Permitir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

permitir means "to allow, to permit" 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. Permitir means "to allow" or "to permit", and it is the formal verb for giving permission — a teacher allows a student to leave early, a law permits something, a parent allows a child to go out. It is more formal than dejar in this sense, and it usually takes an indirect object for the person (me permite, te permite) plus an infinitive for the action allowed. Because permission is negotiated constantly at work, at school and at home, permitir is a high-frequency verb worth learning early. 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 permitir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the permitir present tense page.

permitir in everyday use: examples with translations

Permission at home and school

  1. Yo permito a mi hija salir con sus amigas. — "I allow my daughter to go out with her friends."
  2. El colegio no permite comer en clase. — "The school does not allow eating in class."
  3. Ayer el profesor permitió entregar el trabajo tarde. — "Yesterday the teacher allowed handing in the work late."
  4. Antes mi madre no me permitía ver la televisión por la noche. — "Before, my mother didn't allow me to watch television at night."

Rules, laws and access

  1. Nosotros no permitimos fumar en el edificio. — "We do not allow smoking in the building."
  2. La ley permite conducir a los dieciocho años. — "The law allows driving at eighteen."
  3. El nuevo reglamento permitirá trabajar desde casa dos días. — "The new regulation will allow working from home two days."
  4. El museo ha permitido la entrada gratis este mes. — "The museum has allowed free entry this month."

Asking and negotiating

  1. ¿Tú me permites usar tu bicicleta? — "Do you allow me to use your bicycle?"
  2. ¿Vosotros permitís que traiga a mi perro? — "Do you allow me to bring my dog?"
  3. Yo permitiría la fiesta si limpias tu cuarto. — "I would allow the party if you clean your room."
  4. Mis padres permiten llegar tarde solo los sábados. — "My parents allow coming home late only on Saturdays."

permitir in conversation

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

A teenager asks her mother for permission.

  • Lucía: Mamá, ¿tú me permites salir esta noche? — "Mum, do you allow me to go out tonight?"
  • Madre: Yo te permito salir, pero vuelve a las once. — "I allow you to go out, but come back at eleven."
  • Lucía: ¿Tú permites que vaya con Marta? — "Do you allow me to go with Marta?"
  • Madre: Sí, yo permito que vayas con Marta. — "Yes, I allow you to go with Marta."

At work, an employee asks about a new rule.

  • Carlos: ¿La empresa permite trabajar desde casa? — "Does the company allow working from home?"
  • Jefa: Nosotros permitimos trabajar desde casa los viernes. — "We allow working from home on Fridays."
  • Carlos: ¿El jefe permite cambiar el horario? — "Does the boss allow changing the schedule?"
  • Jefa: Yo permito cambiar el horario una vez al mes. — "I allow changing the schedule once a month."

Common mistakes with permitir

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

✗ *Yo permito a mi hijo a jugar en el parque.

✓ Correct: Yo permito a mi hijo jugar en el parque.

After permitir, the action goes directly as an infinitive with no preposition: permitir jugar, not permitir a jugar.

✗ *Ellos permiten que fumar en la oficina (using que + infinitive).

✓ Correct: Ellos no permiten fumar en la oficina.

Permitir + infinitive is the natural pattern. Que + subjunctive is possible (permiten que se fume) but que + infinitive is wrong.

✗ *Tú permites yo usar tu ordenador.

✓ Correct: Tú me permites usar tu ordenador.

The person who receives permission is an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le), not a subject pronoun: me permites, not permites yo.

✗ *Nosotros permitamos fumar (using the subjunctive form as a present indicative).

✓ Correct: Nosotros permitimos fumar en la oficina.

Permitamos is subjunctive. The present indicative for nosotros is permitimos.

Quiz: permitir in use

Ten questions on permitir — 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: Yo ______ a mi hija salir con sus amigas. — "I allow my daughter to go out with her friends."

  • a) permite
  • b) permito
  • c) permites
  • d) permití

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer el profesor ______ entregar el trabajo tarde. — "Yesterday the teacher allowed handing in the work late."

  • a) permitiste
  • b) permití
  • c) permitió
  • d) permite

3. Complete the sentence: La ley ______ conducir a los dieciocho años. — "The law allows driving at eighteen."

  • a) permito
  • b) permite
  • c) permitió
  • d) permites

4. Complete the sentence: ¿Tú me ______ usar tu bicicleta? — "Do you allow me to use your bicycle?"

  • a) permites
  • b) permito
  • c) permitiste
  • d) permite

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

  • a) permites
  • b) permitimos
  • c) permito
  • d) permite

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

  • a) permite
  • b) permites
  • c) permito
  • d) permitimos

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

  • a) permiten
  • b) permite
  • c) permites
  • d) permito

8. Which sentence uses permitir correctly?

  • a) Nosotros permitíamos hablar en voz baja en la biblioteca.
  • b) Nosotros permitimos hablar en voz baja en la biblioteca.
  • c) Nosotros permite hablar en voz baja en la biblioteca.

9. What is the past participle of permitir?

  • a) permito
  • b) permitiendo
  • c) permitió
  • d) permitido

10. What does permitir mean in English?

  • a) to have
  • b) to allow, to permit
  • c) to go
  • d) to forbid

Answer key

  1. b) permito — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: permito.

  2. c) permitió — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite: permitió.

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

  4. a) permites — The sentence needs the tú form in the present: permites.

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

  6. b) permites — The present tense form for tú is permites.

  7. a) permiten — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is permiten.

  8. b) Nosotros permitimos hablar en voz baja en la biblioteca. — Nosotros permitimos hablar en voz baja en la biblioteca. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

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

  10. b) to allow, to permit — permitir means "to allow, to permit".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use permitir in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as permitir la entrada and no permitir fumar. 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 permitir and prohibir?

permitir means "to allow, to permit", while prohibir means "to forbid". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use permitir when you mean "to allow, to permit" and prohibir when you mean "to forbid".

Which tense do I need most with permitir?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use permitir 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 permitir formal or informal?

permitir 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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