Sustraer Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Sustraer means “to subtract, to steal”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Sustraer means to subtract or to steal, and it is used for subtracting numbers in maths and, in formal language, for taking something that is not yours. It follows the pattern of traer, with the present sustraigo, the preterite sustraje, the gerund sustrayendo and the participle sustraído. This page shows sustraer 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 sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.” — I subtract five from twenty in the exam.
Sustraer in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how sustraer 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 sustraer in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.” — I subtract five from twenty in the exam.
“¿Tú sustraes dinero de la caja?” — Do you subtract money from the till?
“Sustrae un libro de la biblioteca.” — He/she subtracts a book from the library.
“Sustraemos tres del total.” — We subtract three from the total.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show sustraer in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen.” — Yesterday, I subtracted five from twenty in the exam. (preterite)
“Él sustraía dinero de la caja todos los días.” — He used to subtract money from the till 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 sustraer stays the same.
“Nosotros sustraeremos un libro de la biblioteca mañana.” — We will subtract a book from the library tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has sustraído tres del total?” — Have you subtracted three from the total? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Sustraéis cinco de veinte en el examen.” — You subtract five from twenty in the exam.
“Sustraen dinero de la caja.” — They subtract money from the till.
“Sustraigo un libro de la biblioteca.” — I subtract a book from the library.
“Sustrae tres del total.” — He/she subtracts three from the total.
Sustraer 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 sustraer appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú sustraes cinco de veinte en el examen?” — Do you subtract five from twenty in the exam?
Carlos: “Sí, yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.” — Yes, I subtract five from twenty in the exam.
Lucía: “Nosotros sustraemos dinero de la caja.” — We subtract money from the till.
Carlos: “Y ellos sustraen un libro de la biblioteca.” — And they subtract a book from the library.
Lucía: “Vosotros sustraéis tres del total.” — You subtract three from the total.
Carlos: “Sí, y él sustrae dinero de la caja.” — Yes, and he subtracts money from the till.
A short paragraph
Lucía sustrae cinco de veinte en el examen, y Carlos sustrae dinero de la caja. Nosotros sustraemos un libro de la biblioteca, y ellos sustraen tres del total. Yo sustraigo un libro de la biblioteca, y mi padre sustrae tres del total. Sustraer is part of everyday life, because to subtract, to steal is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with sustraer
These are the errors learners actually make with sustraer. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo sustrae cinco de veinte en el examen.” Right: “Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.” Why: The person matters: sustrae is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is sustraigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo sustraí dinero de la caja.” Right: “Ayer yo sustraje dinero de la caja.” Why: Sustraer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is sustraje, not the regular sustraí. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
Wrong: “Treating sustraer and robar as identical in every context.” Right: “Sustraer means to subtract, to steal, while robar means to steal.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: sustraer fits sentences such as Sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen, while robar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy sustraído dinero de la caja.” Right: “Yo he sustraído dinero de la caja.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he sustraído, has sustraído, ha sustraído. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo sustraje un libro de la biblioteca todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo sustraía un libro de la biblioteca todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (sustraía), not the preterite. The preterite (sustraje) is for one finished action.
Quiz: sustraer in use
Ten questions on sustraer in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ cinco de veinte en el examen.” (Five from twenty in the exam.)
- (a) sustraéis
- (b) sustraigo
- (c) sustraes
Answer: sustraéis — The vosotros/as form of sustraer in the present is sustraéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ dinero de la caja.” (Money from the till.)
- (a) sustraigo
- (b) sustraes
- (c) sustraen
Answer: sustraen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of sustraer in the present is sustraen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ cinco de veinte en el examen.” (Five from twenty in the exam.)
- (a) sustrajo
- (b) sustraje
- (c) sustrajiste
Answer: sustraje — The yo form of sustraer in the preterite is sustraje.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ dinero de la caja.” (Money from the till.)
- (a) sustraía
- (b) sustraías
- (c) sustraíamos
Answer: sustraía — The él/ella/Ud. form of sustraer in the imperfect is sustraía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ un libro de la biblioteca.” (A book from the library.)
- (a) sustraeré
- (b) sustraerás
- (c) sustraeremos
Answer: sustraeremos — The nosotros/as form of sustraer in the future is sustraeremos.
6. What does sustraer mean in English?
- (a) to decline, to weaken
- (b) to subtract, to steal
- (c) to steal
Answer: to subtract, to steal — Sustraer means “to subtract, to steal”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.
- (b) Ellos sustrae cinco de veinte en el examen.
- (c) Yo sustraigo dinero de la caja ayer.
Answer: Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen. — “Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I subtract five from twenty in the exam.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo sustraen cinco de veinte en el examen.
- (b) Yo sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen.
- (c) Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.
Answer: Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen. — “Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.” 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 sustraer in the present tense?
- (a) sustraes
- (b) sustraemos
- (c) sustraigo
Answer: sustraemos — The nosotros form is sustraemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen.
- (b) Nosotros sustraeremos cinco de veinte en el examen mañana.
- (c) Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.
Answer: Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen. — “Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I subtract' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen todos los días'.
How do you say 'I subtract' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo sustraje dinero de la caja'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo sustraía dinero de la caja todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he sustraído dinero de la caja'.
What is the difference between sustraer and robar?
Sustraer means to subtract, to steal, while robar means to steal. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use sustraer when you mean to subtract, to steal, as in Sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sustraer — every tense of sustraer in one place.
- Sustraer 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 sustraer and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of sustraer until they are automatic.