Introduction
Influir means “to influence”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Influir means to influence, and it describes one person, idea or event changing what another person thinks or does. It almost always takes en: influir en una decisión, influir en los jóvenes. It is a formal verb, common in news, essays and discussions about politics, media and health. This page shows influir 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: “Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” — I influence young people's decisions.
Influir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how influir 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 influir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” — I influence young people's decisions.
“¿Influyes en el resultado de las elecciones?” — Do you influence the result of the elections?
“Influye mucho en mi opinión.” — He/she influences my opinion a lot.
“Nosotros influimos en la salud de la gente.” — We influence people's health.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show influir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo influí en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” — Yesterday, I influenced young people's decisions. (preterite)
“Antes, él influía en el resultado de las elecciones.” — Before, he used to influence the result of the elections. (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 influir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros influiremos mucho en mi opinión.” — Tomorrow, we will influence my opinion a lot. (future)
“¿Tú has influido en la salud de la gente?” — Have you influenced people's health? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros influís en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” — You influence young people's decisions.
“Ellos influyen en el resultado de las elecciones.” — They influence the result of the elections.
“Yo influyo mucho en mi opinión.” — I influence my opinion a lot.
“Mi padre influye en la salud de la gente.” — My father influences people's health.
Influir 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 influir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú influyes en el resultado de las elecciones?” — Do you influence the result of the elections?
Pedro: “Sí, yo influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” — Yes, I influence young people's decisions.
Marta: “Nosotros influimos en la salud de la gente.” — We influence people's health.
Pedro: “Y ellos influyen en el resultado de las elecciones.” — And they influence the result of the elections.
Marta: “Vosotros influís mucho en mi opinión.” — You influence my opinion a lot.
Pedro: “Sí, y él influye en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” — Yes, and he influences young people's decisions.
A short paragraph
Influye en las decisiones de los jóvenes, y nosotros influimos en la salud de la gente. Yo influyo en el resultado de las elecciones, y ellos influyen mucho en mi opinión. Influir is part of everyday life, because influence is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with influir
These are the errors learners actually make with influir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo influye en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” Right: “Yo influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” Why: The person matters: influye is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is influyo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo influo en el resultado de las elecciones.” Right: “Yo influyo en el resultado de las elecciones.” Why: Influir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is influyo and influye, and the gerund is influyendo. The form influyo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.
Wrong: “Treating influir and afectar as identical in every context.” Right: “Influir means to influence, while afectar means to affect.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: influir fits sentences such as Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes, while afectar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy influido en el resultado de las elecciones.” Right: “Yo he influido en el resultado de las elecciones.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he influido, has influido, ha influido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo influí mucho en mi opinión todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo influía mucho en mi opinión todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (influía), not the preterite. The preterite (influí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: influir in use
Ten questions on influir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” (You influence young people's decisions.)
- (a) influís
- (b) influyo
- (c) influyes
Answer: influís — The vosotros/as form of influir in the present tense is influís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ en el resultado de las elecciones.” (They influence the result of the elections.)
- (a) influyes
- (b) influyen
- (c) influyo
Answer: influyen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of influir in the present tense is influyen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” (Yesterday I influenced young people's decisions.)
- (a) influiste
- (b) influyó
- (c) influí
Answer: influí — In the preterite, the yo form of influir is influí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ en el resultado de las elecciones.” (Before, he used to influence the result of the elections.)
- (a) influía
- (b) influyo
- (c) influías
Answer: influía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of influir is influía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ mucho en mi opinión.” (Tomorrow we will influence my opinion a lot.)
- (a) influirás
- (b) influiremos
- (c) influiré
Answer: influiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of influir is influiremos.
6. What does influir mean in English?
- (a) to influence
- (b) to include
- (c) to affect
Answer: to influence — Influir means “to influence”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo influye en las decisiones de los jóvenes.
- (b) Ellos influye en el resultado de las elecciones.
- (c) Yo influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes.
Answer: Yo influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes. — “Yo influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I influence young people's decisions.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre influye en la salud de la gente.
- (b) Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes.
- (c) Influyen en las decisiones de los jóvenes.
Answer: Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes. — “Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of influir in the present tense?
- (a) influyo
- (b) influyes
- (c) influimos
Answer: influimos — The nosotros form is influimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros influiremos mucho en mi opinión.
- (b) Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes.
- (c) Ayer, yo influí en las decisiones de los jóvenes.
Answer: Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes. — “Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I influence young people's decisions' in Spanish?
Say 'Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes todos los días'.
How do you say 'He influences the result of the elections' in Spanish?
Say 'Él influye en el resultado de las elecciones'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes influye.
What is the difference between influir and afectar?
Influir means to influence, while afectar means to affect. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use influir when you mean to influence, as in 'Influyo en las decisiones de los jóvenes', and use afectar for to affect.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of influir — every tense of influir in one place.
- Influir 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 influir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of influir until they are automatic.