Producir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

producir — to produce — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Producir means to produce and to cause: producir electricidad, producir un efecto. It is a -ducir verb with the c → zc spelling change (produzco) and the irregular preterite produje. It is formal and common in news, business and science. On this page you will find producir in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with producir

In the present tense

  • “Yo produzco ideas nuevas cada semana.” — “I produce new ideas every week.”
  • “Ella produce pan casero en su horno.” — “She produces homemade bread in her oven.”
  • “Nosotros producimos energía solar en el tejado.” — “We produce solar energy on the roof.”
  • “Ellos producen coches en la fábrica.” — “They produce cars in the factory.”
  • “¿Tú produces algún efecto con esto?” — “Does this produce any effect?”
  • “Vosotros producís demasiado ruido.” — “You produce too much noise.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo produje un informe completo.” — “Yesterday I produced a complete report.”
  • “Ella produjo un efecto inmediato.” — “She produced an immediate effect.”
  • “Nosotros produjimos más electricidad que nunca.” — “We produced more electricity than ever.”
  • “Ellos produjeron una película el año pasado.” — “They produced a film last year.”
  • “¿Tú produjiste los documentos a tiempo?” — “Did you produce the documents on time?”
  • “La fábrica produjo mil coches en enero.” — “The factory produced a thousand cars in January.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo producía ideas nuevas cada semana.” — “As a child, I used to produce new ideas every week.”
  • “Mañana, yo produciré ideas nuevas cada semana.” — “Tomorrow, I will produce new ideas every week.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo produciría ideas nuevas cada semana.” — “If I could, I would produce new ideas every week.”
  • “Yo he producido ideas nuevas cada semana.” — “I have produced new ideas every week.”

Producir in context

Cada día, yo produzco ideas nuevas cada semana. Mi amigo también produce ideas nuevas cada semana cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo produzco ideas nuevas de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de producir es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo produje ideas nuevas cada semana. Mi amigo produjo ideas nuevas cada semana también, y por la noche yo produje ideas nuevas otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de producir aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with producir

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo produco ideas nuevas.

Right: Yo produzco ideas nuevas.

Producir changes c to zc: produzco, not produco.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Ayer yo producí un informe.

Right: Ayer yo produzco un informe.

The preterite is produje, from the -duje pattern of all -ducir verbs, never producí.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Treating producir as a regular verb.

Right: Learn the irregular forms: present produzco, preterite produje.

producir is irregular — its present and preterite do not follow the regular endings, so they have to be memorised as a set.

Quiz: producir in everyday use

Ten questions on producir across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of producir in the present tense?

  • A) produzco
  • B) produces
  • C) produce
  • D) producimos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is produzco.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of producir in the present tense?

  • A) produzco
  • B) produces
  • C) producimos
  • D) produce

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is produce.

3. What is the yo form of producir in the preterite?

  • A) produjo
  • B) produjimos
  • C) produje
  • D) produjiste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is produje.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of producir in the preterite?

  • A) produjo
  • B) produjeron
  • C) produje
  • D) produjiste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is produjeron.

5. What is the yo form of producir in the imperfect?

  • A) producía
  • B) producías
  • C) producía
  • D) producíamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is producía.

6. What is the tú form of producir in the future?

  • A) produciré
  • B) producirá
  • C) produciremos
  • D) producirás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is producirás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of producir in the conditional?

  • A) producirías
  • B) produciríamos
  • C) produciría
  • D) produciría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is produciría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of producir in the present perfect?

  • A) ha producido
  • B) hemos producido
  • C) he producido
  • D) has producido

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos producido.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ ideas nuevas cada semana.” (I produce new ideas every week.)

  • A) produzco
  • B) produces
  • C) produce
  • D) producimos

Answer: A — The sentence needs produzco.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo produzco ideas nuevas.
  • B) Yo produco ideas nuevas.

Answer: A — Producir changes c to zc: produzco, not produco.

Frequently asked questions

What does producir mean?

producir means “to produce” in English. Producir means to produce and to cause: producir electricidad, producir un efecto. It is a -ducir verb with the c → zc spelling change (produzco) and the irregular preterite produje. It is formal and common in news, business and science.

Is producir regular?

No. producir is an irregular -ir verb (irregular in present, preterite, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative). It is irregular in present, preterite, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, and those forms have to be learnt as a set rather than built by rule. The full conjugation page shows every tense.

When do I use producir in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — produje, produjiste, produjo — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — producía, producías, producía — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to producir as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise producir?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Producir Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for producir to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo produzco…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo produje…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo produciré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

Related pages