Introduction

Suspender means “to suspend, to fail (an exam)”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Suspender means to suspend or to fail, and it has two everyday uses in Spain: failing an exam (suspender el examen) and suspending a class or a payment. In Latin America it more often means to hang something up. Context tells you which sense is meant. This page shows suspender 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: “Suspendo el examen de matemáticas.” — I fail the maths exam.

Suspender in real example sentences

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

  1. “Suspendo el examen de matemáticas.” — I fail the maths exam.

  2. “¿Suspendes la clase por la huelga?” — Do you fail the class because of the strike?

  3. “Suspende el pago hasta enero.” — He/she fails the payment until January.

  4. “Nosotros suspendemos a tres alumnos en junio.” — We fail three students in June.

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show suspender in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.

  1. “Ayer, yo suspendí el examen de matemáticas.” — Yesterday, I failed the maths exam. (preterite)

  2. “Antes, él suspendía la clase por la huelga.” — Before, he used to fail the class because of the strike. (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 suspender stays the same.

  1. “Mañana, nosotros suspenderemos el pago hasta enero.” — Tomorrow, we will fail the payment until January. (future)

  2. “¿Tú has suspendido a tres alumnos en junio?” — Have you failed three students in June? (present perfect)

More everyday uses

Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.

  1. “Vosotros suspendéis el examen de matemáticas.” — You fail the maths exam.

  2. “Ellos suspenden la clase por la huelga.” — They fail the class because of the strike.

  3. “Yo suspendo el pago hasta enero.” — I fail the payment until January.

  4. “Mi padre suspende a tres alumnos en junio.” — My father fails three students in June.

Suspender 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 suspender appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

A short dialogue

  • Marta: “¿Tú suspendes la clase por la huelga?” — Do you fail the class because of the strike?

  • Pedro: “Sí, yo suspendo el examen de matemáticas.” — Yes, I fail the maths exam.

  • Marta: “Nosotros suspendemos a tres alumnos en junio.” — We fail three students in June.

  • Pedro: “Y ellos suspenden la clase por la huelga.” — And they fail the class because of the strike.

  • Marta: “Vosotros suspendéis el pago hasta enero.” — You fail the payment until January.

  • Pedro: “Sí, y él suspende el examen de matemáticas.” — Yes, and he fails the maths exam.

A short paragraph

Suspende el examen de matemáticas, y nosotros suspendemos a tres alumnos en junio. Yo suspendo la clase por la huelga, y ellos suspenden el pago hasta enero. Suspender is part of everyday life, because suspend, to fail (an exam) is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.

Common mistakes with suspender

These are the errors learners actually make with suspender. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo suspende el examen de matemáticas.” Right: “Yo suspendo el examen de matemáticas.” Why: The person matters: suspende is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is suspendo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

  • Wrong: “Ayer yo suspendo la clase por la huelga.” Right: “Ayer yo suspendí la clase por la huelga.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: suspendo is happening now, while suspendí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

  • Wrong: “Treating suspender and aprobar as identical in every context.” Right: “Suspender means to suspend, to fail (an exam), while aprobar means to pass, its opposite.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: suspender fits sentences such as Suspendo el examen de matemáticas, while aprobar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

  • Wrong: “Yo soy suspendido la clase por la huelga.” Right: “Yo he suspendido la clase por la huelga.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he suspendido, has suspendido, ha suspendido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

  • Wrong: “De niño, yo suspendí el pago hasta enero todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo suspendía el pago hasta enero todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (suspendía), not the preterite. The preterite (suspendí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: suspender in use

Ten questions on suspender in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ el examen de matemáticas.” (You fail the maths exam.)

  • (a) suspendéis
  • (b) suspendo
  • (c) suspendes

Answer: suspendéis — The vosotros/as form of suspender in the present tense is suspendéis.

2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la clase por la huelga.” (They fail the class because of the strike.)

  • (a) suspendes
  • (b) suspenden
  • (c) suspendo

Answer: suspenden — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of suspender in the present tense is suspenden.

3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ el examen de matemáticas.” (Yesterday I failed the maths exam.)

  • (a) suspendiste
  • (b) suspendió
  • (c) suspendí

Answer: suspendí — In the preterite, the yo form of suspender is suspendí.

4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ la clase por la huelga.” (Before, he used to fail the class because of the strike.)

  • (a) suspendía
  • (b) suspendo
  • (c) suspendías

Answer: suspendía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of suspender is suspendía.

5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ el pago hasta enero.” (Tomorrow we will fail the payment until January.)

  • (a) suspenderás
  • (b) suspenderemos
  • (c) suspenderé

Answer: suspenderemos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of suspender is suspenderemos.

6. What does suspender mean in English?

  • (a) to suspend, to fail (an exam)
  • (b) to cough
  • (c) to pass, its opposite

Answer: to suspend, to fail (an exam) — Suspender means “to suspend, to fail (an exam)”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • (a) Yo suspende el examen de matemáticas.
  • (b) Ellos suspende la clase por la huelga.
  • (c) Yo suspendo el examen de matemáticas.

Answer: Yo suspendo el examen de matemáticas. — “Yo suspendo el examen de matemáticas.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.

8. How do you say “I fail the maths exam.” in Spanish?

  • (a) Mi padre suspende a tres alumnos en junio.
  • (b) Suspendo el examen de matemáticas.
  • (c) Suspenden el examen de matemáticas.

Answer: Suspendo el examen de matemáticas. — “Suspendo el examen de matemáticas.” is the correct translation.

9. What is the nosotros form of suspender in the present tense?

  • (a) suspendo
  • (b) suspendes
  • (c) suspendemos

Answer: suspendemos — The nosotros form is suspendemos.

10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?

  • (a) Mañana, nosotros suspenderemos el pago hasta enero.
  • (b) Suspendo el examen de matemáticas.
  • (c) Ayer, yo suspendí el examen de matemáticas.

Answer: Suspendo el examen de matemáticas. — “Suspendo el examen de matemáticas.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I fail the maths exam' in Spanish?

Say 'Suspendo el examen de matemáticas'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Suspendo el examen de matemáticas todos los días'.

How do you say 'He fails the class because of the strike' in Spanish?

Say 'Él suspende la clase por la huelga'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes suspende.

What is the difference between suspender and aprobar?

Suspender means to suspend, to fail (an exam), while aprobar means to pass, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use suspender when you mean to suspend, to fail (an exam), as in 'Suspendo el examen de matemáticas', and use aprobar for to pass, its opposite.

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