Temblar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

temblar means "to tremble" 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. Temblar means to tremble or shake: temblar de frío, temblar de miedo. It takes de before the cause, and it can take a body part as its subject: le tiemblan las manos. 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 temblar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the temblar present tense page.

temblar 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 tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter"
  2. Mi amigo tiembla de miedo ante el examen — "My friend trembles with fear before the exam"
  3. Mañana, tú temblarás de nervios en el escenario — "Tomorrow, you will tremble with nerves on stage"
  4. Yo temblaría las manos al hablar si pudiera — "I would tremble his hands when speaking 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 temblé de frío en invierno — "Yesterday, I trembled with cold in winter"
  2. Antes, nosotros temblábamos de miedo ante el examen — "Before, we used to tremble with fear before the exam"
  3. Él ha temblado de nervios en el escenario — "He has trembled with nerves on stage"
  4. Yo ya había temblado las manos al hablar antes de salir — "I already had trembled his hands when speaking 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 tiemble de frío en invierno — "I hope he trembles with cold in winter"
  2. Si yo temblara de miedo ante el examen, todo cambiaría — "If I trembled with fear before the exam, everything would change"
  3. Tiembla de nervios en el escenario. — "Tremble with nerves on stage."
  4. Yo habría temblado las manos al hablar con más tiempo — "I would have trembled his hands when speaking with more time"

temblar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use temblar 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 tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter"
  • Marcos: Él tiembla de miedo ante el examen — "He trembles with fear before the exam"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo temblé de nervios en el escenario — "Yesterday, I trembled with nerves on stage"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú temblarás las manos al hablar — "Tomorrow, you will tremble his hands when speaking"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Tiembla de rabia tras la discusión. — "Tremble with rage after the argument."
  • Lucía: Él ha temblado de frío en invierno — "He has trembled with cold in winter"
  • Marcos: Espero que él tiemble de miedo ante el examen — "I hope he trembles with fear before the exam"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo temblaba de nervios en el escenario — "Before, I used to tremble with nerves on stage"

Common mistakes with temblar

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

✗ *Yo temblo las manos al hablar.

✓ Correct: Yo tiemblo las manos al hablar.

temblar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is tiemblo, not temblo.

✗ *Espero que él tiembla las manos al hablar

✓ Correct: Espero que él tiemble las manos al hablar

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él tiemble las manos al hablar — not the indicative Espero que él tiembla las manos al hablar.

✗ *Ayer, yo tiemblo de rabia tras la discusión

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo temblé de rabia tras la discusión

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo temblé de rabia tras la discusión.

✗ *De niño, yo temblé de frío en invierno todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo temblaba de frío en invierno todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo temblaba de frío en invierno todos los días.

✗ *Yo tiemblo nervios en el escenario.

✓ Correct: Yo tiemblo de nervios en el escenario.

temblar takes de before this complement: Yo tiemblo de nervios en el escenario. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: temblar in use

Ten questions on temblar — 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 ______ de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter" (present) A. tiemblas B. tiembla C. temblamos D. tiemblo

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ de miedo ante el examen — "Yesterday, I trembled with fear before the exam" (preterite) A. tembló B. temblamos C. temblé D. temblaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ de nervios en el escenario — "Before, we used to tremble with nerves on stage" (imperfect) A. temblabais B. temblábamos C. temblaba D. temblabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ las manos al hablar — "Tomorrow, you will tremble his hands when speaking" (future) A. temblarás B. temblaré C. temblará D. temblaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de rabia tras la discusión — "I would tremble with rage after the argument" (conditional) A. temblaría B. temblarías C. temblaríamos D. temblaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ de frío en invierno — "He has trembled with cold in winter" (present perfect) A. hemos temblado B. ha temblado C. he temblado D. has temblado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ de miedo ante el examen — "I hope he trembles with fear before the exam" (present subjunctive) A. tiemble B. tiembles C. temblemos D. tembléis

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ de nervios en el escenario. — "Tremble with nerves on stage." (affirmative imperative) A. temblad B. tiembla C. tiemble D. temblemos

  9. Which is the gerund of temblar, used with estar for the progressive? A. temblado B. tiemblo C. temblé D. temblando

  10. What does temblar mean in English? A. to cross B. to tremble C. to shiver D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. tiemblo — The present form for yo is tiemblo.
  2. temblé — The preterite form for yo is temblé.
  3. temblábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is temblábamos.
  4. temblarás — The future form for tú is temblarás.
  5. temblaría — The conditional form for yo is temblaría.
  6. ha temblado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha temblado.
  7. tiemble — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is tiemble.
  8. tiembla — The affirmative imperative form is tiembla.
  9. temblando — The gerund of temblar is temblando: estoy temblando. The participle temblado is used with haber instead.
  10. to tremble — temblar means to tremble.

Frequently asked questions

What does temblar mean in English?

temblar means to tremble. For example: Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with temblar?

temblar takes de before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with temblar.

Is temblar regular?

No. temblar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiemblo, tiemblas, tiembla and tiemblan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: temblamos, tembláis.

How do I practise temblar?

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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