Licuar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

licuar means "to liquefy, to blend" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Licuar means to liquefy or blend something in a blender: licuar las frutas para el zumo. It is the verb for making juice and smoothies, common in Latin America. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of licuar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the licuar present tense page.

licuar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo licúo las frutas para el zumo — "I liquefy the fruit for the juice"
  2. Mi amigo licúa las verduras en la batidora — "My friend liquefies the vegetables in the blender"
  3. Mañana, tú licuarás el hielo con la fruta — "Tomorrow, you will liquefy the ice with the fruit"
  4. Yo licuaría los ingredientes del batido si pudiera — "I would liquefy the smoothie ingredients if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo licué las frutas para el zumo — "Yesterday, I liquefied the fruit for the juice"
  2. Antes, nosotros licuábamos las verduras en la batidora — "Before, we used to liquefy the vegetables in the blender"
  3. Él ha licuado el hielo con la fruta — "He has liquefied the ice with the fruit"
  4. Yo ya había licuado los ingredientes del batido antes de salir — "I already had liquefied the smoothie ingredients before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él licúe las frutas para el zumo — "I hope he liquefies the fruit for the juice"
  2. Si yo licuara las verduras en la batidora, todo cambiaría — "If I liquefied the vegetables in the blender, everything would change"
  3. Licúa el hielo con la fruta. — "Liquefy the ice with the fruit."
  4. Yo habría licuado los ingredientes del batido con más tiempo — "I would have liquefied the smoothie ingredients with more time"

licuar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use licuar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo licúo las frutas para el zumo — "I liquefy the fruit for the juice"
  • Marcos: Él licúa las verduras en la batidora — "He liquefies the vegetables in the blender"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo licué el hielo con la fruta — "Yesterday, I liquefied the ice with the fruit"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú licuarás los ingredientes del batido — "Tomorrow, you will liquefy the smoothie ingredients"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Licúa la sopa hasta que quede fina. — "Liquefy the soup until smooth."
  • Lucía: Él ha licuado las frutas para el zumo — "He has liquefied the fruit for the juice"
  • Marcos: Espero que él licúe las verduras en la batidora — "I hope he liquefies the vegetables in the blender"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo licuaba el hielo con la fruta — "Before, I used to liquefy the ice with the fruit"

Common mistakes with licuar

The errors learners actually make with licuar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Espero que él licúa los ingredientes del batido

✓ Correct: Espero que él licúe los ingredientes del batido

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él licúe los ingredientes del batido — not the indicative Espero que él licúa los ingredientes del batido.

✗ *Ayer, yo licúo la sopa hasta que quede fina

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo licué la sopa hasta que quede fina

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo licué la sopa hasta que quede fina.

✗ *De niño, yo licué las frutas para el zumo todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo licuaba las frutas para el zumo todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo licuaba las frutas para el zumo todos los días.

✗ *Yo licúo en el hielo con la fruta.

✓ Correct: Yo licúo el hielo con la fruta.

licuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo licúo el hielo con la fruta.

✗ *Vosotros licuais las verduras en la batidora.

✓ Correct: Vosotros licuáis las verduras en la batidora.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: licuáis, not licuais.

Quiz: licuar in use

Ten questions on licuar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ las frutas para el zumo — "I liquefy the fruit for the juice" (present) A. licúas B. licúa C. licuamos D. licúo

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ las verduras en la batidora — "Yesterday, I liquefied the vegetables in the blender" (preterite) A. licuaste B. licuó C. licuamos D. licué

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el hielo con la fruta — "Before, we used to liquefy the ice with the fruit" (imperfect) A. licuaba B. licuabas C. licuabais D. licuábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ los ingredientes del batido — "Tomorrow, you will liquefy the smoothie ingredients" (future) A. licuaré B. licuará C. licuaremos D. licuarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la sopa hasta que quede fina — "I would liquefy the soup until smooth" (conditional) A. licuaríais B. licuaría C. licuarías D. licuaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ las frutas para el zumo — "He has liquefied the fruit for the juice" (present perfect) A. ha licuado B. he licuado C. has licuado D. hemos licuado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ las verduras en la batidora — "I hope he liquefies the vegetables in the blender" (present subjunctive) A. licuéis B. licúe C. licúes D. licuemos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el hielo con la fruta. — "Liquefy the ice with the fruit." (affirmative imperative) A. licúe B. licuemos C. licuad D. licúa

  9. Which is the gerund of licuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. licúo B. licué C. licuando D. licuado

  10. What does licuar mean in English? A. to liquefy B. to beat, to blend C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. licúo — The present form for yo is licúo.
  2. licué — The preterite form for yo is licué.
  3. licuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is licuábamos.
  4. licuarás — The future form for tú is licuarás.
  5. licuaría — The conditional form for yo is licuaría.
  6. ha licuado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha licuado.
  7. licúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is licúe.
  8. licúa — The affirmative imperative form is licúa.
  9. licuando — The gerund of licuar is licuando: estoy licuando. The participle licuado is used with haber instead.
  10. to liquefy — licuar means to liquefy.

Frequently asked questions

What does licuar mean in English?

licuar means to liquefy, to blend. For example: Yo licúo las frutas para el zumo — "I liquefy the fruit for the juice". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with licuar?

licuar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is licuar regular?

Yes. licuar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise licuar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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