Perpetuar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

perpetuar means "to perpetuate" 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. Perpetuar means to perpetuate something: perpetuar la memoria de su abuelo, perpetuar la tradición. It is used for memories, traditions, names and, in criticism, injustices. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 perpetuar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the perpetuar present tense page.

perpetuar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory"
  2. Mi amigo perpetúa la tradición en el pueblo — "My friend perpetuates the tradition in the village"
  3. Mañana, tú perpetuarás el nombre de su familia — "Tomorrow, you will perpetuate the family name"
  4. Yo perpetuaría el mito en los libros si pudiera — "I would perpetuate the myth in books if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo perpetué la memoria de su abuelo — "Yesterday, I perpetuated his grandfather's memory"
  2. Antes, nosotros perpetuábamos la tradición en el pueblo — "Before, we used to perpetuate the tradition in the village"
  3. Él ha perpetuado el nombre de su familia — "He has perpetuated the family name"
  4. Yo ya había perpetuado el mito en los libros antes de salir — "I already had perpetuated the myth in books before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él perpetúe la memoria de su abuelo — "I hope he perpetuates his grandfather's memory"
  2. Si yo perpetuara la tradición en el pueblo, todo cambiaría — "If I perpetuated the tradition in the village, everything would change"
  3. Perpetúa el nombre de su familia. — "Perpetuate the family name."
  4. Yo habría perpetuado el mito en los libros con más tiempo — "I would have perpetuated the myth in books with more time"

perpetuar in conversation

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

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory"
  • Marcos: Él perpetúa la tradición en el pueblo — "He perpetuates the tradition in the village"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo perpetué el nombre de su familia — "Yesterday, I perpetuated the family name"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú perpetuarás el mito en los libros — "Tomorrow, you will perpetuate the myth in books"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Perpetúa la injusticia con su silencio. — "Perpetuate the injustice with his silence."
  • Lucía: Él ha perpetuado la memoria de su abuelo — "He has perpetuated his grandfather's memory"
  • Marcos: Espero que él perpetúe la tradición en el pueblo — "I hope he perpetuates the tradition in the village"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo perpetuaba el nombre de su familia — "Before, I used to perpetuate the family name"

Common mistakes with perpetuar

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

✗ *Espero que él perpetúa el mito en los libros

✓ Correct: Espero que él perpetúe el mito en los libros

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él perpetúe el mito en los libros — not the indicative Espero que él perpetúa el mito en los libros.

✗ *Ayer, yo perpetúo la injusticia con su silencio

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo perpetué la injusticia con su silencio

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo perpetué la injusticia con su silencio.

✗ *De niño, yo perpetué la memoria de su abuelo todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo perpetuaba la memoria de su abuelo todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo perpetuaba la memoria de su abuelo todos los días.

✗ *Yo perpetúo en el nombre de su familia.

✓ Correct: Yo perpetúo el nombre de su familia.

perpetuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo perpetúo el nombre de su familia.

✗ *Vosotros perpetuais la tradición en el pueblo.

✓ Correct: Vosotros perpetuáis la tradición en el pueblo.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: perpetuáis, not perpetuais.

Quiz: perpetuar in use

Ten questions on perpetuar — 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 ______ la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory" (present) A. perpetúa B. perpetuamos C. perpetúo D. perpetúas

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la tradición en el pueblo — "Yesterday, I perpetuated the tradition in the village" (preterite) A. perpetuamos B. perpetué C. perpetuaste D. perpetuó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el nombre de su familia — "Before, we used to perpetuate the family name" (imperfect) A. perpetuabais B. perpetuábamos C. perpetuaba D. perpetuabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el mito en los libros — "Tomorrow, you will perpetuate the myth in books" (future) A. perpetuaremos B. perpetuarás C. perpetuaré D. perpetuará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la injusticia con su silencio — "I would perpetuate the injustice with his silence" (conditional) A. perpetuaríais B. perpetuaría C. perpetuarías D. perpetuaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la memoria de su abuelo — "He has perpetuated his grandfather's memory" (present perfect) A. ha perpetuado B. he perpetuado C. has perpetuado D. hemos perpetuado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la tradición en el pueblo — "I hope he perpetuates the tradition in the village" (present subjunctive) A. perpetúes B. perpetuemos C. perpetuéis D. perpetúe

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el nombre de su familia. — "Perpetuate the family name." (affirmative imperative) A. perpetuad B. perpetúa C. perpetúe D. perpetuemos

  9. Which is the gerund of perpetuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. perpetúo B. perpetué C. perpetuando D. perpetuado

  10. What does perpetuar mean in English? A. to perpetuate B. to maintain C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. perpetúo — The present form for yo is perpetúo.
  2. perpetué — The preterite form for yo is perpetué.
  3. perpetuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is perpetuábamos.
  4. perpetuarás — The future form for tú is perpetuarás.
  5. perpetuaría — The conditional form for yo is perpetuaría.
  6. ha perpetuado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha perpetuado.
  7. perpetúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is perpetúe.
  8. perpetúa — The affirmative imperative form is perpetúa.
  9. perpetuando — The gerund of perpetuar is perpetuando: estoy perpetuando. The participle perpetuado is used with haber instead.
  10. to perpetuate — perpetuar means to perpetuate.

Frequently asked questions

What does perpetuar mean in English?

perpetuar means to perpetuate. For example: Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with perpetuar?

perpetuar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is perpetuar regular?

Yes. perpetuar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise perpetuar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

Related links