Fijar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

fijar means to fix, to set, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo fijo todos los días» — I fix every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use fijar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Fijar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where fijar lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo fijo todos los días. — I fix every day.
  2. Tú fijas en el trabajo. — You fix at work.
  3. Él fija con mi familia. — He fixes with my family.
  4. Nosotros fijamos por la mañana. — We fix in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo fijé por la tarde. — Yesterday I fixed in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo fijaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to fix every day.
  3. La semana pasada él fijó dos veces. — Last week He fixed twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo fijaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will fix without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo fijaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would fix right now.
  3. Hoy yo he fijado dos veces. — Today I have fixed twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú fijes pronto. — I hope You fix soon.
  2. ¡fija, por favor! — Fix, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy fijando. — Right now I am fixing.

Fijar in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo fijo en el trabajo.» — I fix at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo fijo con mi familia.» — I fix with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo fijaré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will fix without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo fijaría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would fix right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he fijado dos veces.» — Today I have fixed twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo fijé por la tarde. Antes, yo fijaba todos los días. Hoy yo he fijado dos veces. Mañana yo fijaré sin falta.

Yesterday I fixed in the afternoon. In the past, I used to fix every day. Today I have fixed twice. Tomorrow I will fix without fail.

Common mistakes with fijar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo fijaba.

Right: Ayer yo fijé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, fijé. The imperfect fijaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú fijas.

Right: Espero que tú fijes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: fijes, not the indicative fijas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No fija.

Right: No fijes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no fijes. The affirmative fija can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo fijar todos los días.

Right: Yo fijo todos los días.

The infinitive fijar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo fijo.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He fijando.

Right: He fijado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he fijado. The gerund fijando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy fijando»), never with haber.

Quiz: fijar in use

Test yourself on fijar in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of fijar in the present indicative?

- (a) fijamos
- (b) fijas
- (c) fija
- (d) fijo

2. What is the tú form of fijar in the preterite?

- (a) fijé
- (b) fijó
- (c) fijamos
- (d) fijaste

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of fijar in the future?

- (a) fijaremos
- (b) fijará
- (c) fijaré
- (d) fijarás

4. What is the nosotros/as form of fijar in the present perfect?

- (a) has fijado
- (b) ha fijado
- (c) he fijado
- (d) hemos fijado

5. What is the yo form of fijar in the imperfect?

- (a) fijábamos
- (b) fijaba
- (c) fijaba
- (d) fijabas

6. What is the gerund of fijar?

- (a) fijando
- (b) fijo
- (c) fijar
- (d) fijado

7. What is the past participle of fijar?

- (a) fijé
- (b) fijar
- (c) fijado
- (d) fijando

8. Which sentence uses fijar correctly?

- (a) *Yo fijo todos los días.* — I fix every day.
- (b) *Yo fijar todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo fija todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo fijas todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses fijar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo fijo por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo fijaba por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo fijar por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo fijé por la tarde.* — Yesterday I fixed in the afternoon.

10. What does fijar mean?

- (a) to annoy
- (b) to trust
- (c) to sign
- (d) to fix, to set

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of fijar is fijo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the tú form of fijar is fijaste. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the future, the él/ella/Ud. form of fijar is fijará. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present perfect, the nosotros/as form of fijar is hemos fijado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the imperfect, the yo form of fijar is fijaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — The gerund of fijar is fijando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy fijando». 7. (c) — The past participle of fijar is fijado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he fijado». 8. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of fijar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of fijar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (d) — fijar means «to fix, to set».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I fix' in Spanish?

Say «Yo fijo todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I fixed' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo fijé por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is fijar reflexive?

No — fijar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo fijo, tú fijas, él fija. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with fijar?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (fijé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (fijaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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