Graduar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

graduar means "to graduate" 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. Graduarse means to graduate: graduarse en medicina, graduarse con honores. Without se, graduar means to adjust or grade something, such as graduar la vista for an eye test. 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 graduar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the graduar present tense page.

graduar 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 gradúo en medicina en junio — "I graduate in medicine in June"
  2. Mi amigo gradúa con honores de la universidad — "My friend graduates with honours from university"
  3. Mañana, tú graduarás en derecho el año pasado — "Tomorrow, you will graduate in law last year"
  4. Yo graduaría en ingeniería este mes si pudiera — "I would graduate in engineering this month 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 gradué en medicina en junio — "Yesterday, I graduated in medicine in June"
  2. Antes, nosotros graduábamos con honores de la universidad — "Before, we used to graduate with honours from university"
  3. Él ha graduado en derecho el año pasado — "He has graduated in law last year"
  4. Yo ya había graduado en ingeniería este mes antes de salir — "I already had graduated in engineering this month 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 gradúe en medicina en junio — "I hope he graduates in medicine in June"
  2. Si yo graduara con honores de la universidad, todo cambiaría — "If I graduated with honours from university, everything would change"
  3. Gradúa en derecho el año pasado. — "Graduate in law last year."
  4. Yo habría graduado en ingeniería este mes con más tiempo — "I would have graduated in engineering this month with more time"

graduar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use graduar 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 gradúo en medicina en junio — "I graduate in medicine in June"
  • Marcos: Él gradúa con honores de la universidad — "He graduates with honours from university"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo gradué en derecho el año pasado — "Yesterday, I graduated in law last year"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú graduarás en ingeniería este mes — "Tomorrow, you will graduate in engineering this month"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Gradúa con las mejores notas. — "Graduate with the best marks."
  • Lucía: Él ha graduado en medicina en junio — "He has graduated in medicine in June"
  • Marcos: Espero que él gradúe con honores de la universidad — "I hope he graduates with honours from university"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo graduaba en derecho el año pasado — "Before, I used to graduate in law last year"

Common mistakes with graduar

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

✗ *Espero que él gradúa en ingeniería este mes

✓ Correct: Espero que él gradúe en ingeniería este mes

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él gradúe en ingeniería este mes — not the indicative Espero que él gradúa en ingeniería este mes.

✗ *Ayer, yo gradúo con las mejores notas

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo gradué con las mejores notas

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo gradué con las mejores notas.

✗ *De niño, yo gradué en medicina en junio todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo graduaba en medicina en junio todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo graduaba en medicina en junio todos los días.

✗ *Yo gradúo derecho el año pasado.

✓ Correct: Yo gradúo en derecho el año pasado.

graduar takes en before this complement: Yo gradúo en derecho el año pasado. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

✗ *Vosotros graduais con honores de la universidad.

✓ Correct: Vosotros graduáis con honores de la universidad.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: graduáis, not graduais.

Quiz: graduar in use

Ten questions on graduar — 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 ______ en medicina en junio — "I graduate in medicine in June" (present) A. gradúa B. graduamos C. gradúo D. gradúas

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ con honores de la universidad — "Yesterday, I graduated with honours from university" (preterite) A. graduamos B. gradué C. graduaste D. graduó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ en derecho el año pasado — "Before, we used to graduate in law last year" (imperfect) A. graduábamos B. graduaba C. graduabas D. graduabais

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ en ingeniería este mes — "Tomorrow, you will graduate in engineering this month" (future) A. graduaremos B. graduarás C. graduaré D. graduará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ con las mejores notas — "I would graduate with the best marks" (conditional) A. graduaría B. graduarías C. graduaríamos D. graduaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ en medicina en junio — "He has graduated in medicine in June" (present perfect) A. ha graduado B. he graduado C. has graduado D. hemos graduado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ con honores de la universidad — "I hope he graduates with honours from university" (present subjunctive) A. gradúes B. graduemos C. graduéis D. gradúe

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ en derecho el año pasado. — "Graduate in law last year." (affirmative imperative) A. gradúa B. gradúe C. graduemos D. graduad

  9. Which is the gerund of graduar, used with estar for the progressive? A. graduando B. graduado C. gradúo D. gradué

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

Answer key

  1. gradúo — The present form for yo is gradúo.
  2. gradué — The preterite form for yo is gradué.
  3. graduábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is graduábamos.
  4. graduarás — The future form for tú is graduarás.
  5. graduaría — The conditional form for yo is graduaría.
  6. ha graduado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha graduado.
  7. gradúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is gradúe.
  8. gradúa — The affirmative imperative form is gradúa.
  9. graduando — The gerund of graduar is graduando: estoy graduando. The participle graduado is used with haber instead.
  10. to graduate — graduar means to graduate.

Frequently asked questions

What does graduar mean in English?

graduar means to graduate. For example: Yo gradúo en medicina en junio — "I graduate in medicine in June". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with graduar?

graduar takes en 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 graduar.

Is graduar regular?

Yes. graduar 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 graduar?

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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