Introduction
Invocar means “to invoke”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Invocar means to invoke or to call on, and it is used for calling on a god, a law, a right or a spirit: invocar la ley, invocar a los dioses. It is a formal, literary verb, and its spelling change — c to qu before e — is its main learning point. This page shows invocar 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: “Invoco la ley en el juicio.” — I invoke the law in the trial.
Invocar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how invocar 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 invocar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Invoco la ley en el juicio.” — I invoke the law in the trial.
“¿Invocas a los dioses antiguos?” — Do you invoke the ancient gods?
“Invoca el derecho a la libertad.” — He/she invokes the right to freedom.
“Nosotros invocamos el nombre de su madre.” — We invoke his mother's name.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show invocar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo invoqué la ley en el juicio.” — Yesterday, I invoked the law in the trial. (preterite)
“Antes, él invocaba a los dioses antiguos.” — Before, he used to invoke the ancient gods. (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 invocar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros invocaremos el derecho a la libertad.” — Tomorrow, we will invoke the right to freedom. (future)
“¿Tú has invocado el nombre de su madre?” — Have you invoked his mother's name? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros invocáis la ley en el juicio.” — You invoke the law in the trial.
“Ellos invocan a los dioses antiguos.” — They invoke the ancient gods.
“Yo invoco el derecho a la libertad.” — I invoke the right to freedom.
“Mi padre invoca el nombre de su madre.” — My father invokes his mother's name.
Invocar 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 invocar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú invocas a los dioses antiguos?” — Do you invoke the ancient gods?
Pedro: “Sí, yo invoco la ley en el juicio.” — Yes, I invoke the law in the trial.
Marta: “Nosotros invocamos el nombre de su madre.” — We invoke his mother's name.
Pedro: “Y ellos invocan a los dioses antiguos.” — And they invoke the ancient gods.
Marta: “Vosotros invocáis el derecho a la libertad.” — You invoke the right to freedom.
Pedro: “Sí, y él invoca la ley en el juicio.” — Yes, and he invokes the law in the trial.
A short paragraph
Invoca la ley en el juicio, y nosotros invocamos el nombre de su madre. Yo invoco a los dioses antiguos, y ellos invocan el derecho a la libertad. Invocar is part of everyday life, because invoke is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with invocar
These are the errors learners actually make with invocar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo invoca la ley en el juicio.” Right: “Yo invoco la ley en el juicio.” Why: The person matters: invoca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is invoco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Espero que yo invoce la ley en el juicio.” Right: “Espero que yo invoque la ley en el juicio.” Why: Spelling change: this verb is a -car verb: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is invoqué and the present subjunctive is invoque, so the present subjunctive is invoque, never invoce.
Wrong: “Treating invocar and llamar as identical in every context.” Right: “Invocar means to invoke, while llamar means to call.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: invocar fits sentences such as Invoco la ley en el juicio, while llamar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy invocado a los dioses antiguos.” Right: “Yo he invocado a los dioses antiguos.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he invocado, has invocado, ha invocado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo invoqué el derecho a la libertad todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo invocaba el derecho a la libertad todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (invocaba), not the preterite. The preterite (invoqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: invocar in use
Ten questions on invocar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ la ley en el juicio.” (You invoke the law in the trial.)
- (a) invocáis
- (b) invoco
- (c) invocas
Answer: invocáis — The vosotros/as form of invocar in the present tense is invocáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ a los dioses antiguos.” (They invoke the ancient gods.)
- (a) invocas
- (b) invocan
- (c) invoco
Answer: invocan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of invocar in the present tense is invocan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ la ley en el juicio.” (Yesterday I invoked the law in the trial.)
- (a) invocaste
- (b) invocó
- (c) invoqué
Answer: invoqué — In the preterite, the yo form of invocar is invoqué.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ a los dioses antiguos.” (Before, he used to invoke the ancient gods.)
- (a) invocaba
- (b) invoco
- (c) invocabas
Answer: invocaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of invocar is invocaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ el derecho a la libertad.” (Tomorrow we will invoke the right to freedom.)
- (a) invocarás
- (b) invocaremos
- (c) invocaré
Answer: invocaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of invocar is invocaremos.
6. What does invocar mean in English?
- (a) to invoke
- (b) to invent
- (c) to call
Answer: to invoke — Invocar means “to invoke”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo invoca la ley en el juicio.
- (b) Ellos invoca a los dioses antiguos.
- (c) Yo invoco la ley en el juicio.
Answer: Yo invoco la ley en el juicio. — “Yo invoco la ley en el juicio.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I invoke the law in the trial.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre invoca el nombre de su madre.
- (b) Invoco la ley en el juicio.
- (c) Invocan la ley en el juicio.
Answer: Invoco la ley en el juicio. — “Invoco la ley en el juicio.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of invocar in the present tense?
- (a) invoco
- (b) invocas
- (c) invocamos
Answer: invocamos — The nosotros form is invocamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros invocaremos el derecho a la libertad.
- (b) Invoco la ley en el juicio.
- (c) Ayer, yo invoqué la ley en el juicio.
Answer: Invoco la ley en el juicio. — “Invoco la ley en el juicio.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I invoke the law in the trial' in Spanish?
Say 'Invoco la ley en el juicio'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Invoco la ley en el juicio todos los días'.
How do you say 'He invokes the ancient gods' in Spanish?
Say 'Él invoca a los dioses antiguos'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes invoca.
What is the difference between invocar and llamar?
Invocar means to invoke, while llamar means to call. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use invocar when you mean to invoke, as in 'Invoco la ley en el juicio', and use llamar for to call.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of invocar — every tense of invocar in one place.
- Invocar 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 invocar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of invocar until they are automatic.