Fascinar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
fascinar means "to fascinate" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows fascinar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of fascinar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with fascinar
Something fascinates you
Fascinar works like gustar: the thing that fascinates you is the subject, and you are the indirect object. Me fascina la historia means the history fascinates me, and that reversed structure is the whole point of the verb.
- Cada día, me fascina la historia de Roma. — "Every day, the history of Rome fascinates me."
- Hoy, le fascina la música clásica. — "Today, classical music fascinates him."
- Ayer, me fascinaron los documentales de naturaleza. — "Yesterday, nature documentaries fascinated me."
- Antes, me fascinaban las historias de misterio. — "Before, mystery stories used to fascinate me."
- Mañana, me fascinará la historia de Roma. — "Tomorrow, the history of Rome will fascinate me."
- Hoy, me ha fascinado la música clásica. — "Today, classical music has fascinated me."
A strong, lasting interest
Fascinar describes more than liking something: it is a strong, lasting interest that makes you want to learn more. It appears in conversations about hobbies, studies and travel.
- Cada día, me fascinan los documentales de naturaleza. — "Every day, nature documentaries fascinate me."
- Hoy, le fascinan las historias de misterio. — "Today, mystery stories fascinate him."
- Ayer, me fascinó la historia de Roma. — "Yesterday, the history of Rome fascinated me."
- Antes, me fascinaba la música clásica. — "Before, classical music used to fascinate me."
- Mañana, me fascinarán los documentales de naturaleza. — "Tomorrow, nature documentaries will fascinate me."
- Hoy, me han fascinado las historias de misterio. — "Today, mystery stories have fascinated me."
Fascinar in conversation
The two dialogues below show fascinar in natural conversation. The first is about something fascinates you, and the second is about a strong, lasting interest. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Te fascina la historia de Roma? — "Does the history of Rome fascinate you?"
- Sí, me fascina la historia de Roma mucho. — "The history of Rome fascinates me a lot."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Te fascinó la música clásica? — "And yesterday? Did classical music fascinated you?"
- Sí, ayer me fascinó la música clásica mucho. — "Yesterday, classical music fascinated me a lot."
- Mañana me fascinarán los documentales de naturaleza también. — "Tomorrow, nature documentaries will fascinate me. too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Os fascinan los documentales de naturaleza? — "Does nature documentaries fascinate you?"
- Sí, nos fascinan los documentales de naturaleza mucho. — "Nature documentaries fascinate us a lot."
- ¿Y a ellos? ¿Les fascinan las historias de misterio? — "And them? Does mystery stories fascinate them?"
- Sí, les fascinan las historias de misterio también. — "Mystery stories fascinate them. too."
- Mañana nos fascinarán los documentales de naturaleza otra vez. — "Tomorrow, nature documentaries will fascinate us. again."
Common mistakes with fascinar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo fascino la música clásica.
- Right: Me fascina la música clásica.
- Why: Fascinar works like gustar: the thing you love is the subject, and you are the indirect object. Say me fascina, not yo fascino.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me fascina los documentales.
- Right: Me fascinan los documentales.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject, not with you. Los documentales is plural, so the verb must be fascinan.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Fascinar es lo mismo que gustar.
- Right: Fascinar is stronger than gustar.
- Why: Gustar means to like. Fascinar means to fascinate: a stronger, deeper interest. You can gustar something without it fascinar you.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, me fascinó la historia de Roma.
- Right: Cada día, me fascina la historia de Roma.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo fascino la historia de Roma.
- Right: Me fascina la historia de Roma.
- Why: Fascinar works like gustar: the thing is the subject and you are the indirect object. Do not start the sentence with yo and the verb.
Quiz: fascinar in use
Ten questions on fascinar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of fascinar in the present tense?
- (a) le fascina
- (b) nos fascina
- (c) me fascina
- (d) te fascina
Answer: (c) me fascina. The i form in the present is me fascina.
2. What is the he / she form of fascinar in the present tense?
- (a) nos fascina
- (b) le fascina
- (c) me fascina
- (d) te fascina
Answer: (b) le fascina. The he / she form in the present is le fascina.
3. What is the he / she form of fascinar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le fascinó
- (b) me fascinó
- (c) te fascinó
- (d) nos fascinó
Answer: (a) le fascinó. The he / she form in the preterite is le fascinó.
4. What is the i form of fascinar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me fascina
- (b) me fascinó
- (c) me fascinará
- (d) me fascinaba
Answer: (d) me fascinaba. The i form in the imperfect is me fascinaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of fascinar in the future tense?
- (a) le fascinará
- (b) nos fascinará
- (c) me fascinará
- (d) te fascinará
Answer: (c) me fascinará. The i form in the future is me fascinará.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) fasciné
- (b) fascinaba
- (c) fascino
- (d) he fascinado
Answer: (d) he fascinado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he fascinado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que te ___ la historia de Roma.
- (a) fascinaba
- (b) fascine
- (c) fascina
- (d) fascinó
Answer: (b) fascine. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: te fascine. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of fascinar in the present tense?
- (a) me fascina
- (b) te fascina
- (c) le fascina
- (d) nos fascina
Answer: (d) nos fascina. The we form in the present is nos fascina.
9. What is the i form of fascinar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le fascinó
- (b) nos fascinó
- (c) me fascinó
- (d) te fascinó
Answer: (c) me fascinó. The i form in the preterite is me fascinó.
10. What is the they form of fascinar in the present tense?
- (a) le fascina
- (b) les fascina
- (c) me fascina
- (d) te fascina
Answer: (b) les fascina. The they form in the present is les fascina.
Frequently asked questions about fascinar
Why is it 'me fascina' and not 'yo fascino'?
Because fascinar belongs to the gustar family. The thing that fascinates you is the grammatical subject, and you are the indirect object: me fascina la historia, me fascinan los libros.
Is it fascina or fascinan?
It depends on the subject. One thing: me fascina la música. Several things: me fascinan los libros. The verb always agrees with the thing, never with the person.
Can I use fascinar with people?
Yes: me fascina tu profesor means your teacher fascinates me. The structure is the same, and the person who fascinates you is still the subject.
How can I practise fascinar?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.