Satisfacer Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Satisfacer means “to satisfy”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Satisfacer means to satisfy, and it is used for satisfying a need, a client, a hunger or a curiosity. It follows the pattern of hacer, with the present satisfago, the preterite satisfice and the irregular participle satisfecho. This page shows satisfacer 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: “Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.” — I satisfy the clients' needs.
Satisfacer in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how satisfacer 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 satisfacer in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.” — I satisfy the clients' needs.
“¿Tú satisfaces su curiosidad con un libro?” — Do you satisfy his curiosity with a book?
“Satisface el hambre con un bocadillo.” — He/she satisfies hunger with a sandwich.
“Satisfacemos a su jefe con el informe.” — We satisfy his boss with the report.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show satisfacer in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo satisfice las necesidades de los clientes.” — Yesterday, I satisfied the clients' needs. (preterite)
“Él satisfacía su curiosidad con un libro todos los días.” — He used to satisfy his curiosity with a book every day. (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 satisfacer stays the same.
“Nosotros satisfaremos el hambre con un bocadillo mañana.” — We will satisfy hunger with a sandwich tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has satisfecho a su jefe con el informe?” — Have you satisfied his boss with the report? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Satisfacéis las necesidades de los clientes.” — You satisfy the clients' needs.
“Satisfacen su curiosidad con un libro.” — They satisfy his curiosity with a book.
“Satisfago el hambre con un bocadillo.” — I satisfy hunger with a sandwich.
“Satisface a su jefe con el informe.” — He/she satisfies his boss with the report.
Satisfacer 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 satisfacer appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú satisfaces las necesidades de los clientes?” — Do you satisfy the clients' needs?
Carlos: “Sí, yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.” — Yes, I satisfy the clients' needs.
Lucía: “Nosotros satisfacemos su curiosidad con un libro.” — We satisfy his curiosity with a book.
Carlos: “Y ellos satisfacen el hambre con un bocadillo.” — And they satisfy hunger with a sandwich.
Lucía: “Vosotros satisfacéis a su jefe con el informe.” — You satisfy his boss with the report.
Carlos: “Sí, y él satisface su curiosidad con un libro.” — Yes, and he satisfies his curiosity with a book.
A short paragraph
Lucía satisface las necesidades de los clientes, y Carlos satisface su curiosidad con un libro. Nosotros satisfacemos el hambre con un bocadillo, y ellos satisfacen a su jefe con el informe. Yo satisfago el hambre con un bocadillo, y mi padre satisface a su jefe con el informe. Satisfacer is part of everyday life, because to satisfy is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with satisfacer
These are the errors learners actually make with satisfacer. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo satisface las necesidades de los clientes.” Right: “Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.” Why: The person matters: satisface is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is satisfago. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo satisfací su curiosidad con un libro.” Right: “Ayer yo satisfice su curiosidad con un libro.” Why: Satisfacer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is satisfice, not the regular satisfací. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
Wrong: “Treating satisfacer and complacer as identical in every context.” Right: “Satisfacer means to satisfy, while complacer means to please.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: satisfacer fits sentences such as Satisfago las necesidades de los clientes, while complacer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy satisfecho su curiosidad con un libro.” Right: “Yo he satisfecho su curiosidad con un libro.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he satisfecho, has satisfecho, ha satisfecho. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo satisfice el hambre con un bocadillo todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo satisfacía el hambre con un bocadillo todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (satisfacía), not the preterite. The preterite (satisfice) is for one finished action.
Quiz: satisfacer in use
Ten questions on satisfacer in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ las necesidades de los clientes.” (The clients' needs.)
- (a) satisfacéis
- (b) satisfago
- (c) satisfaces
Answer: satisfacéis — The vosotros/as form of satisfacer in the present is satisfacéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ su curiosidad con un libro.” (His curiosity with a book.)
- (a) satisfago
- (b) satisfaces
- (c) satisfacen
Answer: satisfacen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of satisfacer in the present is satisfacen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ las necesidades de los clientes.” (The clients' needs.)
- (a) satisfizo
- (b) satisfice
- (c) satisficiste
Answer: satisfice — The yo form of satisfacer in the preterite is satisfice.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ su curiosidad con un libro.” (His curiosity with a book.)
- (a) satisfacía
- (b) satisfacías
- (c) satisfacíamos
Answer: satisfacía — The él/ella/Ud. form of satisfacer in the imperfect is satisfacía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el hambre con un bocadillo.” (Hunger with a sandwich.)
- (a) satisfaré
- (b) satisfarás
- (c) satisfaremos
Answer: satisfaremos — The nosotros/as form of satisfacer in the future is satisfaremos.
6. What does satisfacer mean in English?
- (a) to attract
- (b) to satisfy
- (c) to please
Answer: to satisfy — Satisfacer means “to satisfy”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.
- (b) Ellos satisface las necesidades de los clientes.
- (c) Yo satisfago su curiosidad con un libro ayer.
Answer: Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes. — “Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I satisfy the clients' needs.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo satisfacen las necesidades de los clientes.
- (b) Yo satisfice las necesidades de los clientes.
- (c) Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.
Answer: Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes. — “Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of satisfacer in the present tense?
- (a) satisfaces
- (b) satisfacemos
- (c) satisfago
Answer: satisfacemos — The nosotros form is satisfacemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo satisfice las necesidades de los clientes.
- (b) Nosotros satisfaremos las necesidades de los clientes mañana.
- (c) Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.
Answer: Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes. — “Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I satisfy' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo satisfago las necesidades de los clientes todos los días'.
How do you say 'I satisfy' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo satisfice su curiosidad con un libro'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo satisfacía su curiosidad con un libro todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he satisfecho su curiosidad con un libro'.
What is the difference between satisfacer and complacer?
Satisfacer means to satisfy, while complacer means to please. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use satisfacer when you mean to satisfy, as in Satisfago las necesidades de los clientes.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of satisfacer — every tense of satisfacer in one place.
- Satisfacer in the preterite 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 satisfacer and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of satisfacer until they are automatic.