Llenar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

llenar means to fill, 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 lleno todos los días» — I fill every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use llenar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Llenar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

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

  1. Yo lleno todos los días. — I fill every day.
  2. Tú llenas en el trabajo. — You fill at work.
  3. Él llena con mi familia. — He fills with my family.
  4. Nosotros llenamos por la mañana. — We fill 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 llené por la tarde. — Yesterday I filled in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo llenaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to fill every day.
  3. La semana pasada él llenó dos veces. — Last week He filled 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 llenaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will fill without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo llenaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would fill right now.
  3. Hoy yo he llenado dos veces. — Today I have filled twice.

More everyday uses

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

  1. Espero que tú llenes pronto. — I hope You fill soon.
  2. ¡llena, por favor! — Fill, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy llenando. — Right now I am filling.

Llenar in context

A short dialogue

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

A short paragraph

Ayer yo llené por la tarde. Antes, yo llenaba todos los días. Hoy yo he llenado dos veces. Mañana yo llenaré sin falta.

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

Common mistakes with llenar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo llenaba.

Right: Ayer yo llené.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, llené. The imperfect llenaba 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 llenas.

Right: Espero que tú llenes.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No llena.

Right: No llenes.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo llenar todos los días.

Right: Yo lleno todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He llenando.

Right: He llenado.

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

Quiz: llenar in use

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

1. What is the vosotros/as form of llenar in the present indicative?

- (a) llenáis
- (b) llenas
- (c) lleno
- (d) llena

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of llenar in the preterite?

- (a) llené
- (b) llenó
- (c) llenaste
- (d) llenaron

3. What is the yo form of llenar in the future?

- (a) llenaremos
- (b) llenarás
- (c) llenará
- (d) llenaré

4. What is the tú form of llenar in the present perfect?

- (a) has llenado
- (b) ha llenado
- (c) hemos llenado
- (d) he llenado

5. What is the vosotros/as form of llenar in the imperfect?

- (a) llenabais
- (b) llenaba
- (c) llenaba
- (d) llenabas

6. What is the gerund of llenar?

- (a) llenado
- (b) llenar
- (c) llenando
- (d) lleno

7. What is the past participle of llenar?

- (a) llenando
- (b) llenado
- (c) llenar
- (d) llené

8. Which sentence uses llenar correctly?

- (a) *Yo llenar todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo llenas todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo lleno todos los días.* — I fill every day.
- (d) *Yo llena todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses llenar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo llenar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo llené por la tarde.* — Yesterday I filled in the afternoon.
- (c) *Ayer yo lleno por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo llenaba por la tarde.*

10. What does llenar mean?

- (a) to fight
- (b) to fill
- (c) to license
- (d) to be called

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of llenar is llenáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of llenar is llenaron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the future, the yo form of llenar is llenaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present perfect, the tú form of llenar is has llenado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the imperfect, the vosotros/as form of llenar is llenabais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — The gerund of llenar is llenando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy llenando». 7. (b) — The past participle of llenar is llenado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he llenado». 8. (c) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of llenar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (b) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of llenar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (b) — llenar means «to fill».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I fill' in Spanish?

Say «Yo lleno 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 filled' about yesterday?

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

Is llenar reflexive?

No — llenar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo lleno, tú llenas, él llena. 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 llenar?

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

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