Introduction
Impartir means “to give, to teach”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Impartir means to give or to teach, and it is the formal verb for giving classes, courses and justice: impartir una clase, impartir justicia. It is a regular -ir verb, common in education and law. This page shows impartir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Imparto una clase de historia.” — I teach a history class.
Impartir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how impartir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use impartir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Imparto una clase de historia.” — I teach a history class.
“¿Impartes un curso de español?” — Do you teach a Spanish course?
“Imparte justicia en el tribunal.” — He/she teaches justice in court.
“Nosotros impartimos una lección a los alumnos.” — We teach a lesson to the students.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show impartir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo impartí una clase de historia.” — Yesterday, I taught a history class. (preterite)
“Antes, él impartía un curso de español.” — Before, he used to teach a Spanish course. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of impartir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros impartiremos justicia en el tribunal.” — Tomorrow, we will teach justice in court. (future)
“¿Tú has impartido una lección a los alumnos?” — Have you taught a lesson to the students? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros impartís una clase de historia.” — You teach a history class.
“Ellos imparten un curso de español.” — They teach a Spanish course.
“Yo imparto justicia en el tribunal.” — I teach justice in court.
“Mi padre imparte una lección a los alumnos.” — My father teaches a lesson to the students.
Impartir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how impartir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú impartes un curso de español?” — Do you teach a Spanish course?
Pedro: “Sí, yo imparto una clase de historia.” — Yes, I teach a history class.
Marta: “Nosotros impartimos una lección a los alumnos.” — We teach a lesson to the students.
Pedro: “Y ellos imparten un curso de español.” — And they teach a Spanish course.
Marta: “Vosotros impartís justicia en el tribunal.” — You teach justice in court.
Pedro: “Sí, y él imparte una clase de historia.” — Yes, and he teaches a history class.
A short paragraph
Imparte una clase de historia, y nosotros impartimos una lección a los alumnos. Yo imparto un curso de español, y ellos imparten justicia en el tribunal. Impartir is part of everyday life, because give, to teach is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with impartir
These are the errors learners actually make with impartir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo imparte una clase de historia.” Right: “Yo imparto una clase de historia.” Why: The person matters: imparte is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is imparto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo imparto un curso de español.” Right: “Ayer yo impartí un curso de español.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: imparto is happening now, while impartí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating impartir and enseñar as identical in every context.” Right: “Impartir means to give, to teach, while enseñar means to teach.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: impartir fits sentences such as Imparto una clase de historia, while enseñar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy impartido un curso de español.” Right: “Yo he impartido un curso de español.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he impartido, has impartido, ha impartido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo impartí justicia en el tribunal todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo impartía justicia en el tribunal todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (impartía), not the preterite. The preterite (impartí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: impartir in use
Ten questions on impartir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ una clase de historia.” (You teach a history class.)
- (a) impartís
- (b) imparto
- (c) impartes
Answer: impartís — The vosotros/as form of impartir in the present tense is impartís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ un curso de español.” (They teach a Spanish course.)
- (a) impartes
- (b) imparten
- (c) imparto
Answer: imparten — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of impartir in the present tense is imparten.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ una clase de historia.” (Yesterday I taught a history class.)
- (a) impartiste
- (b) impartió
- (c) impartí
Answer: impartí — In the preterite, the yo form of impartir is impartí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ un curso de español.” (Before, he used to teach a Spanish course.)
- (a) impartía
- (b) imparto
- (c) impartías
Answer: impartía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of impartir is impartía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ justicia en el tribunal.” (Tomorrow we will teach justice in court.)
- (a) impartirás
- (b) impartiremos
- (c) impartiré
Answer: impartiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of impartir is impartiremos.
6. What does impartir mean in English?
- (a) to give, to teach
- (b) to flee
- (c) to teach
Answer: to give, to teach — Impartir means “to give, to teach”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo imparte una clase de historia.
- (b) Ellos imparte un curso de español.
- (c) Yo imparto una clase de historia.
Answer: Yo imparto una clase de historia. — “Yo imparto una clase de historia.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I teach a history class.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre imparte una lección a los alumnos.
- (b) Imparto una clase de historia.
- (c) Imparten una clase de historia.
Answer: Imparto una clase de historia. — “Imparto una clase de historia.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of impartir in the present tense?
- (a) imparto
- (b) impartes
- (c) impartimos
Answer: impartimos — The nosotros form is impartimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros impartiremos justicia en el tribunal.
- (b) Imparto una clase de historia.
- (c) Ayer, yo impartí una clase de historia.
Answer: Imparto una clase de historia. — “Imparto una clase de historia.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I teach a history class' in Spanish?
Say 'Imparto una clase de historia'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Imparto una clase de historia todos los días'.
How do you say 'He teaches a Spanish course' in Spanish?
Say 'Él imparte un curso de español'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes imparte.
What is the difference between impartir and enseñar?
Impartir means to give, to teach, while enseñar means to teach. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use impartir when you mean to give, to teach, as in 'Imparto una clase de historia', and use enseñar for to teach.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of impartir — every tense of impartir in one place.
- Impartir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on impartir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of impartir until they are automatic.