Minimizar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
minimizar means "to minimise" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see minimizar with the risks of the trip, the household expenses, the problem in front of his boss and the mistakes in the report — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo minimizo los riesgos del viaje. — "Every day, I minimise the risks of the trip." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
minimizar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with minimizar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo minimizo los riesgos del viaje. — "Every day, I minimise the risks of the trip." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo minimicé los gastos de la casa. — "Yesterday, I minimised the household expenses." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo minimizaba el problema ante su jefe. — "In the past, I used to minimise the problem in front of his boss." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros minimizaremos los errores en el informe. — "Tomorrow, we will minimise the mistakes in the report." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú minimizarías los riesgos del viaje. — "If you could, you would minimise the risks of the trip." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he minimizado los gastos de la casa. — "I have minimised the household expenses." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él minimiza el problema ante su jefe. — "Normally, he/she minimises the problem in front of his boss." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él minimizó los errores en el informe. — "Yesterday, he/she minimised the mistakes in the report." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros minimizábamos los riesgos del viaje. — "In the past, we used to minimise the risks of the trip." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo minimizaré los gastos de la casa. — "Tomorrow, I will minimise the household expenses." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él minimice el problema ante su jefe. — "I hope that he/she minimises the problem in front of his boss." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Minimiza los errores en el informe! — "Minimise the mistakes in the report!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using minimizar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the risks of the trip, the household expenses, the problem in front of his boss and the mistakes in the report.
Dialogue 1: talking about the risks of the trip
María: ¿Tú minimizas los riesgos del viaje? — "Do you minimise the risks of the trip?" Carlos: Sí, yo minimizo los riesgos del viaje. — "I minimise the risks of the trip." María: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Carlos: Ayer, yo minimicé los gastos de la casa. — "Yesterday, I minimised the household expenses." María: Mañana, nosotros minimizaremos el problema ante su jefe. — "Tomorrow, we will minimise the problem in front of his boss." Carlos: Si pudiera, yo minimizaría los errores en el informe. — "If I could, I would minimise the mistakes in the report." María: Antes, yo minimizaba los gastos de la casa. — "In the past, I used to minimise the household expenses." Carlos: Yo he minimizado los riesgos del viaje. — "I have minimised the risks of the trip." María: ¡Minimiza el problema ante su jefe! — "Minimise the problem in front of his boss!"
In this dialogue minimizar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about the problem in front of his boss
María: Él minimiza el problema ante su jefe. — "he/she minimises the problem in front of his boss." Carlos: ¿De verdad? ¿Él minimiza el problema ante su jefe todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she minimises the problem in front of his boss every day?" María: Sí, y ellos minimizan los errores en el informe. — "they minimise the mistakes in the report." Carlos: Ayer, ellos minimizaron el problema ante su jefe. — "Yesterday, they minimised the problem in front of his boss." María: Espero que él minimice los errores en el informe. — "I hope that he/she minimises the mistakes in the report." Carlos: Mañana, él minimizará el problema ante su jefe. — "Tomorrow, he/she will minimise the problem in front of his boss." María: Antes, nosotros minimizábamos los errores en el informe. — "In the past, we used to minimise the mistakes in the report." Carlos: Nosotros minimizamos los riesgos del viaje también. — "we minimise the risks of the trip too."
This dialogue shows minimizar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with minimizar
The errors learners actually make with minimizar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me minimizo los riesgos del viaje.
- Right: Yo minimizo los riesgos del viaje.
- Why: minimizar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo minimizo los riesgos del viaje. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo minimizar los riesgos del viaje.
- Right: Yo minimizo los riesgos del viaje.
- Why: The infinitive minimizar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form minimizo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo minimizo los gastos de la casa.
- Right: Ayer, yo minimicé los gastos de la casa.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo minimicé los gastos de la casa. — "Yesterday, I minimised the household expenses."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy minimizado el problema ante su jefe.
- Right: Estoy minimizando el problema ante su jefe.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund minimizando for the progressive. The participle minimizado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he minimizado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros minimiza los riesgos del viaje.
- Right: Nosotros minimizamos los riesgos del viaje.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes minimizamos, while minimiza belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: minimizar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on minimizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of minimizar in the present tense?
- (a) minimiza
- (b) minimizamos
- (c) minimizo
- (d) minimizas
Answer: (c) minimizo. The yo form is minimizo.
2. What is the tú form of minimizar in the present tense?
- (a) minimizamos
- (b) minimizas
- (c) minimizo
- (d) minimiza
Answer: (b) minimizas. The tú form is minimizas.
3. What is the él/ella form of minimizar in the present tense?
- (a) minimiza
- (b) minimizo
- (c) minimizas
- (d) minimizamos
Answer: (a) minimiza. The él/ella form is minimiza.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ los riesgos del viaje.
- (a) minimizas
- (b) minimiza
- (c) minimizamos
- (d) minimizo
Answer: (d) minimizo. The sentence needs the yo form minimizo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ los gastos de la casa.
- (a) minimizó
- (b) minimizamos
- (c) minimicé
- (d) minimizaste
Answer: (c) minimicé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is minimicé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ el problema ante su jefe.
- (a) minimizabais
- (b) minimizaba
- (c) minimizabas
- (d) minimizábamos
Answer: (b) minimizaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is minimizaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ los errores en el informe.
- (a) minimizaré
- (b) minimizarás
- (c) minimizará
- (d) minimizaremos
Answer: (a) minimizaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is minimizaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los riesgos del viaje.
- (a) he minimizado
- (b) has minimizado
- (c) ha minimizado
- (d) hemos minimizado
Answer: (a) he minimizado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he minimizado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el problema ante su jefe.
- (a) minimicemos
- (b) minimicéis
- (c) minimice
- (d) minimices
Answer: (c) minimice. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is minimice.
10. What does minimizar mean in English?
- (a) to generalise
- (b) to globalise
- (c) to minimise
- (d) to formalise
Answer: (c) to minimise. minimizar means "to minimise" in English.
Frequently asked questions about minimizar
What does minimizar mean?
minimizar means "to minimise" in English. Use it when you talk about the risks of the trip, the household expenses, the problem in front of his boss and the mistakes in the report — for example: Cada día, yo minimizo los riesgos del viaje. — "Every day, I minimise the risks of the trip."
Is there a reflexive form of minimizar?
No. minimizar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo minimizo los riesgos del viaje. — "Every day, I minimise the risks of the trip."
What is the most common mistake with minimizar?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is minimicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example minimice. Practise the yo form and the subjunctive forms until they feel automatic, and check them against the table on the conjugation page.
How can I practise minimizar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.