Maldecir Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Maldecir means “to curse”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Maldecir means to curse, and it is used for cursing your luck, cursing a person and swearing in anger. It follows the pattern of decir, with the present maldigo and the preterite maldije, though its participle is regular, maldecido. This page shows maldecir 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: “Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.” — I curse his luck after the accident.
Maldecir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how maldecir 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 maldecir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.” — I curse his luck after the accident.
“¿Tú maldices el día en que lo conoció?” — Do you curse the day he met him?
“Maldice en voz baja al perder.” — He/she curses under his breath when he lost.
“Maldecimos a su enemigo en la historia.” — We curse his enemy in the story.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show maldecir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo maldije su suerte tras el accidente.” — Yesterday, I cursed his luck after the accident. (preterite)
“Él maldecía el día en que lo conoció todos los días.” — He used to curse the day he met him every day. (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 maldecir stays the same.
“Nosotros maldeciremos en voz baja al perder mañana.” — We will curse under his breath when he lost tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has maldecido a su enemigo en la historia?” — Have you cursed his enemy in the story? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Maldecís su suerte tras el accidente.” — You curse his luck after the accident.
“Maldicen el día en que lo conoció.” — They curse the day he met him.
“Maldigo en voz baja al perder.” — I curse under his breath when he lost.
“Maldice a su enemigo en la historia.” — He/she curses his enemy in the story.
Maldecir 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 maldecir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú maldices su suerte tras el accidente?” — Do you curse his luck after the accident?
Carlos: “Sí, yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.” — Yes, I curse his luck after the accident.
Lucía: “Nosotros maldecimos el día en que lo conoció.” — We curse the day he met him.
Carlos: “Y ellos maldicen en voz baja al perder.” — And they curse under his breath when he lost.
Lucía: “Vosotros maldecís a su enemigo en la historia.” — You curse his enemy in the story.
Carlos: “Sí, y él maldice el día en que lo conoció.” — Yes, and he curses the day he met him.
A short paragraph
Lucía maldice su suerte tras el accidente, y Carlos maldice el día en que lo conoció. Nosotros maldecimos en voz baja al perder, y ellos maldicen a su enemigo en la historia. Yo maldigo en voz baja al perder, y mi padre maldice a su enemigo en la historia. Maldecir is part of everyday life, because to curse is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with maldecir
These are the errors learners actually make with maldecir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo maldice su suerte tras el accidente.” Right: “Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.” Why: The person matters: maldice is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is maldigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo maldeco el día en que lo conoció.” Right: “Yo maldigo el día en que lo conoció.” Why: Maldecir is a stem-changing verb (e → i), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
Wrong: “Treating maldecir and bendecir as identical in every context.” Right: “Maldecir means to curse, while bendecir means to bless.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: maldecir fits sentences such as Maldigo su suerte tras el accidente, while bendecir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy maldecido el día en que lo conoció.” Right: “Yo he maldecido el día en que lo conoció.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he maldecido, has maldecido, ha maldecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo maldije en voz baja al perder todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo maldecía en voz baja al perder todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (maldecía), not the preterite. The preterite (maldije) is for one finished action.
Quiz: maldecir in use
Ten questions on maldecir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ su suerte tras el accidente.” (His luck after the accident.)
- (a) maldecís
- (b) maldigo
- (c) maldices
Answer: maldecís — The vosotros/as form of maldecir in the present is maldecís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el día en que lo conoció.” (The day he met him.)
- (a) maldigo
- (b) maldices
- (c) maldicen
Answer: maldicen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of maldecir in the present is maldicen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ su suerte tras el accidente.” (His luck after the accident.)
- (a) maldijo
- (b) maldije
- (c) maldijiste
Answer: maldije — The yo form of maldecir in the preterite is maldije.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el día en que lo conoció.” (The day he met him.)
- (a) maldecía
- (b) maldecías
- (c) maldecíamos
Answer: maldecía — The él/ella/Ud. form of maldecir in the imperfect is maldecía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ en voz baja al perder.” (Under his breath when he lost.)
- (a) maldeciré
- (b) maldecirás
- (c) maldeciremos
Answer: maldeciremos — The nosotros/as form of maldecir in the future is maldeciremos.
6. What does maldecir mean in English?
- (a) to contradict
- (b) to curse
- (c) to bless
Answer: to curse — Maldecir means “to curse”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.
- (b) Ellos maldice su suerte tras el accidente.
- (c) Yo maldigo el día en que lo conoció ayer.
Answer: Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente. — “Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I curse his luck after the accident.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo maldicen su suerte tras el accidente.
- (b) Yo maldije su suerte tras el accidente.
- (c) Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.
Answer: Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente. — “Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of maldecir in the present tense?
- (a) maldices
- (b) maldecimos
- (c) maldigo
Answer: maldecimos — The nosotros form is maldecimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo maldije su suerte tras el accidente.
- (b) Nosotros maldeciremos su suerte tras el accidente mañana.
- (c) Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.
Answer: Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente. — “Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I curse' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo maldigo su suerte tras el accidente todos los días'.
How do you say 'I curse' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo maldije el día en que lo conoció'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo maldecía el día en que lo conoció todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he maldecido el día en que lo conoció'.
What is the difference between maldecir and bendecir?
Maldecir means to curse, while bendecir means to bless. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use maldecir when you mean to curse, as in Maldigo su suerte tras el accidente.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of maldecir — every tense of maldecir in one place.
- Maldecir in the preterite 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 maldecir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of maldecir until they are automatic.