Introduction
Inventar means “to invent”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Inventar means to invent, and it covers inventing a machine, a story, an excuse or a word. It is fully regular and very common in history, school and everyday excuses: inventar una excusa is something every learner should know how to say. This page shows inventar 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: “Invento una máquina nueva.” — I invent a new machine.
Inventar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how inventar 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 inventar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Invento una máquina nueva.” — I invent a new machine.
“¿Inventas una historia para los niños?” — Do you invent a story for the children?
“Inventa una excusa para no ir.” — He/she invents an excuse not to go.
“Nosotros inventamos un juego nuevo en el patio.” — We invent a new game in the yard.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show inventar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo inventé una máquina nueva.” — Yesterday, I invented a new machine. (preterite)
“Antes, él inventaba una historia para los niños.” — Before, he used to invent a story for the children. (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 inventar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros inventaremos una excusa para no ir.” — Tomorrow, we will invent an excuse not to go. (future)
“¿Tú has inventado un juego nuevo en el patio?” — Have you invented a new game in the yard? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros inventáis una máquina nueva.” — You invent a new machine.
“Ellos inventan una historia para los niños.” — They invent a story for the children.
“Yo invento una excusa para no ir.” — I invent an excuse not to go.
“Mi padre inventa un juego nuevo en el patio.” — My father invents a new game in the yard.
Inventar 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 inventar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú inventas una historia para los niños?” — Do you invent a story for the children?
Pedro: “Sí, yo invento una máquina nueva.” — Yes, I invent a new machine.
Marta: “Nosotros inventamos un juego nuevo en el patio.” — We invent a new game in the yard.
Pedro: “Y ellos inventan una historia para los niños.” — And they invent a story for the children.
Marta: “Vosotros inventáis una excusa para no ir.” — You invent an excuse not to go.
Pedro: “Sí, y él inventa una máquina nueva.” — Yes, and he invents a new machine.
A short paragraph
Inventa una máquina nueva, y nosotros inventamos un juego nuevo en el patio. Yo invento una historia para los niños, y ellos inventan una excusa para no ir. Inventar is part of everyday life, because invent is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with inventar
These are the errors learners actually make with inventar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo inventa una máquina nueva.” Right: “Yo invento una máquina nueva.” Why: The person matters: inventa is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is invento. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo invento una historia para los niños.” Right: “Ayer yo inventé una historia para los niños.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: invento is happening now, while inventé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating inventar and descubrir as identical in every context.” Right: “Inventar means to invent, while descubrir means to discover.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: inventar fits sentences such as Invento una máquina nueva, while descubrir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy inventado una historia para los niños.” Right: “Yo he inventado una historia para los niños.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he inventado, has inventado, ha inventado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo inventé una excusa para no ir todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo inventaba una excusa para no ir todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (inventaba), not the preterite. The preterite (inventé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: inventar in use
Ten questions on inventar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ una máquina nueva.” (You invent a new machine.)
- (a) inventáis
- (b) invento
- (c) inventas
Answer: inventáis — The vosotros/as form of inventar in the present tense is inventáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ una historia para los niños.” (They invent a story for the children.)
- (a) inventas
- (b) inventan
- (c) invento
Answer: inventan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of inventar in the present tense is inventan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ una máquina nueva.” (Yesterday I invented a new machine.)
- (a) inventaste
- (b) inventó
- (c) inventé
Answer: inventé — In the preterite, the yo form of inventar is inventé.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ una historia para los niños.” (Before, he used to invent a story for the children.)
- (a) inventaba
- (b) invento
- (c) inventabas
Answer: inventaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of inventar is inventaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ una excusa para no ir.” (Tomorrow we will invent an excuse not to go.)
- (a) inventarás
- (b) inventaremos
- (c) inventaré
Answer: inventaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of inventar is inventaremos.
6. What does inventar mean in English?
- (a) to invent
- (b) to invoke
- (c) to discover
Answer: to invent — Inventar means “to invent”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo inventa una máquina nueva.
- (b) Ellos inventa una historia para los niños.
- (c) Yo invento una máquina nueva.
Answer: Yo invento una máquina nueva. — “Yo invento una máquina nueva.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I invent a new machine.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre inventa un juego nuevo en el patio.
- (b) Invento una máquina nueva.
- (c) Inventan una máquina nueva.
Answer: Invento una máquina nueva. — “Invento una máquina nueva.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of inventar in the present tense?
- (a) invento
- (b) inventas
- (c) inventamos
Answer: inventamos — The nosotros form is inventamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros inventaremos una excusa para no ir.
- (b) Invento una máquina nueva.
- (c) Ayer, yo inventé una máquina nueva.
Answer: Invento una máquina nueva. — “Invento una máquina nueva.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I invent a new machine' in Spanish?
Say 'Invento una máquina nueva'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Invento una máquina nueva todos los días'.
How do you say 'He invents a story for the children' in Spanish?
Say 'Él inventa una historia para los niños'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes inventa.
What is the difference between inventar and descubrir?
Inventar means to invent, while descubrir means to discover. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use inventar when you mean to invent, as in 'Invento una máquina nueva', and use descubrir for to discover.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of inventar — every tense of inventar in one place.
- Inventar 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 inventar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of inventar until they are automatic.