Intervenir Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Intervenir means “to intervene”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Intervenir means to intervene, and it is used for intervening in a discussion, a conflict or a medical operation. It follows the pattern of venir, with the present intervengo, the preterite intervine and the future intervendré. This page shows intervenir 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 intervengo en la discusión de la reunión.” — I intervene in the discussion at the meeting.
Intervenir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how intervenir 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 intervenir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Intervengo en la discusión de la reunión.” — I intervene in the discussion at the meeting.
“¿Tú intervienes en el conflicto de los vecinos?” — Do you intervene in the neighbours' conflict?
“Interviene en la operación del hospital.” — He/she intervenes in the operation at the hospital.
“Intervenimos a tiempo en el debate.” — We intervene in time in the debate.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show intervenir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo intervine en la discusión de la reunión.” — Yesterday, I intervened in the discussion at the meeting. (preterite)
“Él intervenía en el conflicto de los vecinos todos los días.” — He used to intervene in the neighbours' conflict 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 intervenir stays the same.
“Nosotros intervendremos en la operación del hospital mañana.” — We will intervene in the operation at the hospital tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has intervenido a tiempo en el debate?” — Have you intervened in time in the debate? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Intervenís en la discusión de la reunión.” — You intervene in the discussion at the meeting.
“Intervienen en el conflicto de los vecinos.” — They intervene in the neighbours' conflict.
“Intervengo en la operación del hospital.” — I intervene in the operation at the hospital.
“Interviene a tiempo en el debate.” — He/she intervenes in time in the debate.
Intervenir 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 intervenir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú intervienes en la discusión de la reunión?” — Do you intervene in the discussion at the meeting?
Carlos: “Sí, yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión.” — Yes, I intervene in the discussion at the meeting.
Lucía: “Nosotros intervenimos en el conflicto de los vecinos.” — We intervene in the neighbours' conflict.
Carlos: “Y ellos intervienen en la operación del hospital.” — And they intervene in the operation at the hospital.
Lucía: “Vosotros intervenís a tiempo en el debate.” — You intervene in time in the debate.
Carlos: “Sí, y él interviene en el conflicto de los vecinos.” — Yes, and he intervenes in the neighbours' conflict.
A short paragraph
Lucía interviene en la discusión de la reunión, y Carlos interviene en el conflicto de los vecinos. Nosotros intervenimos en la operación del hospital, y ellos intervienen a tiempo en el debate. Yo intervengo en la operación del hospital, y mi padre interviene a tiempo en el debate. Intervenir is part of everyday life, because to intervene is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with intervenir
These are the errors learners actually make with intervenir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo interviene en la discusión de la reunión.” Right: “Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión.” Why: The person matters: interviene is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is intervengo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo interveno en el conflicto de los vecinos.” Right: “Yo intervengo en el conflicto de los vecinos.” Why: Intervenir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
Wrong: “Treating intervenir and participar as identical in every context.” Right: “Intervenir means to intervene, while participar means to take part.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: intervenir fits sentences such as Intervengo en la discusión de la reunión, while participar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy intervenido en el conflicto de los vecinos.” Right: “Yo he intervenido en el conflicto de los vecinos.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he intervenido, has intervenido, ha intervenido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo intervine en la operación del hospital todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo intervenía en la operación del hospital todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (intervenía), not the preterite. The preterite (intervine) is for one finished action.
Quiz: intervenir in use
Ten questions on intervenir 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 la discusión de la reunión.” (In the discussion at the meeting.)
- (a) intervenís
- (b) intervengo
- (c) intervienes
Answer: intervenís — The vosotros/as form of intervenir in the present is intervenís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ en el conflicto de los vecinos.” (In the neighbours' conflict.)
- (a) intervengo
- (b) intervienes
- (c) intervienen
Answer: intervienen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of intervenir in the present is intervienen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ en la discusión de la reunión.” (In the discussion at the meeting.)
- (a) intervino
- (b) intervine
- (c) interviniste
Answer: intervine — The yo form of intervenir in the preterite is intervine.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ en el conflicto de los vecinos.” (In the neighbours' conflict.)
- (a) intervenía
- (b) intervenías
- (c) interveníamos
Answer: intervenía — The él/ella/Ud. form of intervenir in the imperfect is intervenía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ en la operación del hospital.” (In the operation at the hospital.)
- (a) intervendré
- (b) intervendrás
- (c) intervendremos
Answer: intervendremos — The nosotros/as form of intervenir in the future is intervendremos.
6. What does intervenir mean in English?
- (a) to prevent, to warn
- (b) to intervene
- (c) to take part
Answer: to intervene — Intervenir means “to intervene”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión.
- (b) Ellos interviene en la discusión de la reunión.
- (c) Yo intervengo en el conflicto de los vecinos ayer.
Answer: Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión. — “Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I intervene in the discussion at the meeting.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo intervienen en la discusión de la reunión.
- (b) Yo intervine en la discusión de la reunión.
- (c) Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión.
Answer: Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión. — “Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión.” 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 intervenir in the present tense?
- (a) intervienes
- (b) intervenimos
- (c) intervengo
Answer: intervenimos — The nosotros form is intervenimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo intervine en la discusión de la reunión.
- (b) Nosotros intervendremos en la discusión de la reunión mañana.
- (c) Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión.
Answer: Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión. — “Yo intervengo en la discusión de 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 intervene' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión todos los días'.
How do you say 'I intervene' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo intervine en el conflicto de los vecinos'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo intervenía en el conflicto de los vecinos todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he intervenido en el conflicto de los vecinos'.
What is the difference between intervenir and participar?
Intervenir means to intervene, while participar means to take part. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use intervenir when you mean to intervene, as in Intervengo en la discusión de la reunión.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of intervenir — every tense of intervenir in one place.
- Intervenir 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 intervenir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of intervenir until they are automatic.