Preparar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

preparar means to prepare, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Preparar means to prepare, and it covers preparing food, preparing for an exam, preparing a trip and getting a room ready. It is a fully regular -ar verb and one of the most useful verbs for daily life, school and work. This page puts preparar to work: twelve example sentences in different tenses and persons, grouped by use, then two short dialogues where the verb appears naturally, then the common mistakes to avoid, and finally a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every Spanish form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for preparar, and the full tables are on the preparar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo preparo la cena para toda la familia. — I prepare dinner for the whole family.
  2. Él prepara el examen de mañana. — He/she prepares tomorrow's exam.
  3. Ayer, yo preparé la maleta para el viaje. — Yesterday, I prepared the suitcase for the trip.
  4. Antes, nosotros preparábamos la presentación del lunes. — Before, we used to prepare Monday's presentation.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú prepararás la cena para toda la familia. — Tomorrow, you will prepare dinner for the whole family.
  2. Yo prepararía el examen de mañana. — I would prepare tomorrow's exam.
  3. Él ha preparado la maleta para el viaje. — He/she has prepared the suitcase for the trip.
  4. Espero que él prepare la presentación del lunes. — I hope he/she prepares Monday's presentation.

With other people

  1. Nosotros preparamos la cena para toda la familia. — We prepare dinner for the whole family.
  2. Vosotros preparáis el examen de mañana. — You all prepare tomorrow's exam.
  3. Antes, ellos preparaban la maleta para el viaje. — Before, they used to prepare the suitcase for the trip.
  4. Mañana, él preparará la presentación del lunes. — Tomorrow, he/she will prepare Monday's presentation.

Preparar in context

Two short dialogues that use preparar the way people really use it. Read them aloud — the verb forms will stick much faster in a conversation than in a table.

Dialogue 1: today and yesterday

  • Ana: "Hola, ¿qué tal?" — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Luis: "Hoy preparo la cena para toda la familia." — "Today I prepare dinner for the whole family."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, preparé la maleta para el viaje." — "Yesterday I prepared the suitcase for the trip."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú prepararás el examen de mañana?" — "And tomorrow, will you will prepare tomorrow's exam?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros preparamos la presentación del lunes." — "Tomorrow we prepare Monday's presentation."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo prepararía el examen de mañana si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would prepare tomorrow's exam if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él prepare la cena para toda la familia." — "I hope he prepares dinner for the whole family."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha preparado la maleta para el viaje." — "Surely. He has already has prepared the suitcase for the trip."
  • Marta: "Vale, nos vemos mañana." — "OK, see you tomorrow."

Notice how the same verb changes with the tense: the present for the plan, the conditional for the wish, the subjunctive after espero que, and the present perfect for what has already happened. That is the whole point of learning a verb across its tenses, not just in one form.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo prepara la cena para toda la familia. — Right: Yo preparo la cena para toda la familia. — The person matters: prepara is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is preparo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros preparais el examen de mañana. — Right: Vosotros preparáis el examen de mañana. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: preparáis, not preparais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating preparar and cocinar as identical in every context. — Right: Preparar means to prepare, while cocinar means to cook, the kitchen synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: preparar fits sentences such as Preparo la cena para toda la familia, while cocinar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy preparado el examen de mañana. — Right: Yo he preparado el examen de mañana. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he preparado, has preparado, ha preparado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo preparé la maleta para el viaje todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo preparaba la maleta para el viaje todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (preparaba), not the preterite. The preterite (preparé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on preparar: four on the forms, three on the meaning, and three on spotting the correct sentence. Check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la cena para toda la familia. (present tense) A. preparo B. preparas C. prepara D. preparamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ el examen de mañana. (preterite tense) A. preparé B. preparaste C. preparamos D. preparó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la maleta para el viaje. (future tense) A. preparará B. prepararemos C. prepararás D. prepararé

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la presentación del lunes. (imperfect tense) A. preparabais B. preparábamos C. preparaba D. preparabas

  5. What does "Yo preparo la cena para toda la familia." mean in English? A. I prepare dinner for the whole family. B. I prepare tomorrow's exam. C. I prepare the suitcase for the trip. D. I prepare Monday's presentation.

  6. What does "Él preparó el examen de mañana." mean in English? A. He/she prepared dinner for the whole family. B. He/she prepared the suitcase for the trip. C. He/she prepared Monday's presentation. D. He/she prepared tomorrow's exam.

  7. What does "Nosotros prepararemos la maleta para el viaje." mean in English? A. We will prepare tomorrow's exam. B. We will prepare Monday's presentation. C. We will prepare the suitcase for the trip. D. We will prepare dinner for the whole family.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo preparan el examen de mañana. B. Yo prepara el examen de mañana. C. Yo preparo el examen de mañana.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él preparé la maleta para el viaje. B. Él preparó la maleta para el viaje. C. Él prepararon la maleta para el viaje.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo prepare la presentación del lunes. B. Yo preparen la presentación del lunes. C. Yo prepare la presentación del lunes.

Answer key

  1. preparo — The yo present form of preparar is preparo.
  2. preparó — The el preterite form of preparar is preparó.
  3. prepararás — The tu future form of preparar is prepararás.
  4. preparábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of preparar is preparábamos.
  5. I prepare dinner for the whole family. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form preparo, so the English is "I prepare dinner for the whole family." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she prepared tomorrow's exam. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form preparó, so the English is "He/she prepared tomorrow's exam." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will prepare the suitcase for the trip. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form prepararemos, so the English is "We will prepare the suitcase for the trip." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo preparo el examen de mañana. — The correct sentence is "Yo preparo el examen de mañana." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él preparó la maleta para el viaje. — The correct sentence is "Él preparó la maleta para el viaje." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo prepare la presentación del lunes. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo prepare la presentación del lunes." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

What does preparar mean, and when do I use it?

Preparar means to prepare. Preparar means to prepare, and it covers preparing food, preparing for an exam, preparing a trip and getting a room ready. It is a fully regular -ar verb and one of the most useful verbs for daily life, school and work. A good first sentence to remember is Yo preparo la cena para toda la familia. — "I prepare dinner for the whole family."

What is the difference between preparar and cocinar?

Preparar means to prepare, while cocinar means to cook, the kitchen synonym. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use preparar when you mean to prepare, as in Yo preparo el examen de mañana., and use cocinar for to cook, the kitchen synonym.

How do I say "I prepare" in the past?

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo preparé el examen de mañana.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo preparaba la maleta para el viaje.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he preparado el examen de mañana..

How do I practise preparar?

Start with the preparar conjugation page for the full tables, then the preparar in the present tense page for the tense in focus, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure. Preparar is fully regular: preparé, preparaba, prepararé. Prepararse, with the pronoun, means to get yourself ready.

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