Multiplicar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

multiplicar means to multiply, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Multiplicar means to multiply, and it is used for multiplying a number by three, multiplying earnings and, figuratively, multiplying efforts. It takes por for the multiplier, and it is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. This page puts multiplicar 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 multiplicar, and the full tables are on the multiplicar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo multiplico el número por tres. — I multiply the number by three.
  2. Él multiplica sus ganancias en un año. — He/she multiplies his earnings in a year.
  3. Ayer, yo multipliqué los esfuerzos del equipo. — Yesterday, I multiplied the team's efforts.
  4. Antes, nosotros multiplicábamos los panes y los peces en el relato. — Before, we used to multiply the loaves and fishes in the story.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú multiplicarás el número por tres. — Tomorrow, you will multiply the number by three.
  2. Yo multiplicaría sus ganancias en un año. — I would multiply his earnings in a year.
  3. Él ha multiplicado los esfuerzos del equipo. — He/she has multiplied the team's efforts.
  4. Espero que él multiplique los panes y los peces en el relato. — I hope he/she multiplies the loaves and fishes in the story.

With other people

  1. Nosotros multiplicamos el número por tres. — We multiply the number by three.
  2. Vosotros multiplicáis sus ganancias en un año. — You all multiply his earnings in a year.
  3. Antes, ellos multiplicaban los esfuerzos del equipo. — Before, they used to multiply the team's efforts.
  4. Mañana, él multiplicará los panes y los peces en el relato. — Tomorrow, he/she will multiply the loaves and fishes in the story.

Multiplicar in context

Two short dialogues that use multiplicar 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 multiplico el número por tres." — "Today I multiply the number by three."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, multipliqué los esfuerzos del equipo." — "Yesterday I multiplied the team's efforts."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú multiplicarás sus ganancias en un año?" — "And tomorrow, will you will multiply his earnings in a year?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros multiplicamos los panes y los peces en el relato." — "Tomorrow we multiply the loaves and fishes in the story."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo multiplicaría sus ganancias en un año si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would multiply his earnings in a year if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él multiplique el número por tres." — "I hope he multiplies the number by three."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha multiplicado los esfuerzos del equipo." — "Surely. He has already has multiplied the team's efforts."
  • 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 multiplica el número por tres. — Right: Yo multiplico el número por tres. — The person matters: multiplica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is multiplico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo multiplicé sus ganancias en un año. — Right: Yo multipliqué sus ganancias en un año. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is multipliqué, not multiplicé. multiplicar 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 multiplicar and sumar as identical in every context. — Right: Multiplicar means to multiply, while sumar means to add, the maths partner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: multiplicar fits sentences such as Multiplico el número por tres, while sumar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy multiplicado sus ganancias en un año. — Right: Yo he multiplicado sus ganancias en un año. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he multiplicado, has multiplicado, ha multiplicado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo multipliqué los esfuerzos del equipo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo multiplicaba los esfuerzos del equipo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (multiplicaba), not the preterite. The preterite (multipliqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on multiplicar: 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 número por tres. (present tense) A. multiplico B. multiplicas C. multiplica D. multiplicamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ sus ganancias en un año. (preterite tense) A. multipliqué B. multiplicaste C. multiplicamos D. multiplicó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ los esfuerzos del equipo. (future tense) A. multiplicará B. multiplicaremos C. multiplicarás D. multiplicaré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los panes y los peces en el relato. (imperfect tense) A. multiplicabais B. multiplicábamos C. multiplicaba D. multiplicabas

  5. What does "Yo multiplico el número por tres." mean in English? A. I multiply the number by three. B. I multiply his earnings in a year. C. I multiply the team's efforts. D. I multiply the loaves and fishes in the story.

  6. What does "Él multiplicó sus ganancias en un año." mean in English? A. He/she multiplied the number by three. B. He/she multiplied the team's efforts. C. He/she multiplied the loaves and fishes in the story. D. He/she multiplied his earnings in a year.

  7. What does "Nosotros multiplicaremos los esfuerzos del equipo." mean in English? A. We will multiply his earnings in a year. B. We will multiply the loaves and fishes in the story. C. We will multiply the team's efforts. D. We will multiply the number by three.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo multiplican sus ganancias en un año. B. Yo multiplica sus ganancias en un año. C. Yo multiplico sus ganancias en un año.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él multipliqué los esfuerzos del equipo. B. Él multiplicó los esfuerzos del equipo. C. Él multiplicaron los esfuerzos del equipo.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo multiplique los panes y los peces en el relato. B. Yo multiplice los panes y los peces en el relato. C. Yo multiplique los panes y los peces en el relato.

Answer key

  1. multiplico — The yo present form of multiplicar is multiplico.
  2. multiplicó — The el preterite form of multiplicar is multiplicó.
  3. multiplicarás — The tu future form of multiplicar is multiplicarás.
  4. multiplicábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of multiplicar is multiplicábamos.
  5. I multiply the number by three. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form multiplico, so the English is "I multiply the number by three." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she multiplied his earnings in a year. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form multiplicó, so the English is "He/she multiplied his earnings in a year." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will multiply the team's efforts. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form multiplicaremos, so the English is "We will multiply the team's efforts." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo multiplico sus ganancias en un año. — The correct sentence is "Yo multiplico sus ganancias en un año." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él multiplicó los esfuerzos del equipo. — The correct sentence is "Él multiplicó los esfuerzos del equipo." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo multiplique los panes y los peces en el relato. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo multiplique los panes y los peces en el relato." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

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

Multiplicar means to multiply. Multiplicar means to multiply, and it is used for multiplying a number by three, multiplying earnings and, figuratively, multiplying efforts. It takes por for the multiplier, and it is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. A good first sentence to remember is Yo multiplico el número por tres. — "I multiply the number by three."

What is the difference between multiplicar and sumar?

Multiplicar means to multiply, while sumar means to add, the maths partner. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use multiplicar when you mean to multiply, as in Yo multiplico sus ganancias en un año., and use sumar for to add, the maths partner.

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

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo multipliqué sus ganancias en un año.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo multiplicaba los esfuerzos del equipo.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he multiplicado sus ganancias en un año..

How do I practise multiplicar?

Start with the multiplicar conjugation page for the full tables, then the multiplicar 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 multipliqué and the subjunctive is multiplique. In maths it takes por: multiplicar por tres.

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