Nacer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

nacer means "to be born" 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. Nacer means "to be born", and it is the verb for the beginning of every life story: ¿dónde naciste?, where were you born? It is used for people, animals and plants, and figuratively for ideas and movements that are born (nace una idea, an idea is born). Like crecer, it is a -zc- verb: the yo form is nazco, while all the other persons keep the plain stem nac- (naces, nace, nacemos, nacéis, nacen). The preterite is also common for this verb, but the present is used for general facts — babies are born every day — and for the question everyone asks when they meet someone new. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, 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 nacer; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the nacer present tense page.

nacer in everyday use: examples with translations

Being born: people

  1. Mi hijo nace en Madrid. — "My son was born in Madrid."
  2. Cada día nacen miles de bebés en el mundo. — "Thousands of babies are born in the world every day."
  3. Yo nací en 1990. — "I was born in 1990."
  4. En aquella época, el niño nacía en casa, no en el hospital. — "In those days, the child was born at home, not in hospital."

Ideas and plants being born

  1. Una idea nueva nace cada día. — "A new idea is born every day."
  2. El trigo nace en primavera. — "The wheat sprouts in spring."
  3. Un nuevo proyecto nacerá en enero. — "A new project will be born in January."
  4. Ha ha nacido una nueva empresa en el barrio. — "A new company has been born in the neighbourhood."

Asking about origins

  1. ¿Tú naces en España? — "Were you born in Spain?"
  2. Nosotros nacemos en la misma ciudad. — "We were born in the same city."
  3. Yo nacería en Madrid si pudiera elegir. — "I would be born in Madrid if I could choose."
  4. Vosotros nacéis en el extranjero. — "You were born abroad."

nacer in conversation

Two short dialogues that use nacer the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two new colleagues get to know each other.

  • Marta: ¿Tú naces en España? — "Were you born in Spain?"
  • Luis: Yo nazco en un pueblo pequeño. — "I was born in a small village."
  • Marta: Nosotros nacemos en la misma ciudad. — "We were born in the same city."
  • Luis: Mi hijo nació en Madrid. — "My son was born in Madrid."

A gardener talks about spring.

  • Jardinero: El trigo nace en primavera. — "The wheat sprouts in spring."
  • Vecina: Una idea nueva nace cada día. — "A new idea is born every day."
  • Jardinero: Cada día nacen miles de bebés en el mundo. — "Thousands of babies are born in the world every day."
  • Vecina: Un nuevo proyecto nacerá en enero. — "A new project will be born in January."

Common mistakes with nacer

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

✗ *Yo naco en un pueblo pequeño.

✓ Correct: Yo nazco en un pueblo pequeño.

Nacer is a -zc- verb: the yo form is nazco, not naco. The zc appears only in yo.

✗ *Tú nazces en Madrid, ¿verdad?

✓ Correct: Tú naces en Madrid, ¿verdad?

Only yo takes the zc. Tú is naces, él is nace, ellos are nacen.

✗ *Nosotros nazcemos en la misma ciudad.

✓ Correct: Nosotros nacemos en la misma ciudad.

Nosotros is nacemos. The zc never appears in nosotros or vosotros.

✗ *Yo nací en un pueblo pequeño (using the preterite when the present is asked for — correct Spanish, wrong tense for this page).

✓ Correct: Yo nazco en un pueblo pequeño.

Nací is the preterite and it is the normal way to say where you were born. The present nazco is used for general facts, so match the tense to the meaning you want.

Quiz: nacer in use

Ten questions on nacer — 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: Mi hijo ______ en Madrid. — "My son was born in Madrid."

  • a) nace
  • b) nació
  • c) nazco
  • d) naces

2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en 1990. — "I was born in 1990."

  • a) nazco
  • b) nací
  • c) nació
  • d) naciste

3. Complete the sentence: El trigo ______ en primavera. — "The wheat sprouts in spring."

  • a) nace
  • b) naces
  • c) nació
  • d) nazco

4. Complete the sentence: ¿Tú ______ en España? — "Were you born in Spain?"

  • a) nace
  • b) nazco
  • c) naciste
  • d) naces

5. Which is the correct present tense form of nacer for yo?

  • a) naces
  • b) nace
  • c) nazco
  • d) nacemos

6. Which is the correct present tense form of nacer for tú?

  • a) nacemos
  • b) nazco
  • c) naces
  • d) nace

7. Which is the correct present tense form of nacer for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) nace
  • b) naces
  • c) nazco
  • d) nacen

8. Which sentence uses nacer correctly?

  • a) Nosotros nacíamos en la misma ciudad.
  • b) Nosotros nacimos en la misma ciudad.
  • c) Nosotros nace en la misma ciudad.
  • d) Nosotros nacemos en la misma ciudad.

9. What is the past participle of nacer?

  • a) nacido
  • b) nació
  • c) nazco
  • d) naciendo

10. What does nacer mean in English?

  • a) to be born
  • b) to go
  • c) to die
  • d) to have

Answer key

  1. a) nace — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: nace.

  2. b) nací — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: nací.

  3. a) nace — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: nace.

  4. d) naces — The sentence needs the tú form in the present: naces.

  5. c) nazco — The present tense form for yo is nazco.

  6. c) naces — The present tense form for tú is naces.

  7. d) nacen — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is nacen.

  8. d) Nosotros nacemos en la misma ciudad. — Nosotros nacemos en la misma ciudad. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. a) nacido — The past participle is nacido. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he nacido, has nacido, ha nacido.

  10. a) to be born — nacer means "to be born".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use nacer in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as nacer en Madrid and nacer en 1990. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between nacer and morir?

nacer means "to be born", while morir means "to die". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use nacer when you mean "to be born" and morir when you mean "to die".

Which tense do I need most with nacer?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use nacer most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is nacer formal or informal?

nacer is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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