Preocupar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
preocupar means "to worry" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows preocupar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of preocupar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with preocupar
Something worries you
Preocupar usually works like gustar: me preocupa el examen means the exam worries me. The worrying thing is the subject, and you are the indirect object.
- Cada día, me preocupa el examen de mañana. — "Every day, tomorrow's exam worries me."
- Hoy, le preocupa la salud de mi madre. — "Today, my mother's health worries him."
- Ayer, me preocupó el precio de la gasolina. — "Yesterday, the price of petrol worried me."
- Antes, me preocupaba el futuro de mis hijos. — "Before, my children's future used to worry me."
- Mañana, me preocupará el examen de mañana. — "Tomorrow, tomorrow's exam will worry me."
- Hoy, me ha preocupado la salud de mi madre. — "Today, my mother's health has worried me."
Worrying yourself
Preocupar also has a reflexive use: me preocupo por ti means I worry about you. Here you are the subject, and the pronoun is reflexive.
- Cada día, me preocupa el precio de la gasolina. — "Every day, the price of petrol worries me."
- Hoy, le preocupa el futuro de mis hijos. — "Today, my children's future worries him."
- Ayer, me preocupó el examen de mañana. — "Yesterday, tomorrow's exam worried me."
- Antes, me preocupaba la salud de mi madre. — "Before, my mother's health used to worry me."
- Mañana, me preocupará el precio de la gasolina. — "Tomorrow, the price of petrol will worry me."
- Hoy, me ha preocupado el futuro de mis hijos. — "Today, my children's future has worried me."
Preocupar in conversation
The two dialogues below show preocupar in natural conversation. The first is about something worries you, and the second is about worrying yourself. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Te preocupa el examen de mañana? — "Does tomorrow's exam worry you?"
- Sí, me preocupa el examen de mañana mucho. — "Tomorrow's exam worries me a lot."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Te preocupó la salud de mi madre? — "And yesterday? Did my mother's health worried you?"
- Sí, ayer me preocupó la salud de mi madre mucho. — "Yesterday, my mother's health worried me a lot."
- Mañana me preocupará el precio de la gasolina también. — "Tomorrow, the price of petrol will worry me. too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Os preocupa el precio de la gasolina? — "Does the price of petrol worry you?"
- Sí, nos preocupa el precio de la gasolina mucho. — "The price of petrol worries us a lot."
- ¿Y a ellos? ¿Les preocupa el futuro de mis hijos? — "And them? Does my children's future worry them?"
- Sí, les preocupa el futuro de mis hijos también. — "My children's future worries them. too."
- Mañana nos preocupará el precio de la gasolina otra vez. — "Tomorrow, the price of petrol will worry us. again."
Common mistakes with preocupar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo preocupo el examen.
- Right: Me preocupa el examen.
- Why: When something worries you, preocupar works like gustar: me preocupa el examen. Yo preocupo would mean I worry someone else.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me preocupa los precios.
- Right: Me preocupan los precios.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Los precios is plural, so the verb must be preocupan.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Me preocupo el examen.
- Right: Me preocupa el examen. / Me preocupo por el examen.
- Why: Me preocupo means I worry, and it needs por: me preocupo por el examen. To say the exam worries you, use me preocupa el examen.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, me preocupó el examen de mañana.
- Right: Cada día, me preocupa el examen de mañana.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo preocupo el examen de mañana.
- Right: Me preocupa el examen de mañana.
- Why: Preocupar works like gustar: the thing is the subject and you are the indirect object. Do not start the sentence with yo and the verb.
Quiz: preocupar in use
Ten questions on preocupar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of preocupar in the present tense?
- (a) le preocupa
- (b) nos preocupa
- (c) me preocupa
- (d) te preocupa
Answer: (c) me preocupa. The i form in the present is me preocupa.
2. What is the he / she form of preocupar in the present tense?
- (a) nos preocupa
- (b) le preocupa
- (c) me preocupa
- (d) te preocupa
Answer: (b) le preocupa. The he / she form in the present is le preocupa.
3. What is the he / she form of preocupar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le preocupó
- (b) me preocupó
- (c) te preocupó
- (d) nos preocupó
Answer: (a) le preocupó. The he / she form in the preterite is le preocupó.
4. What is the i form of preocupar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me preocupa
- (b) me preocupó
- (c) me preocupará
- (d) me preocupaba
Answer: (d) me preocupaba. The i form in the imperfect is me preocupaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of preocupar in the future tense?
- (a) le preocupará
- (b) nos preocupará
- (c) me preocupará
- (d) te preocupará
Answer: (c) me preocupará. The i form in the future is me preocupará.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) preocupé
- (b) preocupaba
- (c) preocupo
- (d) he preocupado
Answer: (d) he preocupado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he preocupado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que te ___ el examen de mañana.
- (a) preocupaba
- (b) preocupe
- (c) preocupa
- (d) preocupó
Answer: (b) preocupe. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: te preocupe. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of preocupar in the present tense?
- (a) me preocupa
- (b) te preocupa
- (c) le preocupa
- (d) nos preocupa
Answer: (d) nos preocupa. The we form in the present is nos preocupa.
9. What is the i form of preocupar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le preocupó
- (b) nos preocupó
- (c) me preocupó
- (d) te preocupó
Answer: (c) me preocupó. The i form in the preterite is me preocupó.
10. What is the they form of preocupar in the present tense?
- (a) le preocupa
- (b) les preocupa
- (c) me preocupa
- (d) te preocupa
Answer: (b) les preocupa. The they form in the present is les preocupa.
Frequently asked questions about preocupar
What is the difference between me preocupa and me preocupo?
Me preocupa el examen means the exam worries me; the exam is the subject. Me preocupo por el examen means I worry about the exam; you are the subject.
Is it preocupa or preocupan?
It depends on the subject: me preocupa el examen (singular), me preocupan los precios (plural). The verb always agrees with the thing that worries you.
Is preocupar regular?
Yes. Preocupar is a regular -ar verb: preocupo, preocupaste, preocupaba, preocuparé. The challenge is the sentence structure, not the conjugation.
How can I practise preocupar?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.