Tender Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

tender means "to tend, to lay out" 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. Tender means to lay something out flat: tender la ropa al sol, tender el mantel sobre la mesa. It also means to tend towards something — tender a + infinitive — and to offer a hand: tender la mano. 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 tender; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the tender present tense page.

tender 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 tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun"
  2. Mi amigo tiende el mantel sobre la mesa — "My friend lays out the tablecloth on the table"
  3. Mañana, tú tenderás una manta sobre la cama — "Tomorrow, you will lay out a blanket over the bed"
  4. Yo tendería la toalla sobre la silla si pudiera — "I would lay out the towel over the chair 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 tendí la ropa al sol — "Yesterday, I laid out the washing in the sun"
  2. Antes, nosotros tendíamos el mantel sobre la mesa — "Before, we used to lay out the tablecloth on the table"
  3. Él ha tendido una manta sobre la cama — "He has laid out a blanket over the bed"
  4. Yo ya había tendido la toalla sobre la silla antes de salir — "I already had laid out the towel over the chair 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 tienda la ropa al sol — "I hope he lays out the washing in the sun"
  2. Si yo tendiera el mantel sobre la mesa, todo cambiaría — "If I laid out the tablecloth on the table, everything would change"
  3. Tiende una manta sobre la cama. — "Lay out a blanket over the bed."
  4. Yo habría tendido la toalla sobre la silla con más tiempo — "I would have laid out the towel over the chair with more time"

tender in conversation

Two short dialogues that use tender 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 tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun"
  • Marcos: Él tiende el mantel sobre la mesa — "He lays out the tablecloth on the table"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo tendí una manta sobre la cama — "Yesterday, I laid out a blanket over the bed"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú tenderás la toalla sobre la silla — "Tomorrow, you will lay out the towel over the chair"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Tiende el mapa sobre el escritorio. — "Lay out the map on the desk."
  • Lucía: Él ha tendido la ropa al sol — "He has laid out the washing in the sun"
  • Marcos: Espero que él tienda el mantel sobre la mesa — "I hope he lays out the tablecloth on the table"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo tendía una manta sobre la cama — "Before, I used to lay out a blanket over the bed"

Common mistakes with tender

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

✗ *Yo tendo la toalla sobre la silla.

✓ Correct: Yo tiendo la toalla sobre la silla.

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

✗ *Espero que él tiende la toalla sobre la silla

✓ Correct: Espero que él tienda la toalla sobre la silla

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él tienda la toalla sobre la silla — not the indicative Espero que él tiende la toalla sobre la silla.

✗ *Ayer, yo tiendo el mapa sobre el escritorio

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo tendí el mapa sobre el escritorio

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo tendí el mapa sobre el escritorio.

✗ *De niño, yo tendí la ropa al sol todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo tendía la ropa al sol todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo tendía la ropa al sol todos los días.

✗ *Yo tiendo en una manta sobre la cama.

✓ Correct: Yo tiendo una manta sobre la cama.

tender takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo tiendo una manta sobre la cama.

Quiz: tender in use

Ten questions on tender — 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 ______ la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun" (present) A. tiende B. tendemos C. tiendo D. tiendes

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el mantel sobre la mesa — "Yesterday, I laid out the tablecloth on the table" (preterite) A. tendimos B. tendí C. tendiste D. tendió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ una manta sobre la cama — "Before, we used to lay out a blanket over the bed" (imperfect) A. tendíais B. tendíamos C. tendía D. tendías

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ la toalla sobre la silla — "Tomorrow, you will lay out the towel over the chair" (future) A. tenderemos B. tenderás C. tenderé D. tenderá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el mapa sobre el escritorio — "I would lay out the map on the desk" (conditional) A. tenderías B. tenderíamos C. tenderíais D. tendería

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la ropa al sol — "He has laid out the washing in the sun" (present perfect) A. ha tendido B. he tendido C. has tendido D. hemos tendido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el mantel sobre la mesa — "I hope he lays out the tablecloth on the table" (present subjunctive) A. tiendas B. tendamos C. tendáis D. tienda

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ una manta sobre la cama. — "Lay out a blanket over the bed." (affirmative imperative) A. tended B. tiende C. tienda D. tendamos

  9. Which is the gerund of tender, used with estar for the progressive? A. tendiendo B. tendido C. tiendo D. tendí

  10. What does tender mean in English? A. to enjoy B. to cross C. to tend D. to extend

Answer key

  1. tiendo — The present form for yo is tiendo.
  2. tendí — The preterite form for yo is tendí.
  3. tendíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is tendíamos.
  4. tenderás — The future form for tú is tenderás.
  5. tendería — The conditional form for yo is tendería.
  6. ha tendido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha tendido.
  7. tienda — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is tienda.
  8. tiende — The affirmative imperative form is tiende.
  9. tendiendo — The gerund of tender is tendiendo: estoy tendiendo. The participle tendido is used with haber instead.
  10. to tend — tender means to tend.

Frequently asked questions

What does tender mean in English?

tender means to tend, to lay out. For example: Yo tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with tender?

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

Is tender regular?

No. tender is a stem-changing -er verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiendo, tiendes, tiende and tienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: tendemos, tendéis.

How do I practise tender?

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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