Modificar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

modificar means to modify, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Modificar means to modify, and it is used for modifying a plan after a meeting, a document before sending it and a design or a timetable. It is a more precise synonym of cambiar, and it is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. This page puts modificar to work: twelve example sentences in different tenses and persons, grouped by use, then two short dialogues where the verb appears naturally, then the common mistakes to avoid, and finally a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every Spanish form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for modificar, and the full tables are on the modificar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo modifico el plan después de la reunión. — I modify the plan after the meeting.
  2. Él modifica el documento antes de enviarlo. — He/she modifies the document before sending it.
  3. Ayer, yo modifiqué el diseño del cartel. — Yesterday, I modified the poster design.
  4. Antes, nosotros modificábamos el horario para el verano. — Before, we used to modify the timetable for the summer.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú modificarás el plan después de la reunión. — Tomorrow, you will modify the plan after the meeting.
  2. Yo modificaría el documento antes de enviarlo. — I would modify the document before sending it.
  3. Él ha modificado el diseño del cartel. — He/she has modified the poster design.
  4. Espero que él modifique el horario para el verano. — I hope he/she modifies the timetable for the summer.

With other people

  1. Nosotros modificamos el plan después de la reunión. — We modify the plan after the meeting.
  2. Vosotros modificáis el documento antes de enviarlo. — You all modify the document before sending it.
  3. Antes, ellos modificaban el diseño del cartel. — Before, they used to modify the poster design.
  4. Mañana, él modificará el horario para el verano. — Tomorrow, he/she will modify the timetable for the summer.

Modificar in context

Two short dialogues that use modificar the way people really use it. Read them aloud — the verb forms will stick much faster in a conversation than in a table.

Dialogue 1: today and yesterday

  • Ana: "Hola, ¿qué tal?" — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Luis: "Hoy modifico el plan después de la reunión." — "Today I modify the plan after the meeting."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, modifiqué el diseño del cartel." — "Yesterday I modified the poster design."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú modificarás el documento antes de enviarlo?" — "And tomorrow, will you will modify the document before sending it?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros modificamos el horario para el verano." — "Tomorrow we modify the timetable for the summer."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo modificaría el documento antes de enviarlo si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would modify the document before sending it if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él modifique el plan después de la reunión." — "I hope he modifies the plan after the meeting."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha modificado el diseño del cartel." — "Surely. He has already has modified the poster design."
  • Marta: "Vale, nos vemos mañana." — "OK, see you tomorrow."

Notice how the same verb changes with the tense: the present for the plan, the conditional for the wish, the subjunctive after espero que, and the present perfect for what has already happened. That is the whole point of learning a verb across its tenses, not just in one form.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo modifica el plan después de la reunión. — Right: Yo modifico el plan después de la reunión. — The person matters: modifica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is modifico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo modificé el documento antes de enviarlo. — Right: Yo modifiqué el documento antes de enviarlo. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is modifiqué, not modificé. modificar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating modificar and cambiar as identical in every context. — Right: Modificar means to modify, while cambiar means to change, the general verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: modificar fits sentences such as Modifico el plan después de la reunión, while cambiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy modificado el documento antes de enviarlo. — Right: Yo he modificado el documento antes de enviarlo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he modificado, has modificado, ha modificado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo modifiqué el diseño del cartel todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo modificaba el diseño del cartel todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (modificaba), not the preterite. The preterite (modifiqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on modificar: four on the forms, three on the meaning, and three on spotting the correct sentence. Check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el plan después de la reunión. (present tense) A. modifico B. modificas C. modifica D. modificamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ el documento antes de enviarlo. (preterite tense) A. modifiqué B. modificaste C. modificamos D. modificó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el diseño del cartel. (future tense) A. modificará B. modificaremos C. modificarás D. modificaré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el horario para el verano. (imperfect tense) A. modificabais B. modificábamos C. modificaba D. modificabas

  5. What does "Yo modifico el plan después de la reunión." mean in English? A. I modify the plan after the meeting. B. I modify the document before sending it. C. I modify the poster design. D. I modify the timetable for the summer.

  6. What does "Él modificó el documento antes de enviarlo." mean in English? A. He/she modified the plan after the meeting. B. He/she modified the poster design. C. He/she modified the timetable for the summer. D. He/she modified the document before sending it.

  7. What does "Nosotros modificaremos el diseño del cartel." mean in English? A. We will modify the document before sending it. B. We will modify the timetable for the summer. C. We will modify the poster design. D. We will modify the plan after the meeting.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo modifican el documento antes de enviarlo. B. Yo modifica el documento antes de enviarlo. C. Yo modifico el documento antes de enviarlo.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él modifiqué el diseño del cartel. B. Él modificó el diseño del cartel. C. Él modificaron el diseño del cartel.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo modifique el horario para el verano. B. Yo modifice el horario para el verano. C. Yo modifique el horario para el verano.

Answer key

  1. modifico — The yo present form of modificar is modifico.
  2. modificó — The el preterite form of modificar is modificó.
  3. modificarás — The tu future form of modificar is modificarás.
  4. modificábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of modificar is modificábamos.
  5. I modify the plan after the meeting. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form modifico, so the English is "I modify the plan after the meeting." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she modified the document before sending it. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form modificó, so the English is "He/she modified the document before sending it." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will modify the poster design. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form modificaremos, so the English is "We will modify the poster design." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo modifico el documento antes de enviarlo. — The correct sentence is "Yo modifico el documento antes de enviarlo." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él modificó el diseño del cartel. — The correct sentence is "Él modificó el diseño del cartel." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo modifique el horario para el verano. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo modifique el horario para el verano." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

What does modificar mean, and when do I use it?

Modificar means to modify. Modificar means to modify, and it is used for modifying a plan after a meeting, a document before sending it and a design or a timetable. It is a more precise synonym of cambiar, and it is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. A good first sentence to remember is Yo modifico el plan después de la reunión. — "I modify the plan after the meeting."

What is the difference between modificar and cambiar?

Modificar means to modify, while cambiar means to change, the general verb. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use modificar when you mean to modify, as in Yo modifico el documento antes de enviarlo., and use cambiar for to change, the general verb.

How do I say "I modify" in the past?

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo modifiqué el documento antes de enviarlo.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo modificaba el diseño del cartel.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he modificado el documento antes de enviarlo..

How do I practise modificar?

Start with the modificar conjugation page for the full tables, then the modificar in the present tense page for the tense in focus, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is modifiqué and the subjunctive is modifique.

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