Introduction

revolucionar means “to revolutionise”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to revolutionise” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows revolucionar 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 form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo revoluciono la industria por la mañana.” — “I revolutionise the industry.”

revolucionar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how revolucionar 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 {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo revoluciono la industria cada día.” — “I revolutionise the industry.”
  2. “Tú revolucionas la industria cada día.” — “you revolutionise the industry.”
  3. “Él revoluciona la industria siempre.” — “He revolutionises the industry.”
  4. “Nosotros revolucionamos la industria todos los días.” — “We revolutionise the industry.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo revolucioné la industria ayer.” — “I revolutionised the industry.” (preterite) 6. “Él revolucionó la industria ayer.” — “He revolutionised the industry.” (preterite) 7. “Yo revolucionaba la industria cuando era joven.” — “I used to revolutionise the industry.” (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 {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros revolucionaremos la industria mañana.” — “We will revolutionise the industry.” (future) 9. “Tú has revolucionado la industria hoy.” — “you have revolutionised the industry.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo revolucione la industria.” — “I hope that I revolutionise the industry.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros revolucionáis la industria cada semana.” — “You revolutionise the industry.” 12. “Ellos revolucionan la industria normalmente.” — “They revolutionise the industry.”

revolucionar 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 revolucionar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú revolucionas la industria?” — Do you revolutionise the industry?

Carlos: “Sí, yo revoluciono la industria cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I revolutionise the industry every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También revolucionas la industria?” — And yesterday? Did you revolutionise the industry too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo revolucioné la industria. Mañana nosotros revolucionaremos la industria otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I revolutionised the industry. Tomorrow we will revolutionise the industry again.

A short paragraph

Él revoluciona la industria cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how revolucionar works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo revoluciono la industria — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make revolucionar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is revolucioné, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — revolucione — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of revolucionar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For revolucionar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: revolucionamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he revolucionado la industria. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy revolucionado is not the present perfect of revolucionar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing revolucionar with revisar

revolucionar and revisar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of revolucionar — revolutionise — the sentence needs revolucionar; if it needs the meaning of revisar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo revolucione la industria. Using the indicative — Espero que yo revoluciono — is one of the most frequent learner errors with revolucionar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of revolucionar in the present?

  • A. revolucionas
  • B. revoluciona
  • C. revolucionamos
  • D. revoluciono

2. What is the tu form of revolucionar in the preterite?

  • A. revolucionamos
  • B. revolucionaste
  • C. revolucioné
  • D. revolucionó

3. What is the el form of revolucionar in the imperfect?

  • A. revolucionabas
  • B. revolucionábamos
  • C. revolucionabais
  • D. revolucionaba

4. What is the nosotros form of revolucionar in the future?

  • A. revolucionará
  • B. revolucionaremos
  • C. revolucionaré
  • D. revolucionarás

5. What is the vosotros form of revolucionar in the present perfect?

  • A. he revolucionado
  • B. has revolucionado
  • C. ha revolucionado
  • D. habéis revolucionado

6. What is the ellos form of revolucionar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. revolucione
  • B. revolucionen
  • C. revolucione
  • D. revoluciones

7. What is the yo form of revolucionar in the preterite?

  • A. revolucionaste
  • B. revolucionó
  • C. revolucionamos
  • D. revolucioné

8. What is the tu form of revolucionar in the imperfect?

  • A. revolucionábamos
  • B. revolucionabas
  • C. revolucionaba
  • D. revolucionaba

9. What is the el form of revolucionar in the future?

  • A. revolucionaré
  • B. revolucionarás
  • C. revolucionaremos
  • D. revolucionará

10. What is the nosotros form of revolucionar in the conditional?

  • A. revolucionaría
  • B. revolucionaríamos
  • C. revolucionaría
  • D. revolucionarías

Answer key

  1. revoluciono — The present table gives yo = revoluciono.
  2. revolucionaste — The preterite table gives tu = revolucionaste.
  3. revolucionaba — The imperfect table gives el = revolucionaba.
  4. revolucionaremos — The future table gives nosotros = revolucionaremos.
  5. habéis revolucionado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis revolucionado.
  6. revolucionen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = revolucionen.
  7. revolucioné — The preterite table gives yo = revolucioné.
  8. revolucionabas — The imperfect table gives tu = revolucionabas.
  9. revolucionará — The future table gives el = revolucionará.
  10. revolucionaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = revolucionaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use revolucionar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo revoluciono la industria.” — “I revolutionise the industry.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of revolucionar to learn first?

Learn the present yo form revoluciono first, then the preterite yo form revolucioné and the participle revolucionado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund revolucionando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is revolucionar reflexive?

No — revolucionar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo revoluciono la industria. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of revolucionar?

On the main conjugation page for revolucionar, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links