Felicitar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
felicitar means "to congratulate" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows felicitar 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 felicitar, 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 felicitar
Congratulating someone
Felicitar a alguien means to congratulate a person: felicito a mi hermana por su boda. The person is the direct object with the personal a, and por introduces the reason.
- Cada día, yo felicito a mi hermana por su boda. — "Every day, I congratulate my sister on her wedding."
- Hoy, él / ella felicita al ganador del concurso. — "Today, he / she congratulates the winner of the competition."
- Ayer, yo felicité a los graduados. — "Yesterday, I congratulated the graduates."
- Antes, yo felicitaba a mi amigo por su nuevo trabajo. — "Before, I used to congratulate my friend on his new job."
- Mañana, yo felicitaré a mi hermana por su boda. — "Tomorrow, I will congratulate my sister on her wedding."
- Hoy, yo he felicitado al ganador del concurso. — "Today, I have congratulated the winner of the competition."
Celebrating an occasion
Felicitar also appears with occasions: te felicito por tu cumpleaños means I congratulate you on your birthday. It is the standard verb for good news of every kind.
- Cada día, yo felicito a los graduados. — "Every day, I congratulate the graduates."
- Hoy, él / ella felicita a mi amigo por su nuevo trabajo. — "Today, he / she congratulates my friend on his new job."
- Ayer, yo felicité a mi hermana por su boda. — "Yesterday, I congratulated my sister on her wedding."
- Antes, yo felicitaba al ganador del concurso. — "Before, I used to congratulate the winner of the competition."
- Mañana, yo felicitaré a los graduados. — "Tomorrow, I will congratulate the graduates."
- Hoy, yo he felicitado a mi amigo por su nuevo trabajo. — "Today, I have congratulated my friend on his new job."
Felicitar in conversation
The two dialogues below show felicitar in natural conversation. The first is about congratulating someone, and the second is about celebrating an occasion. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú felicitas a mi hermana por su boda? — "Do you congratulate my sister on her wedding?"
- Sí, yo felicito a mi hermana por su boda cada día. — "Yes, I congratulate my sister on her wedding every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú felicitaste al ganador del concurso? — "And yesterday? Did you congratulate the winner of the competition?"
- Sí, ayer yo felicité al ganador del concurso. — "Yes, yesterday I congratulated the winner of the competition."
- Mañana yo felicitaré a los graduados también. — "Tomorrow I will congratulate the graduates too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros felicitáis a los graduados? — "Do you congratulate the graduates?"
- Sí, nosotros felicitamos a los graduados los fines de semana. — "Yes, we congratulate the graduates at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos felicitan a mi amigo por su nuevo trabajo? — "And them? Do they congratulate my friend on his new job?"
- Sí, ellos felicitan a mi amigo por su nuevo trabajo también. — "Yes, they congratulate my friend on his new job too."
- Mañana nosotros felicitaremos a los graduados otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will congratulate the graduates again."
Common mistakes with felicitar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo felicito mi hermana.
- Right: Yo felicito a mi hermana.
- Why: When the object is a person, felicitar needs the personal a: felicito a mi hermana, felicito a los graduados.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Te felicito de tu boda.
- Right: Te felicito por tu boda.
- Why: The reason after felicitar takes por, not de: te felicito por tu boda, te felicito por tu nuevo trabajo.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Felicitar es lo mismo que celebrar.
- Right: Felicitar means to congratulate; celebrar means to celebrate.
- Why: Felicitar is what you say to the person. Celebrar is what you do afterwards, usually with a party.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo felicité a mi hermana por su boda.
- Right: Cada día, yo felicito a mi hermana por su boda.
- 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 felicito a mi hermana por su boda ayer por la mañana.
- Right: Ayer por la mañana yo felicité a mi hermana por su boda.
- Why: Ayer por la mañana means yesterday morning, so the action is finished and needs the preterite, not the present.
Quiz: felicitar in use
Ten questions on felicitar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of felicitar in the present tense?
- (a) felicita
- (b) felicitamos
- (c) felicito
- (d) felicitas
Answer: (c) felicito. The i form in the present is felicito.
2. What is the he / she form of felicitar in the present tense?
- (a) felicitamos
- (b) felicita
- (c) felicito
- (d) felicitas
Answer: (b) felicita. The he / she form in the present is felicita.
3. What is the he / she form of felicitar in the preterite tense?
- (a) felicitó
- (b) felicité
- (c) felicitaste
- (d) felicitamos
Answer: (a) felicitó. The he / she form in the preterite is felicitó.
4. What is the i form of felicitar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) felicito
- (b) felicité
- (c) felicitaré
- (d) felicitaba
Answer: (d) felicitaba. The i form in the imperfect is felicitaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of felicitar in the future tense?
- (a) felicitará
- (b) felicitaremos
- (c) felicitaré
- (d) felicitarás
Answer: (c) felicitaré. The i form in the future is felicitaré.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) felicité
- (b) felicitaba
- (c) felicito
- (d) he felicitado
Answer: (d) he felicitado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he felicitado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a mi hermana por su boda.
- (a) felicitaba
- (b) felicite
- (c) felicita
- (d) felicitó
Answer: (b) felicite. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: felicite. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of felicitar in the present tense?
- (a) felicito
- (b) felicitas
- (c) felicita
- (d) felicitamos
Answer: (d) felicitamos. The we form in the present is felicitamos.
9. What is the i form of felicitar in the preterite tense?
- (a) felicitó
- (b) felicitamos
- (c) felicité
- (d) felicitaste
Answer: (c) felicité. The i form in the preterite is felicité.
10. What is the they form of felicitar in the present tense?
- (a) felicita
- (b) felicitan
- (c) felicito
- (d) felicitas
Answer: (b) felicitan. The they form in the present is felicitan.
Frequently asked questions about felicitar
Does felicitar take a or por?
Both: felicito a mi hermana por su boda. The a goes before the person you congratulate, and por goes before the reason.
Is felicitar regular?
Yes. Felicitar is a regular -ar verb: felicito, felicitaste, felicitaba, felicitaré. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes.
How do you say 'congratulations' in Spanish?
Felicidades is the noun, and te felicito is the verb form. Both are correct, but te felicito is warmer and more personal.
How can I practise felicitar?
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.