Ignorar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

ignorar means to ignore, to not know, 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 ignoro todos los días» — I ignore every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use ignorar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Ignorar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo ignoro todos los días. — I ignore every day.
  2. Tú ignoras en el trabajo. — You ignore at work.
  3. Él ignora con mi familia. — He ignores with my family.
  4. Nosotros ignoramos por la mañana. — We ignore 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 ignoré por la tarde. — Yesterday I ignored in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo ignoraba todos los días. — In the past, I used to ignore every day.
  3. La semana pasada él ignoró dos veces. — Last week He ignored 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 ignoraré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will ignore without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo ignoraría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would ignore right now.
  3. Hoy yo he ignorado dos veces. — Today I have ignored twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú ignores pronto. — I hope You ignore soon.
  2. ¡ignora, por favor! — Ignore, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy ignorando. — Right now I am ignoring.

Ignorar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo ignoré por la tarde. Antes, yo ignoraba todos los días. Hoy yo he ignorado dos veces. Mañana yo ignoraré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with ignorar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo ignoraba.

Right: Ayer yo ignoré.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, ignoré. The imperfect ignoraba 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 ignoras.

Right: Espero que tú ignores.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No ignora.

Right: No ignores.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo ignorar todos los días.

Right: Yo ignoro todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He ignorando.

Right: He ignorado.

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

Quiz: ignorar in use

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

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of ignorar in the present indicative?

- (a) ignoramos
- (b) ignoro
- (c) ignora
- (d) ignoras

2. What is the nosotros/as form of ignorar in the preterite?

- (a) ignoré
- (b) ignoró
- (c) ignoraste
- (d) ignoramos

3. What is the vosotros/as form of ignorar in the future?

- (a) ignoraré
- (b) ignorará
- (c) ignoraréis
- (d) ignorarás

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ignorar in the present perfect?

- (a) he ignorado
- (b) ha ignorado
- (c) han ignorado
- (d) has ignorado

5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of ignorar in the imperfect?

- (a) ignorabas
- (b) ignoraba
- (c) ignorábamos
- (d) ignoraba

6. What is the gerund of ignorar?

- (a) ignorar
- (b) ignorado
- (c) ignoro
- (d) ignorando

7. What is the past participle of ignorar?

- (a) ignorando
- (b) ignoré
- (c) ignorar
- (d) ignorado

8. Which sentence uses ignorar correctly?

- (a) *Yo ignorar todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo ignoras todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo ignora todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo ignoro todos los días.* — I ignore every day.

9. Which sentence uses ignorar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo ignorar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo ignoraba por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo ignoré por la tarde.* — Yesterday I ignored in the afternoon.
- (d) *Ayer yo ignoro por la tarde.*

10. What does ignorar mean?

- (a) to imitate
- (b) to humiliate
- (c) to ignore, to not know
- (d) to inherit

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of ignorar is ignora. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the nosotros/as form of ignorar is ignoramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the future, the vosotros/as form of ignorar is ignoraréis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present perfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ignorar is han ignorado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of ignorar is ignoraba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — The gerund of ignorar is ignorando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy ignorando». 7. (d) — The past participle of ignorar is ignorado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he ignorado». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of ignorar; 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 ignorar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (c) — ignorar means «to ignore, to not know».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I ignore' in Spanish?

Say «Yo ignoro 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 ignored' about yesterday?

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

Is ignorar reflexive?

No — ignorar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo ignoro, tú ignoras, él ignora. 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 ignorar?

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

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