Introduction
Procurar means “to try to, to get”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Procurar means to try to or to get, and it covers trying to do something (procurar llegar a tiempo) and obtaining something for someone (procurar un trabajo). It takes an infinitive for the trying sense, and it is fully regular. This page shows procurar 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: “Procuro llegar a tiempo.” — I try to arrive on time.
Procurar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how procurar 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 procurar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Procuro llegar a tiempo.” — I try to arrive on time.
“¿Procuras un trabajo para su hijo?” — Do you try a job for his son?
“Procura descansar este fin de semana.” — He/she tries to rest this weekend.
“Nosotros procuramos hablar con el director.” — We try to speak to the director.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show procurar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo procuré llegar a tiempo.” — Yesterday, I tried to arrive on time. (preterite)
“Antes, él procuraba un trabajo para su hijo.” — Before, he used to try a job for his son. (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 procurar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros procuraremos descansar este fin de semana.” — Tomorrow, we will try to rest this weekend. (future)
“¿Tú has procurado hablar con el director?” — Have you tried to speak to the director? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros procuráis llegar a tiempo.” — You try to arrive on time.
“Ellos procuran un trabajo para su hijo.” — They try a job for his son.
“Yo procuro descansar este fin de semana.” — I try to rest this weekend.
“Mi padre procura hablar con el director.” — My father tries to speak to the director.
Procurar 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 procurar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú procuras un trabajo para su hijo?” — Do you try a job for his son?
Pedro: “Sí, yo procuro llegar a tiempo.” — Yes, I try to arrive on time.
Marta: “Nosotros procuramos hablar con el director.” — We try to speak to the director.
Pedro: “Y ellos procuran un trabajo para su hijo.” — And they try a job for his son.
Marta: “Vosotros procuráis descansar este fin de semana.” — You try to rest this weekend.
Pedro: “Sí, y él procura llegar a tiempo.” — Yes, and he tries to arrive on time.
A short paragraph
Procura llegar a tiempo, y nosotros procuramos hablar con el director. Yo procuro un trabajo para su hijo, y ellos procuran descansar este fin de semana. Procurar is part of everyday life, because try to, to get is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with procurar
These are the errors learners actually make with procurar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo procura llegar a tiempo.” Right: “Yo procuro llegar a tiempo.” Why: The person matters: procura is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is procuro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo procuro un trabajo para su hijo.” Right: “Ayer yo procuré un trabajo para su hijo.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: procuro is happening now, while procuré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating procurar and intentar as identical in every context.” Right: “Procurar means to try to, to get, while intentar means to try.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: procurar fits sentences such as Procuro llegar a tiempo, while intentar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy procurado un trabajo para su hijo.” Right: “Yo he procurado un trabajo para su hijo.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he procurado, has procurado, ha procurado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo procuré descansar este fin de semana todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo procuraba descansar este fin de semana todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (procuraba), not the preterite. The preterite (procuré) is for one finished action.
Quiz: procurar in use
Ten questions on procurar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ llegar a tiempo.” (You try to arrive on time.)
- (a) procuráis
- (b) procuro
- (c) procuras
Answer: procuráis — The vosotros/as form of procurar in the present tense is procuráis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ un trabajo para su hijo.” (They try a job for his son.)
- (a) procuras
- (b) procuran
- (c) procuro
Answer: procuran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of procurar in the present tense is procuran.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ llegar a tiempo.” (Yesterday I tried to arrive on time.)
- (a) procuraste
- (b) procuró
- (c) procuré
Answer: procuré — In the preterite, the yo form of procurar is procuré.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ un trabajo para su hijo.” (Before, he used to try a job for his son.)
- (a) procuraba
- (b) procuro
- (c) procurabas
Answer: procuraba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of procurar is procuraba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ descansar este fin de semana.” (Tomorrow we will try to rest this weekend.)
- (a) procurarás
- (b) procuraremos
- (c) procuraré
Answer: procuraremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of procurar is procuraremos.
6. What does procurar mean in English?
- (a) to try to, to get
- (b) to progress
- (c) to try
Answer: to try to, to get — Procurar means “to try to, to get”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo procura llegar a tiempo.
- (b) Ellos procura un trabajo para su hijo.
- (c) Yo procuro llegar a tiempo.
Answer: Yo procuro llegar a tiempo. — “Yo procuro llegar a tiempo.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I try to arrive on time.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre procura hablar con el director.
- (b) Procuro llegar a tiempo.
- (c) Procuran llegar a tiempo.
Answer: Procuro llegar a tiempo. — “Procuro llegar a tiempo.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of procurar in the present tense?
- (a) procuro
- (b) procuras
- (c) procuramos
Answer: procuramos — The nosotros form is procuramos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros procuraremos descansar este fin de semana.
- (b) Procuro llegar a tiempo.
- (c) Ayer, yo procuré llegar a tiempo.
Answer: Procuro llegar a tiempo. — “Procuro llegar a tiempo.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I try to arrive on time' in Spanish?
Say 'Procuro llegar a tiempo'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Procuro llegar a tiempo todos los días'.
How do you say 'He tries a job for his son' in Spanish?
Say 'Él procura un trabajo para su hijo'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes procura.
What is the difference between procurar and intentar?
Procurar means to try to, to get, while intentar means to try. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use procurar when you mean to try to, to get, as in 'Procuro llegar a tiempo', and use intentar for to try.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of procurar — every tense of procurar in one place.
- Procurar 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 procurar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of procurar until they are automatic.