Participar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

participar means to participate, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo participo todos los días» — I participate every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use participar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Participar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where participar lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo participo todos los días. — I participate every day.
  2. Tú participas en el trabajo. — You participate at work.
  3. Él participa con mi familia. — He participates with my family.
  4. Nosotros participamos por la mañana. — We participate in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo participé por la tarde. — Yesterday I participated in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo participaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to participate every day.
  3. La semana pasada él participó dos veces. — Last week He participated twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo participaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will participate without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo participaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would participate right now.
  3. Hoy yo he participado dos veces. — Today I have participated twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú participes pronto. — I hope You participate soon.
  2. ¡participa, por favor! — Participate, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy participando. — Right now I am participating.

Participar in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo participo en el trabajo.» — I participate at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo participo con mi familia.» — I participate with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo participaré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will participate without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo participaría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would participate right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he participado dos veces.» — Today I have participated twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo participé por la tarde. Antes, yo participaba todos los días. Hoy yo he participado dos veces. Mañana yo participaré sin falta.

Yesterday I participated in the afternoon. In the past, I used to participate every day. Today I have participated twice. Tomorrow I will participate without fail.

Common mistakes with participar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo participaba.

Right: Ayer yo participé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, participé. The imperfect participaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú participas.

Right: Espero que tú participes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: participes, not the indicative participas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No participa.

Right: No participes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no participes. The affirmative participa can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo participar todos los días.

Right: Yo participo todos los días.

The infinitive participar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo participo.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He participando.

Right: He participado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he participado. The gerund participando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy participando»), never with haber.

Quiz: participar in use

Test yourself on participar in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the tú form of participar in the present indicative?

- (a) participamos
- (b) participas
- (c) participa
- (d) participo

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of participar in the preterite?

- (a) participaste
- (b) participé
- (c) participamos
- (d) participó

3. What is the nosotros/as form of participar in the future?

- (a) participarás
- (b) participará
- (c) participaré
- (d) participaremos

4. What is the vosotros/as form of participar in the present perfect?

- (a) has participado
- (b) he participado
- (c) habéis participado
- (d) ha participado

5. What is the tú form of participar in the imperfect?

- (a) participaba
- (b) participábamos
- (c) participabas
- (d) participaba

6. What is the gerund of participar?

- (a) participo
- (b) participando
- (c) participar
- (d) participado

7. What is the past participle of participar?

- (a) participé
- (b) participando
- (c) participado
- (d) participar

8. Which sentence uses participar correctly?

- (a) *Yo participa todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo participas todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo participo todos los días.* — I participate every day.
- (d) *Yo participar todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses participar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo participé por la tarde.* — Yesterday I participated in the afternoon.
- (b) *Ayer yo participar por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo participo por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo participaba por la tarde.*

10. What does participar mean?

- (a) to participate
- (b) to break
- (c) to feel
- (d) to look like

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of participar is participas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the él/ella/Ud. form of participar is participó. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the future, the nosotros/as form of participar is participaremos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present perfect, the vosotros/as form of participar is habéis participado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the imperfect, the tú form of participar is participabas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — The gerund of participar is participando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy participando». 7. (c) — The past participle of participar is participado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he participado». 8. (c) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of participar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of participar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (a) — participar means «to participate».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I participate' in Spanish?

Say «Yo participo todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I participated' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo participé por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is participar reflexive?

No — participar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo participo, tú participas, él participa. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with participar?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (participé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (participaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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