Introduction
Imprimir means “to print”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Imprimir means to print, and it covers printing a document, a photo, a book and a ticket: imprimir el informe, imprimir las fotos. Its famous trap is the past participle: impreso, not imprimido. It is otherwise regular. This page shows imprimir 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: “Imprimo el informe para la reunión.” — I print the report for the meeting.
Imprimir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how imprimir 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 imprimir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Imprimo el informe para la reunión.” — I print the report for the meeting.
“¿Imprimes las fotos del viaje?” — Do you print the photos from the trip?
“Imprime el billete en casa.” — He/she prints the ticket at home.
“Nosotros imprimimos dos copias del contrato.” — We print two copies of the contract.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show imprimir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo imprimí el informe para la reunión.” — Yesterday, I printed the report for the meeting. (preterite)
“Antes, él imprimía las fotos del viaje.” — Before, he used to print the photos from the trip. (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 imprimir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros imprimiremos el billete en casa.” — Tomorrow, we will print the ticket at home. (future)
“¿Tú has impreso dos copias del contrato?” — Have you printed two copies of the contract? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros imprimís el informe para la reunión.” — You print the report for the meeting.
“Ellos imprimen las fotos del viaje.” — They print the photos from the trip.
“Yo imprimo el billete en casa.” — I print the ticket at home.
“Mi padre imprime dos copias del contrato.” — My father prints two copies of the contract.
Imprimir 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 imprimir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú imprimes las fotos del viaje?” — Do you print the photos from the trip?
Pedro: “Sí, yo imprimo el informe para la reunión.” — Yes, I print the report for the meeting.
Marta: “Nosotros imprimimos dos copias del contrato.” — We print two copies of the contract.
Pedro: “Y ellos imprimen las fotos del viaje.” — And they print the photos from the trip.
Marta: “Vosotros imprimís el billete en casa.” — You print the ticket at home.
Pedro: “Sí, y él imprime el informe para la reunión.” — Yes, and he prints the report for the meeting.
A short paragraph
Imprime el informe para la reunión, y nosotros imprimimos dos copias del contrato. Yo imprimo las fotos del viaje, y ellos imprimen el billete en casa. Imprimir is part of everyday life, because print is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with imprimir
These are the errors learners actually make with imprimir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo imprime el informe para la reunión.” Right: “Yo imprimo el informe para la reunión.” Why: The person matters: imprime is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is imprimo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo he imprimido el billete en casa.” Right: “Yo he impreso el billete en casa.” Why: The past participle of imprimir is irregular: impreso, not imprimido. Every perfect tense uses he impreso, había impreso and so on.
Wrong: “Treating imprimir and publicar as identical in every context.” Right: “Imprimir means to print, while publicar means to publish.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: imprimir fits sentences such as Imprimo el informe para la reunión, while publicar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy impreso las fotos del viaje.” Right: “Yo he impreso las fotos del viaje.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he impreso, has impreso, ha impreso. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo imprimí el billete en casa todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo imprimía el billete en casa todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (imprimía), not the preterite. The preterite (imprimí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: imprimir in use
Ten questions on imprimir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ el informe para la reunión.” (You print the report for the meeting.)
- (a) imprimís
- (b) imprimo
- (c) imprimes
Answer: imprimís — The vosotros/as form of imprimir in the present tense is imprimís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ las fotos del viaje.” (They print the photos from the trip.)
- (a) imprimes
- (b) imprimen
- (c) imprimo
Answer: imprimen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of imprimir in the present tense is imprimen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ el informe para la reunión.” (Yesterday I printed the report for the meeting.)
- (a) imprimiste
- (b) imprimió
- (c) imprimí
Answer: imprimí — In the preterite, the yo form of imprimir is imprimí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ las fotos del viaje.” (Before, he used to print the photos from the trip.)
- (a) imprimía
- (b) imprimo
- (c) imprimías
Answer: imprimía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of imprimir is imprimía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ el billete en casa.” (Tomorrow we will print the ticket at home.)
- (a) imprimirás
- (b) imprimiremos
- (c) imprimiré
Answer: imprimiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of imprimir is imprimiremos.
6. What does imprimir mean in English?
- (a) to print
- (b) to give, to teach
- (c) to publish
Answer: to print — Imprimir means “to print”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo imprime el informe para la reunión.
- (b) Ellos imprime las fotos del viaje.
- (c) Yo imprimo el informe para la reunión.
Answer: Yo imprimo el informe para la reunión. — “Yo imprimo el informe para la reunión.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I print the report for the meeting.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre imprime dos copias del contrato.
- (b) Imprimo el informe para la reunión.
- (c) Imprimen el informe para la reunión.
Answer: Imprimo el informe para la reunión. — “Imprimo el informe para la reunión.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of imprimir in the present tense?
- (a) imprimo
- (b) imprimes
- (c) imprimimos
Answer: imprimimos — The nosotros form is imprimimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros imprimiremos el billete en casa.
- (b) Imprimo el informe para la reunión.
- (c) Ayer, yo imprimí el informe para la reunión.
Answer: Imprimo el informe para la reunión. — “Imprimo el informe para la reunión.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I print the report for the meeting' in Spanish?
Say 'Imprimo el informe para la reunión'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Imprimo el informe para la reunión todos los días'.
How do you say 'He prints the photos from the trip' in Spanish?
Say 'Él imprime las fotos del viaje'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes imprime.
What is the difference between imprimir and publicar?
Imprimir means to print, while publicar means to publish. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use imprimir when you mean to print, as in 'Imprimo el informe para la reunión', and use publicar for to publish.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of imprimir — every tense of imprimir in one place.
- Imprimir 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 imprimir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of imprimir until they are automatic.