Prestar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

prestar means "to lend" 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. Prestar means "to lend" — you lend a book, money, your car, your phone charger. It is also used for prestar atención (to pay attention), which is the most common fixed expression with this verb, and for prestar ayuda (to lend a hand). The structure is prestar something a alguien: te presto mi libro, I lend you my book. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and the present tense is used for lending that happens now or as a regular habit between friends and family. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, 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 prestar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the prestar present tense page.

prestar in everyday use: examples with translations

Lending things

  1. Yo te presto mi libro. — "I lend you my book."
  2. La biblioteca presta libros por dos semanas. — "The library lends books for two weeks."
  3. Ayer yo te presté mi coche. — "Yesterday I lent you my car."
  4. De niño, yo prestaba mis juguetes a mis primos. — "As a child, I used to lend my toys to my cousins."

Paying attention

  1. Tú prestas atención en clase. — "You pay attention in class."
  2. Nosotros prestamos atención al profesor. — "We pay attention to the teacher."
  3. Tú prestarás más atención mañana. — "You will pay more attention tomorrow."
  4. Yo he prestado poca atención hoy. — "I have paid little attention today."

Lending money and help

  1. Nosotros prestamos dinero a nuestros amigos. — "We lend money to our friends."
  2. Mi vecino presta ayuda siempre. — "My neighbour always lends a hand."
  3. Yo te prestaría mi coche si lo necesitas. — "I would lend you my car if you need it."
  4. Ellos prestan dinero a sus hijos. — "They lend money to their children."

prestar in conversation

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

A student asks to borrow a book.

  • Ana: ¿Tú me prestas tu coche? — "Do you lend me your car?"
  • Bea: Yo te presto mi libro. — "I lend you my book."
  • Ana: Yo presto mi bicicleta a mi hermano. — "I lend my bicycle to my brother."
  • Bea: Yo te prestaría mi coche si lo necesitas. — "I would lend you my car if you need it."

In class, the teacher asks for attention.

  • Profesor: Tú prestas atención en clase. — "You pay attention in class."
  • Alumno: Nosotros prestamos atención al profesor. — "We pay attention to the teacher."
  • Profesor: Mi vecino presta ayuda siempre. — "My neighbour always lends a hand."
  • Alumno: Tú prestarás más atención mañana. — "You will pay more attention tomorrow."

Common mistakes with prestar

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

✗ *Yo presto mi libro a ti (using a ti instead of the pronoun te).

✓ Correct: Yo te presto mi libro.

The person you lend to is an indirect object pronoun before the verb: te presto, not presto a ti — though a ti can be added for emphasis: te presto mi libro a ti.

✗ *Tú prestas atención a clase (using a instead of en).

✓ Correct: Tú prestas atención en clase.

The fixed expression is prestar atención, and the place takes en: prestar atención en clase.

✗ *Vosotros prestáis vuestros juguetes (written without the accent: prestais).

✓ Correct: Vosotros prestáis vuestros juguetes a los niños.

Prestáis needs the written accent on the á.

✗ *La biblioteca presta a libros por dos semanas.

✓ Correct: La biblioteca presta libros por dos semanas.

Books are things: prestar libros, with no a before them.

Quiz: prestar in use

Ten questions on prestar — 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 te ______ mi libro. — "I lend you my book."

  • a) presto
  • b) prestas
  • c) presté
  • d) presta

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer yo te ______ mi coche. — "Yesterday I lent you my car."

  • a) prestaste
  • b) prestó
  • c) presté
  • d) presto

3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ atención al profesor. — "We pay attention to the teacher."

  • a) presto
  • b) prestas
  • c) prestamos
  • d) prestamos

4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ dinero a nuestros amigos. — "We lend money to our friends."

  • a) presto
  • b) prestas
  • c) prestamos
  • d) prestamos

5. Which is the correct present tense form of prestar for yo?

  • a) presta
  • b) prestamos
  • c) presto
  • d) prestas

6. Which is the correct present tense form of prestar for tú?

  • a) presta
  • b) prestamos
  • c) prestas
  • d) presto

7. Which is the correct present tense form of prestar for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) prestas
  • b) presto
  • c) presta
  • d) prestan

8. Which sentence uses prestar correctly?

  • a) Nosotros prestábamos atención al profesor.
  • b) Nosotros prestamos atención al profesor.
  • c) Nosotros presta atención al profesor.

9. What is the past participle of prestar?

  • a) presto
  • b) prestó
  • c) prestado
  • d) prestando

10. What does prestar mean in English?

  • a) to go
  • b) to have
  • c) to lend
  • d) to borrow

Answer key

  1. a) presto — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: presto.

  2. c) presté — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: presté.

  3. c) prestamos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form in the present: prestamos.

  4. c) prestamos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form in the present: prestamos.

  5. c) presto — The present tense form for yo is presto.

  6. c) prestas — The present tense form for tú is prestas.

  7. d) prestan — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is prestan.

  8. b) Nosotros prestamos atención al profesor. — Nosotros prestamos atención al profesor. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. c) prestado — The past participle is prestado. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he prestado, has prestado, ha prestado.

  10. c) to lend — prestar means "to lend".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use prestar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as prestar atención and prestar un libro. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between prestar and pedir prestado?

prestar means "to lend", while pedir prestado means "to borrow". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use prestar when you mean "to lend" and pedir prestado when you mean "to borrow".

Which tense do I need most with prestar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use prestar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is prestar formal or informal?

prestar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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