar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo extravío las llaves en el parque. — "Every day, I misplace his keys in the park." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo extravié el pasaporte en el viaje. — "Yesterday, I misplaced his passport on the trip." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo extraviaba la cartera en el autobús. — "In the past, I used to misplace his wallet on the bus." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros extraviaremos el documento en la oficina. — "Tomorrow, we will misplace the document in the office." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú extraviarías las llaves en el parque. — "If you could, you would misplace his keys in the park." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he extraviado el pasaporte en el viaje. — "I have misplaced his passport on the trip." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él extravía la cartera en el autobús. — "Normally, he/she misplaces his wallet on the bus." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él extravió el documento en la oficina. — "Yesterday, he/she misplaced the document in the office." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros extraviábamos las llaves en el parque. — "In the past, we used to misplace his keys in the park." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo extraviaré el pasaporte en el viaje. — "Tomorrow, I will misplace his passport on the trip." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él extravíe la cartera en el autobús. — "I hope that he/she misplaces his wallet on the bus." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Extravía el documento en la oficina! — "Misplace the document in the office!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using extraviar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: his keys in the park, his passport on the trip, his wallet on the bus and the document in the office.
Dialogue 1: talking about his keys in the park
Ana: ¿Tú extravías las llaves en el parque? — "Do you misplace his keys in the park?" Luis: Sí, yo extravío las llaves en el parque. — "I misplace his keys in the park." Ana: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Luis: Ayer, yo extravié el pasaporte en el viaje. — "Yesterday, I misplaced his passport on the trip." Ana: Mañana, nosotros extraviaremos la cartera en el autobús. — "Tomorrow, we will misplace his wallet on the bus." Luis: Si pudiera, yo extraviaría el documento en la oficina. — "If I could, I would misplace the document in the office." Ana: Antes, yo extraviaba el pasaporte en el viaje. — "In the past, I used to misplace his passport on the trip." Luis: Yo he extraviado las llaves en el parque. — "I have misplaced his keys in the park." Ana: ¡Extravía la cartera en el autobús! — "Misplace his wallet on the bus!"
In this dialogue extraviar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about his wallet on the bus
Ana: Él extravía la cartera en el autobús. — "he/she misplaces his wallet on the bus." Luis: ¿De verdad? ¿Él extravía la cartera en el autobús todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she misplaces his wallet on the bus every day?" Ana: Sí, y ellos extravían el documento en la oficina. — "they misplace the document in the office." Luis: Ayer, ellos extraviaron la cartera en el autobús. — "Yesterday, they misplaced his wallet on the bus." Ana: Espero que él extravíe el documento en la oficina. — "I hope that he/she misplaces the document in the office." Luis: Mañana, él extraviará la cartera en el autobús. — "Tomorrow, he/she will misplace his wallet on the bus." Ana: Antes, nosotros extraviábamos el documento en la oficina. — "In the past, we used to misplace the document in the office." Luis: Nosotros extraviamos las llaves en el parque también. — "we misplace his keys in the park too."
This dialogue shows extraviar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with extraviar
The errors learners actually make with extraviar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me extravío las llaves en el parque.
- Right: Yo extravío las llaves en el parque.
- Why: extraviar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo extravío las llaves en el parque. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo extraviar las llaves en el parque.
- Right: Yo extravío las llaves en el parque.
- Why: The infinitive extraviar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form extravío.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo extravío el pasaporte en el viaje.
- Right: Ayer, yo extravié el pasaporte en el viaje.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo extravié el pasaporte en el viaje. — "Yesterday, I misplaced his passport on the trip."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy extraviado la cartera en el autobús.
- Right: Estoy extraviando la cartera en el autobús.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund extraviando for the progressive. The participle extraviado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he extraviado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Confusing extraviar with extraviarse
- Wrong: Yo me extravío las llaves en el parque.
- Right: Yo extravío las llaves en el parque.
- Why: extraviar (to misplace) and extraviarse are partners, not the same verb. The reflexive partner extraviarse is used when the action comes back to the subject.
Quiz: extraviar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on extraviar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of extraviar in the present tense?
- (a) extravías
- (b) extravía
- (c) extraviamos
- (d) extravío
Answer: (d) extravío. The yo form is extravío.
2. What is the tú form of extraviar in the present tense?
- (a) extravía
- (b) extraviamos
- (c) extravías
- (d) extravío
Answer: (c) extravías. The tú form is extravías.
3. What is the él/ella form of extraviar in the present tense?
- (a) extraviamos
- (b) extravía
- (c) extravío
- (d) extravías
Answer: (b) extravía. The él/ella form is extravía.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ las llaves en el parque.
- (a) extravío
- (b) extravías
- (c) extravía
- (d) extraviamos
Answer: (a) extravío. The sentence needs the yo form extravío.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ el pasaporte en el viaje.
- (a) extraviaste
- (b) extravió
- (c) extraviamos
- (d) extravié
Answer: (d) extravié. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is extravié.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la cartera en el autobús.
- (a) extraviábamos
- (b) extraviabais
- (c) extraviaba
- (d) extraviabas
Answer: (c) extraviaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is extraviaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el documento en la oficina.
- (a) extraviaremos
- (b) extraviaré
- (c) extraviarás
- (d) extraviará
Answer: (b) extraviaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is extraviaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las llaves en el parque.
- (a) hemos extraviado
- (b) he extraviado
- (c) has extraviado
- (d) ha extraviado
Answer: (b) he extraviado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he extraviado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la cartera en el autobús.
- (a) extravíes
- (b) extraviemos
- (c) extraviéis
- (d) extravíe
Answer: (d) extravíe. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is extravíe.
10. What does extraviar mean in English?
- (a) to build, to erect
- (b) to exemplify
- (c) to fortify
- (d) to misplace
Answer: (d) to misplace. extraviar means "to misplace" in English.
Frequently asked questions about extraviar
What does extraviar mean?
extraviar means "to misplace" in English. Use it when you talk about his keys in the park, his passport on the trip, his wallet on the bus and the document in the office — for example: Cada día, yo extravío las llaves en el parque. — "Every day, I misplace his keys in the park."
What is the difference between extraviar and extraviarse?
extraviar means "to misplace", while extraviarse means "to get lost". The reflexive form is used when the action comes back to the subject, and the plain form is used when the action is done to someone or something else.
What is the most common mistake with extraviar?
The tense, not the form. Learners use the present tense for yesterday, or the preterite for a habit. Remember: Cada día, yo extravío las llaves en el parque. — "Every day, I misplace his keys in the park." is a habit, while Ayer, yo extravié las llaves en el parque is one finished action.
How can I practise extraviar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.