Interpretar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

interpretar means to interpret, to perform, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Interpretar means to interpret or to perform, and it covers playing a role on stage, performing a song, interpreting a dream and interpreting data in a report. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and the context tells you whether it is about art or about meaning. This page puts interpretar to work: twelve example sentences in different tenses and persons, grouped by use, then two short dialogues where the verb appears naturally, then the common mistakes to avoid, and finally a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every Spanish form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for interpretar, and the full tables are on the interpretar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo interpreto el papel de Hamlet. — I interpret the role of Hamlet.
  2. Él interpreta la canción en el concierto. — He/she interprets the song at the concert.
  3. Ayer, yo interpreté el sueño de anoche. — Yesterday, I interpreted last night's dream.
  4. Antes, nosotros interpretábamos los datos del estudio. — Before, we used to interpret the figures from the study.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú interpretarás el papel de Hamlet. — Tomorrow, you will interpret the role of Hamlet.
  2. Yo interpretaría la canción en el concierto. — I would interpret the song at the concert.
  3. Él ha interpretado el sueño de anoche. — He/she has interpreted last night's dream.
  4. Espero que él interprete los datos del estudio. — I hope he/she interprets the figures from the study.

With other people

  1. Nosotros interpretamos el papel de Hamlet. — We interpret the role of Hamlet.
  2. Vosotros interpretáis la canción en el concierto. — You all interpret the song at the concert.
  3. Antes, ellos interpretaban el sueño de anoche. — Before, they used to interpret last night's dream.
  4. Mañana, él interpretará los datos del estudio. — Tomorrow, he/she will interpret the figures from the study.

Interpretar in context

Two short dialogues that use interpretar the way people really use it. Read them aloud — the verb forms will stick much faster in a conversation than in a table.

Dialogue 1: today and yesterday

  • Ana: "Hola, ¿qué tal?" — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Luis: "Hoy interpreto el papel de Hamlet." — "Today I interpret the role of Hamlet."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, interpreté el sueño de anoche." — "Yesterday I interpreted last night's dream."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú interpretarás la canción en el concierto?" — "And tomorrow, will you will interpret the song at the concert?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros interpretamos los datos del estudio." — "Tomorrow we interpret the figures from the study."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo interpretaría la canción en el concierto si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would interpret the song at the concert if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él interprete el papel de Hamlet." — "I hope he interprets the role of Hamlet."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha interpretado el sueño de anoche." — "Surely. He has already has interpreted last night's dream."
  • Marta: "Vale, nos vemos mañana." — "OK, see you tomorrow."

Notice how the same verb changes with the tense: the present for the plan, the conditional for the wish, the subjunctive after espero que, and the present perfect for what has already happened. That is the whole point of learning a verb across its tenses, not just in one form.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo interpreta el papel de Hamlet. — Right: Yo interpreto el papel de Hamlet. — The person matters: interpreta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is interpreto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros interpretais la canción en el concierto. — Right: Vosotros interpretáis la canción en el concierto. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: interpretáis, not interpretais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating interpretar and actuar as identical in every context. — Right: Interpretar means to interpret, to perform, while actuar means to act, the stage partner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: interpretar fits sentences such as Interpreto el papel de Hamlet, while actuar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy interpretado la canción en el concierto. — Right: Yo he interpretado la canción en el concierto. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he interpretado, has interpretado, ha interpretado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo interpreté el sueño de anoche todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo interpretaba el sueño de anoche todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (interpretaba), not the preterite. The preterite (interpreté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on interpretar: four on the forms, three on the meaning, and three on spotting the correct sentence. Check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el papel de Hamlet. (present tense) A. interpreto B. interpretas C. interpreta D. interpretamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ la canción en el concierto. (preterite tense) A. interpreté B. interpretaste C. interpretamos D. interpretó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el sueño de anoche. (future tense) A. interpretará B. interpretaremos C. interpretarás D. interpretaré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los datos del estudio. (imperfect tense) A. interpretabais B. interpretábamos C. interpretaba D. interpretabas

  5. What does "Yo interpreto el papel de Hamlet." mean in English? A. I interpret the role of Hamlet. B. I interpret the song at the concert. C. I interpret last night's dream. D. I interpret the figures from the study.

  6. What does "Él interpretó la canción en el concierto." mean in English? A. He/she interpreted the role of Hamlet. B. He/she interpreted last night's dream. C. He/she interpreted the figures from the study. D. He/she interpreted the song at the concert.

  7. What does "Nosotros interpretaremos el sueño de anoche." mean in English? A. We will interpret the song at the concert. B. We will interpret the figures from the study. C. We will interpret last night's dream. D. We will interpret the role of Hamlet.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo interpretan la canción en el concierto. B. Yo interpreta la canción en el concierto. C. Yo interpreto la canción en el concierto.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él interpreté el sueño de anoche. B. Él interpretó el sueño de anoche. C. Él interpretaron el sueño de anoche.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo interprete los datos del estudio. B. Yo interpreten los datos del estudio. C. Yo interprete los datos del estudio.

Answer key

  1. interpreto — The yo present form of interpretar is interpreto.
  2. interpretó — The el preterite form of interpretar is interpretó.
  3. interpretarás — The tu future form of interpretar is interpretarás.
  4. interpretábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of interpretar is interpretábamos.
  5. I interpret the role of Hamlet. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form interpreto, so the English is "I interpret the role of Hamlet." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she interpreted the song at the concert. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form interpretó, so the English is "He/she interpreted the song at the concert." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will interpret last night's dream. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form interpretaremos, so the English is "We will interpret last night's dream." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo interpreto la canción en el concierto. — The correct sentence is "Yo interpreto la canción en el concierto." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él interpretó el sueño de anoche. — The correct sentence is "Él interpretó el sueño de anoche." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo interprete los datos del estudio. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo interprete los datos del estudio." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

What does interpretar mean, and when do I use it?

Interpretar means to interpret, to perform. Interpretar means to interpret or to perform, and it covers playing a role on stage, performing a song, interpreting a dream and interpreting data in a report. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and the context tells you whether it is about art or about meaning. A good first sentence to remember is Yo interpreto el papel de Hamlet. — "I interpret the role of Hamlet."

What is the difference between interpretar and actuar?

Interpretar means to interpret, to perform, while actuar means to act, the stage partner. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use interpretar when you mean to interpret, to perform, as in Yo interpreto la canción en el concierto., and use actuar for to act, the stage partner.

How do I say "I interpret" in the past?

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo interpreté la canción en el concierto.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo interpretaba el sueño de anoche.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he interpretado la canción en el concierto..

How do I practise interpretar?

Start with the interpretar conjugation page for the full tables, then the interpretar in the present tense page for the tense in focus, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure. Interpretar is fully regular: interpreté, interpretaba, interpretaré. It covers performing a role and explaining what something means.

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