Licenciar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

licenciar means to license, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo licencio todos los días» — I license every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use licenciar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Licenciar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where licenciar lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo licencio todos los días. — I license every day.
  2. Tú licencias en el trabajo. — You license at work.
  3. Él licencia con mi familia. — He licenses with my family.
  4. Nosotros licenciamos por la mañana. — We license in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo licencié por la tarde. — Yesterday I licensed in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo licenciaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to license every day.
  3. La semana pasada él licenció dos veces. — Last week He licensed twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo licenciaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will license without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo licenciaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would license right now.
  3. Hoy yo he licenciado dos veces. — Today I have licensed twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú licencies pronto. — I hope You license soon.
  2. ¡licencia, por favor! — License, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy licenciando. — Right now I am licensing.

Licenciar in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo licencio en el trabajo.» — I license at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo licencio con mi familia.» — I license with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo licenciaré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will license without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo licenciaría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would license right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he licenciado dos veces.» — Today I have licensed twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo licencié por la tarde. Antes, yo licenciaba todos los días. Hoy yo he licenciado dos veces. Mañana yo licenciaré sin falta.

Yesterday I licensed in the afternoon. In the past, I used to license every day. Today I have licensed twice. Tomorrow I will license without fail.

Common mistakes with licenciar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo licenciaba.

Right: Ayer yo licencié.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, licencié. The imperfect licenciaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú licencias.

Right: Espero que tú licencies.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: licencies, not the indicative licencias. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No licencia.

Right: No licencies.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no licencies. The affirmative licencia can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo licenciar todos los días.

Right: Yo licencio todos los días.

The infinitive licenciar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo licencio.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He licenciando.

Right: He licenciado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he licenciado. The gerund licenciando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy licenciando»), never with haber.

Quiz: licenciar in use

Test yourself on licenciar in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of licenciar in the present indicative?

- (a) licencio
- (b) licencias
- (c) licencia
- (d) licenciamos

2. What is the nosotros/as form of licenciar in the preterite?

- (a) licenciaste
- (b) licencié
- (c) licenciamos
- (d) licenció

3. What is the vosotros/as form of licenciar in the future?

- (a) licenciaréis
- (b) licenciará
- (c) licenciarás
- (d) licenciaré

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of licenciar in the present perfect?

- (a) han licenciado
- (b) has licenciado
- (c) ha licenciado
- (d) he licenciado

5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of licenciar in the imperfect?

- (a) licenciábamos
- (b) licenciabas
- (c) licenciaba
- (d) licenciaba

6. What is the gerund of licenciar?

- (a) licenciar
- (b) licenciando
- (c) licenciado
- (d) licencio

7. What is the past participle of licenciar?

- (a) licencié
- (b) licenciar
- (c) licenciado
- (d) licenciando

8. Which sentence uses licenciar correctly?

- (a) *Yo licencio todos los días.* — I license every day.
- (b) *Yo licencias todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo licencia todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo licenciar todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses licenciar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo licenciaba por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo licenciar por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo licencié por la tarde.* — Yesterday I licensed in the afternoon.
- (d) *Ayer yo licencio por la tarde.*

10. What does licenciar mean?

- (a) to free
- (b) to be called
- (c) to license
- (d) to join

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of licenciar is licencia. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the nosotros/as form of licenciar is licenciamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the future, the vosotros/as form of licenciar is licenciaréis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present perfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of licenciar is han licenciado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of licenciar is licenciaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — The gerund of licenciar is licenciando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy licenciando». 7. (c) — The past participle of licenciar is licenciado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he licenciado». 8. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of licenciar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (c) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of licenciar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (c) — licenciar means «to license».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I license' in Spanish?

Say «Yo licencio todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I licensed' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo licencié por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is licenciar reflexive?

No — licenciar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo licencio, tú licencias, él licencia. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with licenciar?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (licencié) for a single finished event and the imperfect (licenciaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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