Fracasar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

fracasar means to fail, 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 fracaso todos los días» — I fail every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use fracasar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Fracasar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo fracaso todos los días. — I fail every day.
  2. Tú fracasas en el trabajo. — You fail at work.
  3. Él fracasa con mi familia. — He fails with my family.
  4. Nosotros fracasamos por la mañana. — We fail 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 fracasé por la tarde. — Yesterday I failed in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo fracasaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to fail every day.
  3. La semana pasada él fracasó dos veces. — Last week He failed 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 fracasaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will fail without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo fracasaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would fail right now.
  3. Hoy yo he fracasado dos veces. — Today I have failed twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú fracases pronto. — I hope You fail soon.
  2. ¡fracasa, por favor! — Fail, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy fracasando. — Right now I am failing.

Fracasar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo fracasé por la tarde. Antes, yo fracasaba todos los días. Hoy yo he fracasado dos veces. Mañana yo fracasaré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with fracasar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo fracasaba.

Right: Ayer yo fracasé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, fracasé. The imperfect fracasaba 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 fracasas.

Right: Espero que tú fracases.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No fracasa.

Right: No fracases.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo fracasar todos los días.

Right: Yo fracaso todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He fracasando.

Right: He fracasado.

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

Quiz: fracasar in use

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

1. What is the vosotros/as form of fracasar in the present indicative?

- (a) fracasáis
- (b) fracaso
- (c) fracasas
- (d) fracasa

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of fracasar in the preterite?

- (a) fracasaste
- (b) fracasé
- (c) fracasaron
- (d) fracasó

3. What is the yo form of fracasar in the future?

- (a) fracasaré
- (b) fracasaremos
- (c) fracasará
- (d) fracasarás

4. What is the tú form of fracasar in the present perfect?

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

5. What is the vosotros/as form of fracasar in the imperfect?

- (a) fracasaba
- (b) fracasabas
- (c) fracasabais
- (d) fracasaba

6. What is the gerund of fracasar?

- (a) fracasar
- (b) fracasado
- (c) fracasando
- (d) fracaso

7. What is the past participle of fracasar?

- (a) fracasando
- (b) fracasé
- (c) fracasado
- (d) fracasar

8. Which sentence uses fracasar correctly?

- (a) *Yo fracasar todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo fracasa todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo fracasas todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo fracaso todos los días.* — I fail every day.

9. Which sentence uses fracasar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo fracasar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo fracaso por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo fracasé por la tarde.* — Yesterday I failed in the afternoon.
- (d) *Ayer yo fracasaba por la tarde.*

10. What does fracasar mean?

- (a) to smoke
- (b) to form
- (c) to fail
- (d) to be formed

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of fracasar is fracasáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of fracasar is fracasaron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the future, the yo form of fracasar is fracasaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present perfect, the tú form of fracasar is has fracasado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the imperfect, the vosotros/as form of fracasar is fracasabais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — The gerund of fracasar is fracasando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy fracasando». 7. (c) — The past participle of fracasar is fracasado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he fracasado». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of fracasar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (c) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of fracasar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (c) — fracasar means «to fail».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I fail' in Spanish?

Say «Yo fracaso 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 failed' about yesterday?

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

Is fracasar reflexive?

No — fracasar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo fracaso, tú fracasas, él fracasa. 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 fracasar?

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

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