Tatuar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

tatuar means "to tattoo" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Tatuar means to tattoo: tatuar una rosa en el brazo, tatuar el nombre de su hijo. It takes the design as its object and en for the place on the body. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of tatuar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the tatuar present tense page.

tatuar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo tatúo una rosa en el brazo — "I tattoo a rose on his arm"
  2. Mi amigo tatúa el nombre de su hijo — "My friend tattoos his son's name"
  3. Mañana, tú tatuarás un dragón en la espalda — "Tomorrow, you will tattoo a dragon on his back"
  4. Yo tatuaría una frase en latín si pudiera — "I would tattoo a phrase in Latin if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo tatué una rosa en el brazo — "Yesterday, I tattooed a rose on his arm"
  2. Antes, nosotros tatuábamos el nombre de su hijo — "Before, we used to tattoo his son's name"
  3. Él ha tatuado un dragón en la espalda — "He has tattooed a dragon on his back"
  4. Yo ya había tatuado una frase en latín antes de salir — "I already had tattooed a phrase in Latin before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él tatúe una rosa en el brazo — "I hope he tattoos a rose on his arm"
  2. Si yo tatuara el nombre de su hijo, todo cambiaría — "If I tattooed his son's name, everything would change"
  3. Tatúa un dragón en la espalda. — "Tattoo a dragon on his back."
  4. Yo habría tatuado una frase en latín con más tiempo — "I would have tattooed a phrase in Latin with more time"

tatuar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use tatuar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo tatúo una rosa en el brazo — "I tattoo a rose on his arm"
  • Marcos: Él tatúa el nombre de su hijo — "He tattoos his son's name"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo tatué un dragón en la espalda — "Yesterday, I tattooed a dragon on his back"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú tatuarás una frase en latín — "Tomorrow, you will tattoo a phrase in Latin"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Tatúa una flor en el tobillo. — "Tattoo a flower on the ankle."
  • Lucía: Él ha tatuado una rosa en el brazo — "He has tattooed a rose on his arm"
  • Marcos: Espero que él tatúe el nombre de su hijo — "I hope he tattoos his son's name"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo tatuaba un dragón en la espalda — "Before, I used to tattoo a dragon on his back"

Common mistakes with tatuar

The errors learners actually make with tatuar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Espero que él tatúa una frase en latín

✓ Correct: Espero que él tatúe una frase en latín

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él tatúe una frase en latín — not the indicative Espero que él tatúa una frase en latín.

✗ *Ayer, yo tatúo una flor en el tobillo

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo tatué una flor en el tobillo

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo tatué una flor en el tobillo.

✗ *De niño, yo tatué una rosa en el brazo todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo tatuaba una rosa en el brazo todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo tatuaba una rosa en el brazo todos los días.

✗ *Yo tatúo en un dragón en la espalda.

✓ Correct: Yo tatúo un dragón en la espalda.

tatuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo tatúo un dragón en la espalda.

✗ *Vosotros tatuais el nombre de su hijo.

✓ Correct: Vosotros tatuáis el nombre de su hijo.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: tatuáis, not tatuais.

Quiz: tatuar in use

Ten questions on tatuar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ una rosa en el brazo — "I tattoo a rose on his arm" (present) A. tatuamos B. tatúo C. tatúas D. tatúa

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el nombre de su hijo — "Yesterday, I tattooed his son's name" (preterite) A. tatuó B. tatuamos C. tatué D. tatuaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ un dragón en la espalda — "Before, we used to tattoo a dragon on his back" (imperfect) A. tatuaba B. tatuabas C. tatuabais D. tatuábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ una frase en latín — "Tomorrow, you will tattoo a phrase in Latin" (future) A. tatuarás B. tatuaré C. tatuará D. tatuaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ una flor en el tobillo — "I would tattoo a flower on the ankle" (conditional) A. tatuaría B. tatuarías C. tatuaríamos D. tatuaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ una rosa en el brazo — "He has tattooed a rose on his arm" (present perfect) A. has tatuado B. hemos tatuado C. ha tatuado D. he tatuado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el nombre de su hijo — "I hope he tattoos his son's name" (present subjunctive) A. tatuéis B. tatúe C. tatúes D. tatuemos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ un dragón en la espalda. — "Tattoo a dragon on his back." (affirmative imperative) A. tatúe B. tatuemos C. tatuad D. tatúa

  9. Which is the gerund of tatuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. tatué B. tatuando C. tatuado D. tatúo

  10. What does tatuar mean in English? A. to engrave B. to enjoy C. to cross D. to tattoo

Answer key

  1. tatúo — The present form for yo is tatúo.
  2. tatué — The preterite form for yo is tatué.
  3. tatuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is tatuábamos.
  4. tatuarás — The future form for tú is tatuarás.
  5. tatuaría — The conditional form for yo is tatuaría.
  6. ha tatuado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha tatuado.
  7. tatúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is tatúe.
  8. tatúa — The affirmative imperative form is tatúa.
  9. tatuando — The gerund of tatuar is tatuando: estoy tatuando. The participle tatuado is used with haber instead.
  10. to tattoo — tatuar means to tattoo.

Frequently asked questions

What does tatuar mean in English?

tatuar means to tattoo. For example: Yo tatúo una rosa en el brazo — "I tattoo a rose on his arm". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with tatuar?

tatuar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is tatuar regular?

Yes. tatuar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise tatuar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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