Manifestar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

manifestar means "to show, to express" 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. Manifestar means to express or show something openly: manifestar su opinión, manifestar su apoyo. It is more formal than decir, and it is the verb for making feelings public. 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 manifestar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the manifestar present tense page.

manifestar 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 manifiesto su opinión en la reunión — "I express his opinion in the meeting"
  2. Mi amigo manifiesta su apoyo al equipo — "My friend expresses his support for the team"
  3. Mañana, tú manifestarás sus sentimientos en la carta — "Tomorrow, you will express his feelings in the letter"
  4. Yo manifestaría su desacuerdo con la decisión si pudiera — "I would express his disagreement with the decision 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 manifesté su opinión en la reunión — "Yesterday, I expressed his opinion in the meeting"
  2. Antes, nosotros manifestábamos su apoyo al equipo — "Before, we used to express his support for the team"
  3. Él ha manifestado sus sentimientos en la carta — "He has expressed his feelings in the letter"
  4. Yo ya había manifestado su desacuerdo con la decisión antes de salir — "I already had expressed his disagreement with the decision 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 manifieste su opinión en la reunión — "I hope he expresses his opinion in the meeting"
  2. Si yo manifestara su apoyo al equipo, todo cambiaría — "If I expressed his support for the team, everything would change"
  3. Manifiesta sus sentimientos en la carta. — "Express his feelings in the letter."
  4. Yo habría manifestado su desacuerdo con la decisión con más tiempo — "I would have expressed his disagreement with the decision with more time"

manifestar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use manifestar 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 manifiesto su opinión en la reunión — "I express his opinion in the meeting"
  • Marcos: Él manifiesta su apoyo al equipo — "He expresses his support for the team"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo manifesté sus sentimientos en la carta — "Yesterday, I expressed his feelings in the letter"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú manifestarás su desacuerdo con la decisión — "Tomorrow, you will express his disagreement with the decision"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Manifiesta interés por el arte. — "Express interest in art."
  • Lucía: Él ha manifestado su opinión en la reunión — "He has expressed his opinion in the meeting"
  • Marcos: Espero que él manifieste su apoyo al equipo — "I hope he expresses his support for the team"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo manifestaba sus sentimientos en la carta — "Before, I used to express his feelings in the letter"

Common mistakes with manifestar

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

✗ *Yo manifesto su desacuerdo con la decisión.

✓ Correct: Yo manifiesto su desacuerdo con la decisión.

manifestar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is manifiesto, not manifesto.

✗ *Espero que él manifiesta su desacuerdo con la decisión

✓ Correct: Espero que él manifieste su desacuerdo con la decisión

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él manifieste su desacuerdo con la decisión — not the indicative Espero que él manifiesta su desacuerdo con la decisión.

✗ *Ayer, yo manifiesto interés por el arte

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo manifesté interés por el arte

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo manifesté interés por el arte.

✗ *De niño, yo manifesté su opinión en la reunión todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo manifestaba su opinión en la reunión todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo manifestaba su opinión en la reunión todos los días.

✗ *Yo manifiesto en sus sentimientos en la carta.

✓ Correct: Yo manifiesto sus sentimientos en la carta.

manifestar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo manifiesto sus sentimientos en la carta.

Quiz: manifestar in use

Ten questions on manifestar — 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 ______ su opinión en la reunión — "I express his opinion in the meeting" (present) A. manifiestas B. manifiesta C. manifestamos D. manifiesto

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ su apoyo al equipo — "Yesterday, I expressed his support for the team" (preterite) A. manifestamos B. manifesté C. manifestaste D. manifestó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ sus sentimientos en la carta — "Before, we used to express his feelings in the letter" (imperfect) A. manifestabais B. manifestábamos C. manifestaba D. manifestabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ su desacuerdo con la decisión — "Tomorrow, you will express his disagreement with the decision" (future) A. manifestaré B. manifestará C. manifestaremos D. manifestarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ interés por el arte — "I would express interest in art" (conditional) A. manifestaríamos B. manifestaríais C. manifestaría D. manifestarías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ su opinión en la reunión — "He has expressed his opinion in the meeting" (present perfect) A. ha manifestado B. he manifestado C. has manifestado D. hemos manifestado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ su apoyo al equipo — "I hope he expresses his support for the team" (present subjunctive) A. manifiestes B. manifestemos C. manifestéis D. manifieste

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ sus sentimientos en la carta. — "Express his feelings in the letter." (affirmative imperative) A. manifestad B. manifiesta C. manifieste D. manifestemos

  9. Which is the gerund of manifestar, used with estar for the progressive? A. manifestando B. manifestado C. manifiesto D. manifesté

  10. What does manifestar mean in English? A. to enjoy B. to cross C. to show D. to express

Answer key

  1. manifiesto — The present form for yo is manifiesto.
  2. manifesté — The preterite form for yo is manifesté.
  3. manifestábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is manifestábamos.
  4. manifestarás — The future form for tú is manifestarás.
  5. manifestaría — The conditional form for yo is manifestaría.
  6. ha manifestado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha manifestado.
  7. manifieste — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is manifieste.
  8. manifiesta — The affirmative imperative form is manifiesta.
  9. manifestando — The gerund of manifestar is manifestando: estoy manifestando. The participle manifestado is used with haber instead.
  10. to show — manifestar means to show.

Frequently asked questions

What does manifestar mean in English?

manifestar means to show, to express. For example: Yo manifiesto su opinión en la reunión — "I express his opinion in the meeting". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with manifestar?

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

Is manifestar regular?

No. manifestar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: manifiesto, manifiestas, manifiesta and manifiestan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: manifestamos, manifestáis.

How do I practise manifestar?

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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