Extraviarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
extraviarse means "to get lost" 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 extraviarse with the forest at night, the city without a map, the shopping centre and the village streets — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche. — "Every day, I get lost in the forest at night." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
extraviarse in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with extraviarse, 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 me extravío en el bosque por la noche. — "Every day, I get lost in the forest at night." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo me extravié en la ciudad sin mapa. — "Yesterday, I got lost in the city without a map." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo me extraviaba en el centro comercial. — "In the past, I used to get lost in the shopping centre." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros nos extraviaremos por las calles del pueblo. — "Tomorrow, we will get lost through the village streets." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú te extraviarías en el bosque por la noche. — "If you could, you would get lost in the forest at night." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo me he extraviado en la ciudad sin mapa. — "I have got lost in the city without a map." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él se extravía en el centro comercial. — "Normally, he/she gets lost in the shopping centre." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él se extravió por las calles del pueblo. — "Yesterday, he/she got lost through the village streets." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros nos extraviábamos en el bosque por la noche. — "In the past, we used to get lost in the forest at night." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo me extraviaré en la ciudad sin mapa. — "Tomorrow, I will get lost in the city without a map." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él se extravíe en el centro comercial. — "I hope that he/she gets lost in the shopping centre." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡No te extravíes por las calles del pueblo! — "Do not get lost through the village streets!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using extraviarse naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the forest at night, the city without a map, the shopping centre and the village streets.
Dialogue 1: talking about the forest at night
María: ¿Tú te extravías en el bosque por la noche? — "Do you get lost in the forest at night?" Carlos: Sí, yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche. — "I get lost in the forest at night." María: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Carlos: Ayer, yo me extravié en la ciudad sin mapa. — "Yesterday, I got lost in the city without a map." María: Mañana, nosotros nos extraviaremos en el centro comercial. — "Tomorrow, we will get lost in the shopping centre." Carlos: Si pudiera, yo me extraviaría por las calles del pueblo. — "If I could, I would get lost through the village streets." María: Antes, yo me extraviaba en la ciudad sin mapa. — "In the past, I used to get lost in the city without a map." Carlos: Yo me he extraviado en el bosque por la noche. — "I have got lost in the forest at night." María: ¡No te extravíes en el centro comercial! — "Do not get lost in the shopping centre!"
In this dialogue extraviarse 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 the shopping centre
María: Él se extravía en el centro comercial. — "he/she gets lost in the shopping centre." Carlos: ¿De verdad? ¿Él se extravía en el centro comercial todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she gets lost in the shopping centre every day?" María: Sí, y ellos se extravían por las calles del pueblo. — "they get lost through the village streets." Carlos: Ayer, ellos se extraviaron en el centro comercial. — "Yesterday, they got lost in the shopping centre." María: Espero que él se extravíe por las calles del pueblo. — "I hope that he/she gets lost through the village streets." Carlos: Mañana, él se extraviará en el centro comercial. — "Tomorrow, he/she will get lost in the shopping centre." María: Antes, nosotros nos extraviábamos por las calles del pueblo. — "In the past, we used to get lost through the village streets." Carlos: Nosotros nos extraviamos en el bosque por la noche también. — "we get lost in the forest at night too."
This dialogue shows extraviarse 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 extraviarse
The errors learners actually make with extraviarse in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo extravío en el bosque por la noche.
- Right: Yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche.
- Why: extraviarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo extraviarse en el bosque por la noche.
- Right: Yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche.
- Why: The infinitive extraviarse 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 me extravío en la ciudad sin mapa.
- Right: Ayer, yo me extravié en la ciudad sin mapa.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me extravié en la ciudad sin mapa. — "Yesterday, I got lost in the city without a map."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Me estoy extraviado en el centro comercial.
- Right: Me estoy extraviando en el centro comercial.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund extraviando for the progressive. The participle extraviado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (me he extraviado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Confusing extraviarse with extraviar
- Wrong: Yo extravío en el bosque por la noche.
- Right: Yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche.
- Why: extraviarse (to get lost) and extraviar are partners, not the same verb. Use the reflexive pronoun when the action comes back to the subject.
Quiz: extraviarse in use
Test yourself with ten questions on extraviarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of extraviarse in the present tense?
- (a) extravía
- (b) extraviamos
- (c) extravío
- (d) extravías
Answer: (c) extravío. The yo form is extravío.
2. What is the tú form of extraviarse in the present tense?
- (a) extraviamos
- (b) extravías
- (c) extravío
- (d) extravía
Answer: (b) extravías. The tú form is extravías.
3. What is the él/ella form of extraviarse in the present tense?
- (a) extravía
- (b) extravío
- (c) extravías
- (d) extraviamos
Answer: (a) extravía. The él/ella form is extravía.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ en el bosque por la noche.
- (a) extravías
- (b) extravía
- (c) extraviamos
- (d) extravío
Answer: (d) extravío. The sentence needs the yo form extravío.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ en la ciudad sin mapa.
- (a) extravió
- (b) extraviamos
- (c) extravié
- (d) extraviaste
Answer: (c) extravié. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is extravié.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ en el centro comercial.
- (a) extraviabais
- (b) extraviaba
- (c) extraviabas
- (d) extraviábamos
Answer: (b) extraviaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is extraviaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ por las calles del pueblo.
- (a) extraviaré
- (b) extraviarás
- (c) extraviará
- (d) extraviaremos
Answer: (a) extraviaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is extraviaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el bosque por la noche.
- (a) me he extraviado
- (b) te has extraviado
- (c) se ha extraviado
- (d) nos hemos extraviado
Answer: (a) me he extraviado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: me he extraviado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el centro comercial.
- (a) extraviemos
- (b) extraviéis
- (c) extravíe
- (d) extravíes
Answer: (c) extravíe. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is extravíe.
10. What does extraviarse mean in English?
- (a) to pounce, to rush at
- (b) to stock up
- (c) to get lost
- (d) to glorify
Answer: (c) to get lost. extraviarse means "to get lost" in English.
Frequently asked questions about extraviarse
What does extraviarse mean?
extraviarse means "to get lost" in English. Use it when you talk about the forest at night, the city without a map, the shopping centre and the village streets — for example: Cada día, yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche. — "Every day, I get lost in the forest at night."
Is extraviarse reflexive?
Yes. extraviarse is reflexive, so it always travels with a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Cada día, yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche. — "Every day, I get lost in the forest at night." If you drop the pronoun, the sentence is incomplete.
What is the most common mistake with extraviarse?
Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Learners write the bare form — for example, Yo extravío en el bosque por la noche — when the verb needs its pronoun: Cada día, yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche. — "Every day, I get lost in the forest at night." Keep the pronoun with the verb and the mistake disappears.
How can I practise extraviarse?
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.