Fiar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

fiar means "to trust, to sell on credit" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Fiarse de means to trust someone or something: me fío de su amigo, me fío de su palabra. Without se, fiar means to sell on credit: fiar la mercancía a sus clientes. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of fiar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the fiar present tense page.

fiar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo fío de su amigo en todo — "I trust his friend in everything"
  2. Mi amigo fía de su instinto en el examen — "My friend trusts his instinct in the exam"
  3. Mañana, tú fiarás de la palabra de su jefe — "Tomorrow, you will trust his boss's word"
  4. Yo fiaría de su hermano con el coche si pudiera — "I would trust his brother with the car if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo fie de su amigo en todo — "Yesterday, I trusted his friend in everything"
  2. Antes, nosotros fiábamos de su instinto en el examen — "Before, we used to trust his instinct in the exam"
  3. Él ha fiado de la palabra de su jefe — "He has trusted his boss's word"
  4. Yo ya había fiado de su hermano con el coche antes de salir — "I already had trusted his brother with the car before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él fíe de su amigo en todo — "I hope he trusts his friend in everything"
  2. Si yo fiara de su instinto en el examen, todo cambiaría — "If I trusted his instinct in the exam, everything would change"
  3. Fía de la palabra de su jefe. — "Trust his boss's word."
  4. Yo habría fiado de su hermano con el coche con más tiempo — "I would have trusted his brother with the car with more time"

fiar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use fiar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo fío de su amigo en todo — "I trust his friend in everything"
  • Marcos: Él fía de su instinto en el examen — "He trusts his instinct in the exam"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo fie de la palabra de su jefe — "Yesterday, I trusted his boss's word"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú fiarás de su hermano con el coche — "Tomorrow, you will trust his brother with the car"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Fía de su memoria en la prueba. — "Trust his memory in the test."
  • Lucía: Él ha fiado de su amigo en todo — "He has trusted his friend in everything"
  • Marcos: Espero que él fíe de su instinto en el examen — "I hope he trusts his instinct in the exam"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo fiaba de la palabra de su jefe — "Before, I used to trust his boss's word"

Common mistakes with fiar

The errors learners actually make with fiar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Espero que él fía de su hermano con el coche

✓ Correct: Espero que él fíe de su hermano con el coche

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él fíe de su hermano con el coche — not the indicative Espero que él fía de su hermano con el coche.

✗ *Ayer, yo fío de su memoria en la prueba

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo fie de su memoria en la prueba

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo fie de su memoria en la prueba.

✗ *De niño, yo fie de su amigo en todo todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo fiaba de su amigo en todo todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo fiaba de su amigo en todo todos los días.

✗ *Yo fío la palabra de su jefe.

✓ Correct: Yo fío de la palabra de su jefe.

fiar takes de before this complement: Yo fío de la palabra de su jefe. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

✗ *Vosotros fiais de su instinto en el examen.

✓ Correct: Vosotros fiáis de su instinto en el examen.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: fiáis, not fiais.

Quiz: fiar in use

Ten questions on fiar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de su amigo en todo — "I trust his friend in everything" (present) A. fiamos B. fío C. fías D. fía

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ de su instinto en el examen — "Yesterday, I trusted his instinct in the exam" (preterite) A. fiaste B. fio C. fiamos D. fie

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ de la palabra de su jefe — "Before, we used to trust his boss's word" (imperfect) A. fiabais B. fiábamos C. fiaba D. fiabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ de su hermano con el coche — "Tomorrow, you will trust his brother with the car" (future) A. fiaremos B. fiarás C. fiaré D. fiará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de su memoria en la prueba — "I would trust his memory in the test" (conditional) A. fiarías B. fiaríamos C. fiaríais D. fiaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ de su amigo en todo — "He has trusted his friend in everything" (present perfect) A. has fiado B. hemos fiado C. ha fiado D. he fiado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ de su instinto en el examen — "I hope he trusts his instinct in the exam" (present subjunctive) A. fiemos B. fiéis C. fíe D. fíes

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ de la palabra de su jefe. — "Trust his boss's word." (affirmative imperative) A. fiad B. fía C. fíe D. fiemos

  9. Which is the gerund of fiar, used with estar for the progressive? A. fiando B. fiado C. fío D. fie

  10. What does fiar mean in English? A. to cross B. to draw C. to trust D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. fío — The present form for yo is fío.
  2. fie — The preterite form for yo is fie.
  3. fiábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is fiábamos.
  4. fiarás — The future form for tú is fiarás.
  5. fiaría — The conditional form for yo is fiaría.
  6. ha fiado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha fiado.
  7. fíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is fíe.
  8. fía — The affirmative imperative form is fía.
  9. fiando — The gerund of fiar is fiando: estoy fiando. The participle fiado is used with haber instead.
  10. to trust — fiar means to trust.

Frequently asked questions

What does fiar mean in English?

fiar means to trust, to sell on credit. For example: Yo fío de su amigo en todo — "I trust his friend in everything". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with fiar?

fiar takes de before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with fiar.

Is fiar regular?

Yes. fiar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise fiar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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