Inquirir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

inquirir means "to inquire" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Inquirir is a formal verb meaning to inquire about something: inquirir sobre el horario, inquirir por la salud de alguien. It conjugates like adquirir, with i becoming ie in the present. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of inquirir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the inquirir present tense page.

inquirir in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo inquiero sobre el horario del tren — "I inquire about the train timetable"
  2. Mi amigo inquiere por el estado del paciente — "My friend inquires about the patient's condition"
  3. Mañana, tú inquirirás acerca de los precios — "Tomorrow, you will inquire about the prices"
  4. Yo inquiriría sobre la causa del retraso si pudiera — "I would inquire about the cause of the delay if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo inquirí sobre el horario del tren — "Yesterday, I inquired about the train timetable"
  2. Antes, nosotros inquiríamos por el estado del paciente — "Before, we used to inquire about the patient's condition"
  3. Él ha inquirido acerca de los precios — "He has inquired about the prices"
  4. Yo ya había inquirido sobre la causa del retraso antes de salir — "I already had inquired about the cause of the delay before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él inquiera sobre el horario del tren — "I hope he inquires about the train timetable"
  2. Si yo inquiriera por el estado del paciente, todo cambiaría — "If I inquired about the patient's condition, everything would change"
  3. Inquiere acerca de los precios. — "Inquire about the prices."
  4. Yo habría inquirido sobre la causa del retraso con más tiempo — "I would have inquired about the cause of the delay with more time"

inquirir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use inquirir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo inquiero sobre el horario del tren — "I inquire about the train timetable"
  • Marcos: Él inquiere por el estado del paciente — "He inquires about the patient's condition"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo inquirí acerca de los precios — "Yesterday, I inquired about the prices"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú inquirirás sobre la causa del retraso — "Tomorrow, you will inquire about the cause of the delay"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Inquiere por la salud de su madre. — "Inquire about his mother's health."
  • Lucía: Él ha inquirido sobre el horario del tren — "He has inquired about the train timetable"
  • Marcos: Espero que él inquiera por el estado del paciente — "I hope he inquires about the patient's condition"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo inquiría acerca de los precios — "Before, I used to inquire about the prices"

Common mistakes with inquirir

The errors learners actually make with inquirir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo inquiro sobre la causa del retraso.

✓ Correct: Yo inquiero sobre la causa del retraso.

inquirir is a stem-changing verb (i → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is inquiero, not inquiro.

✗ *Espero que él inquiere sobre la causa del retraso

✓ Correct: Espero que él inquiera sobre la causa del retraso

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él inquiera sobre la causa del retraso — not the indicative Espero que él inquiere sobre la causa del retraso.

✗ *Ayer, yo inquiero por la salud de su madre

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo inquirí por la salud de su madre

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo inquirí por la salud de su madre.

✗ *De niño, yo inquirí sobre el horario del tren todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo inquiría sobre el horario del tren todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo inquiría sobre el horario del tren todos los días.

✗ *Yo inquiero en acerca de los precios.

✓ Correct: Yo inquiero acerca de los precios.

inquirir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo inquiero acerca de los precios.

Quiz: inquirir in use

Ten questions on inquirir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ sobre el horario del tren — "I inquire about the train timetable" (present) A. inquiere B. inquirimos C. inquiero D. inquieres

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ por el estado del paciente — "Yesterday, I inquired about the patient's condition" (preterite) A. inquirimos B. inquirí C. inquiriste D. inquirió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ acerca de los precios — "Before, we used to inquire about the prices" (imperfect) A. inquirías B. inquiríais C. inquiríamos D. inquiría

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ sobre la causa del retraso — "Tomorrow, you will inquire about the cause of the delay" (future) A. inquiriremos B. inquirirás C. inquiriré D. inquirirá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ por la salud de su madre — "I would inquire about his mother's health" (conditional) A. inquiriría B. inquirirías C. inquiriríamos D. inquiriríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ sobre el horario del tren — "He has inquired about the train timetable" (present perfect) A. ha inquirido B. he inquirido C. has inquirido D. hemos inquirido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ por el estado del paciente — "I hope he inquires about the patient's condition" (present subjunctive) A. inquieras B. inquiramos C. inquiráis D. inquiera

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ acerca de los precios. — "Inquire about the prices." (affirmative imperative) A. inquiramos B. inquirid C. inquiere D. inquiera

  9. Which is the gerund of inquirir, used with estar for the progressive? A. inquirido B. inquiero C. inquirí D. inquiriendo

  10. What does inquirir mean in English? A. to cross B. to inquire C. to ask D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. inquiero — The present form for yo is inquiero.
  2. inquirí — The preterite form for yo is inquirí.
  3. inquiríamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is inquiríamos.
  4. inquirirás — The future form for tú is inquirirás.
  5. inquiriría — The conditional form for yo is inquiriría.
  6. ha inquirido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha inquirido.
  7. inquiera — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is inquiera.
  8. inquiere — The affirmative imperative form is inquiere.
  9. inquiriendo — The gerund of inquirir is inquiriendo: estoy inquiriendo. The participle inquirido is used with haber instead.
  10. to inquire — inquirir means to inquire.

Frequently asked questions

What does inquirir mean in English?

inquirir means to inquire. For example: Yo inquiero sobre el horario del tren — "I inquire about the train timetable". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with inquirir?

inquirir takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is inquirir regular?

No. inquirir is a stem-changing -ir verb (i → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: inquiero, inquieres, inquiere and inquieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: inquirimos, inquirís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: inquirió, inquirieron, and the gerund is inquiriendo.

How do I practise inquirir?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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