Imponer Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Imponer means “to impose”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Imponer means to impose, and it is used for imposing a fine, imposing rules and imposing your opinion on others. It follows the pattern of poner, with the present impongo, the preterite impuse and the irregular participle impuesto. This page shows imponer 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: “Yo impongo una multa al conductor.” — I impose a fine on the driver.
Imponer in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how imponer 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 imponer in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Impongo una multa al conductor.” — I impose a fine on the driver.
“¿Tú impones reglas nuevas en el colegio?” — Do you impose new rules in the school?
“Impone su opinión en la reunión.” — He/she imposes his opinion in the meeting.
“Imponemos un castigo al alumno.” — We impose a punishment on the pupil.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show imponer in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo impuse una multa al conductor.” — Yesterday, I imposed a fine on the driver. (preterite)
“Él imponía reglas nuevas en el colegio todos los días.” — He used to impose new rules in the school every day. (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 imponer stays the same.
“Nosotros impondremos su opinión en la reunión mañana.” — We will impose his opinion in the meeting tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has impuesto un castigo al alumno?” — Have you imposed a punishment on the pupil? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Imponéis una multa al conductor.” — You impose a fine on the driver.
“Imponen reglas nuevas en el colegio.” — They impose new rules in the school.
“Impongo su opinión en la reunión.” — I impose his opinion in the meeting.
“Impone un castigo al alumno.” — He/she imposes a punishment on the pupil.
Imponer 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 imponer appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú impones una multa al conductor?” — Do you impose a fine on the driver?
Carlos: “Sí, yo impongo una multa al conductor.” — Yes, I impose a fine on the driver.
Lucía: “Nosotros imponemos reglas nuevas en el colegio.” — We impose new rules in the school.
Carlos: “Y ellos imponen su opinión en la reunión.” — And they impose his opinion in the meeting.
Lucía: “Vosotros imponéis un castigo al alumno.” — You impose a punishment on the pupil.
Carlos: “Sí, y él impone reglas nuevas en el colegio.” — Yes, and he imposes new rules in the school.
A short paragraph
Lucía impone una multa al conductor, y Carlos impone reglas nuevas en el colegio. Nosotros imponemos su opinión en la reunión, y ellos imponen un castigo al alumno. Yo impongo su opinión en la reunión, y mi padre impone un castigo al alumno. Imponer is part of everyday life, because to impose is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with imponer
These are the errors learners actually make with imponer. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo impone una multa al conductor.” Right: “Yo impongo una multa al conductor.” Why: The person matters: impone is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is impongo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo imponí reglas nuevas en el colegio.” Right: “Ayer yo impuse reglas nuevas en el colegio.” Why: Imponer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is impuse, not the regular imponí. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
Wrong: “Treating imponer and obligar as identical in every context.” Right: “Imponer means to impose, while obligar means to force.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: imponer fits sentences such as Impongo una multa al conductor, while obligar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy impuesto reglas nuevas en el colegio.” Right: “Yo he impuesto reglas nuevas en el colegio.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he impuesto, has impuesto, ha impuesto. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo impuse su opinión en la reunión todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo imponía su opinión en la reunión todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (imponía), not the preterite. The preterite (impuse) is for one finished action.
Quiz: imponer in use
Ten questions on imponer 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 multa al conductor.” (A fine on the driver.)
- (a) imponéis
- (b) impongo
- (c) impones
Answer: imponéis — The vosotros/as form of imponer in the present is imponéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ reglas nuevas en el colegio.” (New rules in the school.)
- (a) impongo
- (b) impones
- (c) imponen
Answer: imponen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of imponer in the present is imponen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ una multa al conductor.” (A fine on the driver.)
- (a) impuso
- (b) impuse
- (c) impusiste
Answer: impuse — The yo form of imponer in the preterite is impuse.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ reglas nuevas en el colegio.” (New rules in the school.)
- (a) imponía
- (b) imponías
- (c) imponíamos
Answer: imponía — The él/ella/Ud. form of imponer in the imperfect is imponía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ su opinión en la reunión.” (His opinion in the meeting.)
- (a) impondré
- (b) impondrás
- (c) impondremos
Answer: impondremos — The nosotros/as form of imponer in the future is impondremos.
6. What does imponer mean in English?
- (a) to expose, to exhibit
- (b) to impose
- (c) to force
Answer: to impose — Imponer means “to impose”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo impongo una multa al conductor.
- (b) Ellos impone una multa al conductor.
- (c) Yo impongo reglas nuevas en el colegio ayer.
Answer: Yo impongo una multa al conductor. — “Yo impongo una multa al conductor.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I impose a fine on the driver.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo imponen una multa al conductor.
- (b) Yo impuse una multa al conductor.
- (c) Yo impongo una multa al conductor.
Answer: Yo impongo una multa al conductor. — “Yo impongo una multa al conductor.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of imponer in the present tense?
- (a) impones
- (b) imponemos
- (c) impongo
Answer: imponemos — The nosotros form is imponemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo impuse una multa al conductor.
- (b) Nosotros impondremos una multa al conductor mañana.
- (c) Yo impongo una multa al conductor.
Answer: Yo impongo una multa al conductor. — “Yo impongo una multa al conductor.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I impose' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo impongo una multa al conductor'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo impongo una multa al conductor todos los días'.
How do you say 'I impose' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo impuse reglas nuevas en el colegio'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo imponía reglas nuevas en el colegio todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he impuesto reglas nuevas en el colegio'.
What is the difference between imponer and obligar?
Imponer means to impose, while obligar means to force. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use imponer when you mean to impose, as in Impongo una multa al conductor.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of imponer — every tense of imponer in one place.
- Imponer in the preterite 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 imponer and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of imponer until they are automatic.