Heredar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

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

Heredar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo heredo todos los días. — I inherit every day.
  2. Tú heredas en el trabajo. — You inherit at work.
  3. Él hereda con mi familia. — He inherits with my family.
  4. Nosotros heredamos por la mañana. — We inherit 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 heredé por la tarde. — Yesterday I inheritted in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo heredaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to inherit every day.
  3. La semana pasada él heredó dos veces. — Last week He inheritted 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 heredaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will inherit without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo heredaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would inherit right now.
  3. Hoy yo he heredado dos veces. — Today I have inheritted twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú heredes pronto. — I hope You inherit soon.
  2. ¡hereda, por favor! — Inherit, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy heredando. — Right now I am inheritting.

Heredar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo heredé por la tarde. Antes, yo heredaba todos los días. Hoy yo he heredado dos veces. Mañana yo heredaré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with heredar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo heredaba.

Right: Ayer yo heredé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, heredé. The imperfect heredaba 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 heredas.

Right: Espero que tú heredes.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No hereda.

Right: No heredes.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo heredar todos los días.

Right: Yo heredo todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He heredando.

Right: He heredado.

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

Quiz: heredar in use

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

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

- (a) heredamos
- (b) hereda
- (c) heredo
- (d) heredas

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

- (a) heredó
- (b) heredamos
- (c) heredaste
- (d) heredé

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

- (a) heredaremos
- (b) heredaré
- (c) heredarás
- (d) heredará

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

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

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

- (a) heredaba
- (b) heredábamos
- (c) heredaba
- (d) heredabas

6. What is the gerund of heredar?

- (a) heredar
- (b) heredando
- (c) heredado
- (d) heredo

7. What is the past participle of heredar?

- (a) heredar
- (b) heredé
- (c) heredando
- (d) heredado

8. Which sentence uses heredar correctly?

- (a) *Yo heredo todos los días.* — I inherit every day.
- (b) *Yo hereda todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo heredas todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo heredar todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses heredar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo heredaba por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo heredo por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo heredé por la tarde.* — Yesterday I inheritted in the afternoon.
- (d) *Ayer yo heredar por la tarde.*

10. What does heredar mean?

- (a) to be (located)
- (b) to find
- (c) to inherit
- (d) to humiliate

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I inherit' in Spanish?

Say «Yo heredo 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 inheritted' about yesterday?

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

Is heredar reflexive?

No — heredar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo heredo, tú heredas, él hereda. 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 heredar?

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

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