Introduction
Preservar means “to preserve”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Preservar means to preserve, and it is used for nature, traditions, food and health: preservar el medio ambiente, preservar las costumbres. It is a formal verb, common in news and essays, and it is fully regular. This page shows preservar 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: “Preservo el medio ambiente.” — I preserve the environment.
Preservar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how preservar 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 preservar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Preservo el medio ambiente.” — I preserve the environment.
“¿Preservas las costumbres del pueblo?” — Do you preserve the village traditions?
“Preserva la comida en la nevera.” — He/she preserves food in the fridge.
“Nosotros preservamos la salud con ejercicio.” — We preserve health with exercise.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show preservar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo preservé el medio ambiente.” — Yesterday, I preserved the environment. (preterite)
“Antes, él preservaba las costumbres del pueblo.” — Before, he used to preserve the village traditions. (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 preservar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros preservaremos la comida en la nevera.” — Tomorrow, we will preserve food in the fridge. (future)
“¿Tú has preservado la salud con ejercicio?” — Have you preserved health with exercise? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros preserváis el medio ambiente.” — You preserve the environment.
“Ellos preservan las costumbres del pueblo.” — They preserve the village traditions.
“Yo preservo la comida en la nevera.” — I preserve food in the fridge.
“Mi padre preserva la salud con ejercicio.” — My father preserves health with exercise.
Preservar 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 preservar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú preservas las costumbres del pueblo?” — Do you preserve the village traditions?
Pedro: “Sí, yo preservo el medio ambiente.” — Yes, I preserve the environment.
Marta: “Nosotros preservamos la salud con ejercicio.” — We preserve health with exercise.
Pedro: “Y ellos preservan las costumbres del pueblo.” — And they preserve the village traditions.
Marta: “Vosotros preserváis la comida en la nevera.” — You preserve food in the fridge.
Pedro: “Sí, y él preserva el medio ambiente.” — Yes, and he preserves the environment.
A short paragraph
Preserva el medio ambiente, y nosotros preservamos la salud con ejercicio. Yo preservo las costumbres del pueblo, y ellos preservan la comida en la nevera. Preservar is part of everyday life, because preserve is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with preservar
These are the errors learners actually make with preservar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo preserva el medio ambiente.” Right: “Yo preservo el medio ambiente.” Why: The person matters: preserva is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is preservo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo preservo las costumbres del pueblo.” Right: “Ayer yo preservé las costumbres del pueblo.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: preservo is happening now, while preservé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating preservar and conservar as identical in every context.” Right: “Preservar means to preserve, while conservar means to conserve, to keep.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: preservar fits sentences such as Preservo el medio ambiente, while conservar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy preservado las costumbres del pueblo.” Right: “Yo he preservado las costumbres del pueblo.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he preservado, has preservado, ha preservado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo preservé la comida en la nevera todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo preservaba la comida en la nevera todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (preservaba), not the preterite. The preterite (preservé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: preservar in use
Ten questions on preservar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ el medio ambiente.” (You preserve the environment.)
- (a) preserváis
- (b) preservo
- (c) preservas
Answer: preserváis — The vosotros/as form of preservar in the present tense is preserváis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ las costumbres del pueblo.” (They preserve the village traditions.)
- (a) preservas
- (b) preservan
- (c) preservo
Answer: preservan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of preservar in the present tense is preservan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ el medio ambiente.” (Yesterday I preserved the environment.)
- (a) preservaste
- (b) preservó
- (c) preservé
Answer: preservé — In the preterite, the yo form of preservar is preservé.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ las costumbres del pueblo.” (Before, he used to preserve the village traditions.)
- (a) preservaba
- (b) preservo
- (c) preservabas
Answer: preservaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of preservar is preservaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ la comida en la nevera.” (Tomorrow we will preserve food in the fridge.)
- (a) preservarás
- (b) preservaremos
- (c) preservaré
Answer: preservaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of preservar is preservaremos.
6. What does preservar mean in English?
- (a) to preserve
- (b) to press, to pressure
- (c) to conserve, to keep
Answer: to preserve — Preservar means “to preserve”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo preserva el medio ambiente.
- (b) Ellos preserva las costumbres del pueblo.
- (c) Yo preservo el medio ambiente.
Answer: Yo preservo el medio ambiente. — “Yo preservo el medio ambiente.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I preserve the environment.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre preserva la salud con ejercicio.
- (b) Preservo el medio ambiente.
- (c) Preservan el medio ambiente.
Answer: Preservo el medio ambiente. — “Preservo el medio ambiente.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of preservar in the present tense?
- (a) preservo
- (b) preservas
- (c) preservamos
Answer: preservamos — The nosotros form is preservamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros preservaremos la comida en la nevera.
- (b) Preservo el medio ambiente.
- (c) Ayer, yo preservé el medio ambiente.
Answer: Preservo el medio ambiente. — “Preservo el medio ambiente.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I preserve the environment' in Spanish?
Say 'Preservo el medio ambiente'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Preservo el medio ambiente todos los días'.
How do you say 'He preserves the village traditions' in Spanish?
Say 'Él preserva las costumbres del pueblo'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes preserva.
What is the difference between preservar and conservar?
Preservar means to preserve, while conservar means to conserve, to keep. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use preservar when you mean to preserve, as in 'Preservo el medio ambiente', and use conservar for to conserve, to keep.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of preservar — every tense of preservar in one place.
- Preservar 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 preservar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of preservar until they are automatic.