Probar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

probar means "to try, to taste" 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. Probar means "to try" and "to taste" — you try on clothes, you taste food, you try a new restaurant, you try a method. It is also used for proving something (probar un hecho) and for testing (probar un coche). It is an -ar stem-changing verb: the o becomes ue in yo, tú, él and ellos (pruebo, pruebas, prueba, prueban) but stays o in nosotros and vosotros (probamos, probáis). That probamos is also the preterite yo form, so context decides. The taste sense is the most common: prueba la sopa, taste the soup. 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 probar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the probar present tense page.

probar in everyday use: examples with translations

Tasting food

  1. Tú pruebas la sopa, ¿qué tal está? — "You taste the soup, how is it?"
  2. Yo pruebo la paella por primera vez. — "I taste paella for the first time."
  3. Ayer yo probé la paella por primera vez. — "Yesterday I tasted paella for the first time."
  4. De niño, yo probaba todo lo que cocinaba mi madre. — "As a child, I used to taste everything my mother cooked."

Trying new things

  1. Nosotros probamos un restaurante nuevo. — "We try a new restaurant."
  2. Mi padre prueba un método nuevo. — "My father tries a new method."
  3. Nosotros probaremos el restaurante nuevo mañana. — "We will try the new restaurant tomorrow."
  4. Yo he probado la comida tailandesa. — "I have tried Thai food."

Proving something

  1. Ellos prueban su inocencia. — "They prove their innocence."
  2. El chef prueba la salsa. — "The chef tastes the sauce."
  3. Yo probaría el plato si me lo recomiendas. — "I would try the dish if you recommend it."
  4. Vosotros probáis el postre. — "You taste the dessert."

probar in conversation

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

At a restaurant, tasting the soup.

  • Camarero: Tú pruebas la sopa, ¿qué tal está? — "You taste the soup, how is it?"
  • Cliente: Yo pruebo la paella por primera vez. — "I taste paella for the first time."
  • Camarero: El chef prueba la salsa. — "The chef tastes the sauce."
  • Cliente: Nosotros probaremos el restaurante nuevo mañana. — "We will try the new restaurant tomorrow."

Trying on clothes in a shop.

  • Dependienta: Yo pruebo el vestido nuevo. — "I try on the new dress."
  • Cliente: Ella prueba un zapato nuevo. — "She tries on a new shoe."
  • Dependienta: Nosotros probamos la comida típica. — "We try the typical food."
  • Cliente: Ellos prueban los platos nuevos. — "They try the new dishes."

Common mistakes with probar

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

✗ *Yo probo la paella por primera vez (no stem change).

✓ Correct: Yo pruebo la paella por primera vez.

Probar is an o → ue stem-changing verb: yo pruebo, not probo. The change hits yo, tú, él and ellos.

✗ *Nosotros pruebamos la comida típica.

✓ Correct: Nosotros probamos la comida típica.

Nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: probamos, probáis. The ue change never reaches them.

✗ *Yo pruebo a la paella por primera vez.

✓ Correct: Yo pruebo la paella por primera vez.

Food is a thing: probar la paella, with no a before it.

✗ *Tú pruebas de el vino.

✓ Correct: Tú pruebas el vino de la casa.

Probar takes a direct object: probar el vino. Never use de after probar.

Quiz: probar in use

Ten questions on probar — 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: Tú ______ la sopa, ¿qué tal está? — "You taste the soup, how is it?"

  • a) probaste
  • b) prueba
  • c) pruebas
  • d) pruebo

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer yo ______ la paella por primera vez. — "Yesterday I tasted paella for the first time."

  • a) pruebo
  • b) probé
  • c) probó
  • d) probaste

3. Complete the sentence: Mi padre ______ un método nuevo. — "My father tries a new method."

  • a) pruebo
  • b) prueba
  • c) pruebas
  • d) probó

4. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ su inocencia. — "They prove their innocence."

  • a) pruebo
  • b) prueban
  • c) probaron
  • d) pruebas

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

  • a) prueba
  • b) pruebo
  • c) probamos
  • d) pruebas

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

  • a) prueba
  • b) pruebas
  • c) probamos
  • d) pruebo

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

  • a) pruebo
  • b) prueban
  • c) pruebas
  • d) prueba

8. Which sentence uses probar correctly?

  • a) Nosotros prueba la comida típica.
  • b) Nosotros probamos la comida típica.
  • c) Nosotros probábamos la comida típica.

9. What is the past participle of probar?

  • a) probando
  • b) probó
  • c) pruebo
  • d) probado

10. What does probar mean in English?

  • a) to like
  • b) to try, to taste
  • c) to have
  • d) to go

Answer key

  1. c) pruebas — The sentence needs the tú form in the present: pruebas.

  2. b) probé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: probé.

  3. b) prueba — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: prueba.

  4. b) prueban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the present: prueban.

  5. b) pruebo — The present tense form for yo is pruebo.

  6. b) pruebas — The present tense form for tú is pruebas.

  7. b) prueban — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is prueban.

  8. b) Nosotros probamos la comida típica. — Nosotros probamos la comida típica. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

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

  10. b) to try, to taste — probar means "to try, to taste".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use probar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as probar la comida and probarse la ropa. 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 probar and gustar?

probar means "to try, to taste", while gustar means "to like". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use probar when you mean "to try, to taste" and gustar when you mean "to like".

Which tense do I need most with probar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use probar 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 probar formal or informal?

probar 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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