Prender Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Prender means “to turn on”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Prender means to turn on or to light, and it is used for turning on a light or a television, lighting a fire and switching on a machine. It is the opposite of apagar, and it is fully regular. This page shows prender in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo prendo la luz al entrar.” — I turn on the light on coming in.
Prender in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how prender is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use prender in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Prendo la luz al entrar.” — I turn on the light on coming in.
“¿Tú prendes la televisión por la noche?” — Do you turn on the television at night?
“Prende una vela en la cena.” — He/she turns on a candle at dinner.
“Prendemos el fuego con cerillas.” — We turn on the fire with matches.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show prender in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo prendí la luz al entrar.” — Yesterday, I turned on the light on coming in. (preterite)
“Él prendía la televisión por la noche todos los días.” — He used to turn on the television at night every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of prender stays the same.
“Nosotros prenderemos una vela en la cena mañana.” — We will turn on a candle at dinner tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has prendido el fuego con cerillas?” — Have you turned on the fire with matches? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Prendéis la luz al entrar.” — You turn on the light on coming in.
“Prenden la televisión por la noche.” — They turn on the television at night.
“Prendo una vela en la cena.” — I turn on a candle at dinner.
“Prende el fuego con cerillas.” — He/she turns on the fire with matches.
Prender in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how prender appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú prendes la luz al entrar?” — Do you turn on the light on coming in?
Carlos: “Sí, yo prendo la luz al entrar.” — Yes, I turn on the light on coming in.
Lucía: “Nosotros prendemos la televisión por la noche.” — We turn on the television at night.
Carlos: “Y ellos prenden una vela en la cena.” — And they turn on a candle at dinner.
Lucía: “Vosotros prendéis el fuego con cerillas.” — You turn on the fire with matches.
Carlos: “Sí, y él prende la televisión por la noche.” — Yes, and he turns on the television at night.
A short paragraph
Lucía prende la luz al entrar, y Carlos prende la televisión por la noche. Nosotros prendemos una vela en la cena, y ellos prenden el fuego con cerillas. Yo prendo una vela en la cena, y mi padre prende el fuego con cerillas. Prender is part of everyday life, because to turn on is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with prender
These are the errors learners actually make with prender. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo prende la luz al entrar.” Right: “Yo prendo la luz al entrar.” Why: The person matters: prende is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is prendo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo prendo la televisión por la noche.” Right: “Ayer yo prendí la televisión por la noche.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: prendo is happening now, while prendí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating prender and apagar as identical in every context.” Right: “Prender means to turn on, while apagar means to turn off.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: prender fits sentences such as Prendo la luz al entrar, while apagar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy prendido la televisión por la noche.” Right: “Yo he prendido la televisión por la noche.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he prendido, has prendido, ha prendido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo prendí una vela en la cena todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo prendía una vela en la cena todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (prendía), not the preterite. The preterite (prendí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: prender in use
Ten questions on prender in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ la luz al entrar.” (The light on coming in.)
- (a) prendéis
- (b) prendo
- (c) prendes
Answer: prendéis — The vosotros/as form of prender in the present is prendéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la televisión por la noche.” (The television at night.)
- (a) prendo
- (b) prendes
- (c) prenden
Answer: prenden — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of prender in the present is prenden.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ la luz al entrar.” (The light on coming in.)
- (a) prendió
- (b) prendí
- (c) prendiste
Answer: prendí — The yo form of prender in the preterite is prendí.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ la televisión por la noche.” (The television at night.)
- (a) prendía
- (b) prendías
- (c) prendíamos
Answer: prendía — The él/ella/Ud. form of prender in the imperfect is prendía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ una vela en la cena.” (A candle at dinner.)
- (a) prenderé
- (b) prenderás
- (c) prenderemos
Answer: prenderemos — The nosotros/as form of prender in the future is prenderemos.
6. What does prender mean in English?
- (a) to hold, to sustain
- (b) to turn on
- (c) to turn off
Answer: to turn on — Prender means “to turn on”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo prendo la luz al entrar.
- (b) Ellos prende la luz al entrar.
- (c) Yo prendo la televisión por la noche ayer.
Answer: Yo prendo la luz al entrar. — “Yo prendo la luz al entrar.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I turn on the light on coming in.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo prenden la luz al entrar.
- (b) Yo prendí la luz al entrar.
- (c) Yo prendo la luz al entrar.
Answer: Yo prendo la luz al entrar. — “Yo prendo la luz al entrar.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of prender in the present tense?
- (a) prendes
- (b) prendemos
- (c) prendo
Answer: prendemos — The nosotros form is prendemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo prendí la luz al entrar.
- (b) Nosotros prenderemos la luz al entrar mañana.
- (c) Yo prendo la luz al entrar.
Answer: Yo prendo la luz al entrar. — “Yo prendo la luz al entrar.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I turn on' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo prendo la luz al entrar'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo prendo la luz al entrar todos los días'.
How do you say 'I turn on' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo prendí la televisión por la noche'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo prendía la televisión por la noche todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he prendido la televisión por la noche'.
What is the difference between prender and apagar?
Prender means to turn on, while apagar means to turn off. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use prender when you mean to turn on, as in Prendo la luz al entrar.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of prender — every tense of prender in one place.
- Prender in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on prender and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of prender until they are automatic.