Relampaguear Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
relampaguear means "to flash (lightning)" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows relampaguear in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of relampaguear, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with relampaguear
Everyday use
Relampaguear means to flash (lightning). The sentences below show it in everyday use, in different tenses and persons.
- Relampaguea toda la noche — "It flashes with lightning all night"
- Relampagueó a lo lejos — "It flashed with lightning in the distance"
- Relampagueaba sin parar — "It used to flash with lightning without stopping"
- Relampagueará toda la noche — "It will flash with lightning all night"
- Ha relampagueado a lo lejos — "It has flashed with lightning in the distance"
- Relampaguearía sin parar — "It would flash with lightning without stopping"
In the past and the future
The same verb in the past and the future: the form changes, but the meaning stays the same.
- Relampaguea sin parar — "It flashes with lightning without stopping"
- Relampagueó toda la noche — "It flashed with lightning all night"
- Relampagueaba a lo lejos — "It used to flash with lightning in the distance"
- Relampagueará sin parar — "It will flash with lightning without stopping"
- Ha relampagueado toda la noche — "It has flashed with lightning all night"
- Relampaguearía a lo lejos — "It would flash with lightning in the distance"
Relampaguear in conversation
The two dialogues below show relampaguear in natural conversation. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Relampaguea toda la noche? — "Is it flashing all night?"
- Sí, relampaguea toda la noche. — "Yes, it flashes with lightning all night."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Relampagueó a lo lejos? — "And yesterday? Did it flash with lightning in the distance?"
- Sí, ayer relampagueó a lo lejos. — "Yes, yesterday it flashed with lightning in the distance."
- Mañana relampagueará sin parar también. — "Tomorrow it will flashes with lightning without stopping too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Relampaguea toda la noche hoy? — "Is it flashing all night today?"
- Sí, relampaguea toda la noche. — "Yes, it flashes with lightning all night."
- ¿Y mañana? — "And tomorrow?"
- Mañana relampagueará a lo lejos otra vez. — "Tomorrow it will flashes with lightning in the distance again."
- Pues me quedo en casa. — "Well, I am staying at home."
Useful phrases with relampaguear
Weather verbs only take the third-person form, so these phrases all use it. The infinitive stays the same; only the first verb changes.
- Va a relampaguear toda la noche. — "It is going to flash with lightning all night."
- Está relampagueando a lo lejos. — "It is flashing in the distance."
- Acaba de relampaguear sin parar. — "It has just flashed with lightning without stopping."
- Suele relampaguear toda la noche. — "It usually flashes with lightning all night."
Common mistakes with relampaguear in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo relampaguea toda la noche.
- Right: Relampaguea toda la noche.
- Why: This verb is impersonal: it only takes the third-person singular form relampaguea, never yo, tú or nosotros.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Todos los días, relampagueó.
- Right: Todos los días, relampaguea.
- Why: Todos los días means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Yo soy relampagueado a lo lejos.
- Right: Yo he relampagueado a lo lejos.
- Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he relampagueado, has relampagueado, ha relampagueado.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Ayer, relampaguea.
- Right: Ayer, relampagueó.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite (relampagueé). The present (relampagueo) is for habits and for now.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Espero que él relampaguea toda la noche.
- Right: Espero que él relampaguee toda la noche.
- Why: After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: relampaguee. The indicative form would be wrong here.
Quiz: relampaguear in use
Ten questions on relampaguear across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the he / she form of relampaguear in the present tense?
- (a) relampagueara
- (b) habrás relampagueado
- (c) relampaguearas
- (d) relampaguea
Answer: (d) relampaguea. The he / she form in the present is relampaguea.
2. What is the he / she form of relampaguear in the preterite tense?
- (a) habremos relampagueado
- (b) relampaguearas
- (c) habríamos relampagueado
- (d) relampagueó
Answer: (d) relampagueó. The he / she form in the preterite is relampagueó.
3. What is the he / she form of relampaguear in the imperfect tense?
- (a) relampaguee
- (b) relampagueaba
- (c) habrá relampagueado
- (d) habían relampagueado
Answer: (b) relampagueaba. The he / she form in the imperfect is relampagueaba.
4. What is the he / she form of relampaguear in the future tense?
- (a) relampagueaban
- (b) relampaguearéis
- (c) relampaguearas
- (d) relampagueará
Answer: (d) relampagueará. The he / she form in the future is relampagueará.
5. What is the he / she form of relampaguear in the conditional tense?
- (a) relampagueará
- (b) relampaguearía
- (c) habríamos relampagueado
- (d) has relampagueado
Answer: (b) relampaguearía. The he / she form in the conditional is relampaguearía.
6. What is the he / she form of relampaguear in the present perfect tense?
- (a) relampaguearas
- (b) ha relampagueado
- (c) relampagueaban
- (d) habrán relampagueado
Answer: (b) ha relampagueado. The he / she form in the present perfect is ha relampagueado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ toda la noche.
- (a) relampaguees
- (b) relampagueemos
- (c) relampagueéis
- (d) relampaguee
Answer: (d) relampaguee. The he / she form in the present subjunctive is relampaguee.
8. What is the he / she form of relampaguear in the pluperfect tense?
- (a) relampagueabais
- (b) relampaguees
- (c) había relampagueado
- (d) relampaguean
Answer: (c) había relampagueado. The he / she form in the pluperfect is había relampagueado.
9. What is the he / she form of relampaguear in the future perfect tense?
- (a) relampaguearan
- (b) habrá relampagueado
- (c) relampagueéis
- (d) había relampagueado
Answer: (b) habrá relampagueado. The he / she form in the future perfect is habrá relampagueado.
10. Which is the gerund of relampaguear?
- (a) relampagueado
- (b) relampagueó
- (c) relampaguea
- (d) relampagueando
Answer: (d) relampagueando. The gerund of relampaguear is relampagueando, used with estar: estoy relampagueando.
Frequently asked questions about relampaguear
Is relampaguear regular?
Yes. Relampaguear is a regular -ar verb: relampagueo, relampagueas, relampaguea. See the full conjugation of relampaguear for every tense.
What is the past participle of relampaguear?
The past participle is relampagueado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he relampagueado. The gerund is relampagueando, used with estar: estoy relampagueando.
How do I say “I flash” in the past?
For one finished action, use the preterite: Relampagueó a lo lejos. For a habit in the past, use the imperfect: Relampagueaba sin parar.
How can I practise relampaguear?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.