Grabar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

grabar means to record, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Grabar means to record, and it covers recording a video, a song, a message and a programme on television. It also means to engrave a name on a ring or a plaque. It is a fully regular -ar verb. This page puts grabar to work: twelve example sentences in different tenses and persons, grouped by use, then two short dialogues where the verb appears naturally, then the common mistakes to avoid, and finally a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every Spanish form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for grabar, and the full tables are on the grabar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo grabo un vídeo del concierto. — I record a video of the concert.
  2. Él graba la canción en el estudio. — He/she records the song in the studio.
  3. Ayer, yo grabé un mensaje para la familia. — Yesterday, I recorded a message for the family.
  4. Antes, nosotros grabábamos el programa de anoche. — Before, we used to record last night's programme.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú grabarás un vídeo del concierto. — Tomorrow, you will record a video of the concert.
  2. Yo grabaría la canción en el estudio. — I would record the song in the studio.
  3. Él ha grabado un mensaje para la familia. — He/she has recorded a message for the family.
  4. Espero que él grabe el programa de anoche. — I hope he/she records last night's programme.

With other people

  1. Nosotros grabamos un vídeo del concierto. — We record a video of the concert.
  2. Vosotros grabáis la canción en el estudio. — You all record the song in the studio.
  3. Antes, ellos grababan un mensaje para la familia. — Before, they used to record a message for the family.
  4. Mañana, él grabará el programa de anoche. — Tomorrow, he/she will record last night's programme.

Grabar in context

Two short dialogues that use grabar the way people really use it. Read them aloud — the verb forms will stick much faster in a conversation than in a table.

Dialogue 1: today and yesterday

  • Ana: "Hola, ¿qué tal?" — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Luis: "Hoy grabo un vídeo del concierto." — "Today I record a video of the concert."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, grabé un mensaje para la familia." — "Yesterday I recorded a message for the family."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú grabarás la canción en el estudio?" — "And tomorrow, will you will record the song in the studio?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros grabamos el programa de anoche." — "Tomorrow we record last night's programme."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo grabaría la canción en el estudio si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would record the song in the studio if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él grabe un vídeo del concierto." — "I hope he records a video of the concert."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha grabado un mensaje para la familia." — "Surely. He has already has recorded a message for the family."
  • Marta: "Vale, nos vemos mañana." — "OK, see you tomorrow."

Notice how the same verb changes with the tense: the present for the plan, the conditional for the wish, the subjunctive after espero que, and the present perfect for what has already happened. That is the whole point of learning a verb across its tenses, not just in one form.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo graba un vídeo del concierto. — Right: Yo grabo un vídeo del concierto. — The person matters: graba is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is grabo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros grabais la canción en el estudio. — Right: Vosotros grabáis la canción en el estudio. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: grabáis, not grabais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating grabar and fotografiar as identical in every context. — Right: Grabar means to record, while fotografiar means to photograph, for still images. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: grabar fits sentences such as Grabo un vídeo del concierto, while fotografiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy grabado la canción en el estudio. — Right: Yo he grabado la canción en el estudio. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he grabado, has grabado, ha grabado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo grabé un mensaje para la familia todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo grababa un mensaje para la familia todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (grababa), not the preterite. The preterite (grabé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on grabar: four on the forms, three on the meaning, and three on spotting the correct sentence. Check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ un vídeo del concierto. (present tense) A. grabo B. grabas C. graba D. grabamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ la canción en el estudio. (preterite tense) A. grabé B. grabaste C. grabamos D. grabó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ un mensaje para la familia. (future tense) A. grabará B. grabaremos C. grabarás D. grabaré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el programa de anoche. (imperfect tense) A. grababais B. grabábamos C. grababa D. grababas

  5. What does "Yo grabo un vídeo del concierto." mean in English? A. I record a video of the concert. B. I record the song in the studio. C. I record a message for the family. D. I record last night's programme.

  6. What does "Él grabó la canción en el estudio." mean in English? A. He/she recorded a video of the concert. B. He/she recorded a message for the family. C. He/she recorded last night's programme. D. He/she recorded the song in the studio.

  7. What does "Nosotros grabaremos un mensaje para la familia." mean in English? A. We will record the song in the studio. B. We will record last night's programme. C. We will record a message for the family. D. We will record a video of the concert.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo graban la canción en el estudio. B. Yo graba la canción en el estudio. C. Yo grabo la canción en el estudio.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él grabé un mensaje para la familia. B. Él grabó un mensaje para la familia. C. Él grabaron un mensaje para la familia.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo grabe el programa de anoche. B. Yo graben el programa de anoche. C. Yo grabe el programa de anoche.

Answer key

  1. grabo — The yo present form of grabar is grabo.
  2. grabó — The el preterite form of grabar is grabó.
  3. grabarás — The tu future form of grabar is grabarás.
  4. grabábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of grabar is grabábamos.
  5. I record a video of the concert. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form grabo, so the English is "I record a video of the concert." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she recorded the song in the studio. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form grabó, so the English is "He/she recorded the song in the studio." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will record a message for the family. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form grabaremos, so the English is "We will record a message for the family." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo grabo la canción en el estudio. — The correct sentence is "Yo grabo la canción en el estudio." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él grabó un mensaje para la familia. — The correct sentence is "Él grabó un mensaje para la familia." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo grabe el programa de anoche. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo grabe el programa de anoche." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

What does grabar mean, and when do I use it?

Grabar means to record. Grabar means to record, and it covers recording a video, a song, a message and a programme on television. It also means to engrave a name on a ring or a plaque. It is a fully regular -ar verb. A good first sentence to remember is Yo grabo un vídeo del concierto. — "I record a video of the concert."

What is the difference between grabar and fotografiar?

Grabar means to record, while fotografiar means to photograph, for still images. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use grabar when you mean to record, as in Yo grabo la canción en el estudio., and use fotografiar for to photograph, for still images.

How do I say "I record" in the past?

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo grabé la canción en el estudio.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo grababa un mensaje para la familia.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he grabado la canción en el estudio..

How do I practise grabar?

Start with the grabar conjugation page for the full tables, then the grabar in the present tense page for the tense in focus, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure. Grabar is fully regular: grabé, grababa, grabaré. Grabar un vídeo is to record video; fotografiar is to take still photos.

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