Vaciar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

vaciar means "to empty" 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. Vaciar means to empty something: vaciar la bolsa, vaciar el depósito. The present has a written accent on the í: vacío, vacías, vacía, vacían. 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 vaciar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the vaciar present tense page.

vaciar 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 vacío la bolsa de la compra — "I empty the shopping bag"
  2. Mi amigo vacía el depósito del coche — "My friend empties the car tank"
  3. Mañana, tú vaciarás la papelera cada tarde — "Tomorrow, you will empty the wastepaper basket every evening"
  4. Yo vaciaría la piscina en invierno si pudiera — "I would empty the swimming pool in winter 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 vacié la bolsa de la compra — "Yesterday, I emptied the shopping bag"
  2. Antes, nosotros vaciábamos el depósito del coche — "Before, we used to empty the car tank"
  3. Él ha vaciado la papelera cada tarde — "He has emptied the wastepaper basket every evening"
  4. Yo ya había vaciado la piscina en invierno antes de salir — "I already had emptied the swimming pool in winter 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 vacíe la bolsa de la compra — "I hope he empties the shopping bag"
  2. Si yo vaciara el depósito del coche, todo cambiaría — "If I emptied the car tank, everything would change"
  3. Vacía la papelera cada tarde. — "Empty the wastepaper basket every evening."
  4. Yo habría vaciado la piscina en invierno con más tiempo — "I would have emptied the swimming pool in winter with more time"

vaciar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use vaciar 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 vacío la bolsa de la compra — "I empty the shopping bag"
  • Marcos: Él vacía el depósito del coche — "He empties the car tank"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo vacié la papelera cada tarde — "Yesterday, I emptied the wastepaper basket every evening"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú vaciarás la piscina en invierno — "Tomorrow, you will empty the swimming pool in winter"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Vacía el armario para mudarse. — "Empty the wardrobe before moving."
  • Lucía: Él ha vaciado la bolsa de la compra — "He has emptied the shopping bag"
  • Marcos: Espero que él vacíe el depósito del coche — "I hope he empties the car tank"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo vaciaba la papelera cada tarde — "Before, I used to empty the wastepaper basket every evening"

Common mistakes with vaciar

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

✗ *Espero que él vacía la piscina en invierno

✓ Correct: Espero que él vacíe la piscina en invierno

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él vacíe la piscina en invierno — not the indicative Espero que él vacía la piscina en invierno.

✗ *Ayer, yo vacío el armario para mudarse

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo vacié el armario para mudarse

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo vacié el armario para mudarse.

✗ *De niño, yo vacié la bolsa de la compra todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo vaciaba la bolsa de la compra todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo vaciaba la bolsa de la compra todos los días.

✗ *Yo vacío en la papelera cada tarde.

✓ Correct: Yo vacío la papelera cada tarde.

vaciar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo vacío la papelera cada tarde.

✗ *Vosotros vaciais el depósito del coche.

✓ Correct: Vosotros vaciáis el depósito del coche.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: vaciáis, not vaciais.

Quiz: vaciar in use

Ten questions on vaciar — 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 bolsa de la compra — "I empty the shopping bag" (present) A. vacía B. vaciamos C. vacío D. vacías

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el depósito del coche — "Yesterday, I emptied the car tank" (preterite) A. vacié B. vaciaste C. vació D. vaciamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la papelera cada tarde — "Before, we used to empty the wastepaper basket every evening" (imperfect) A. vaciaba B. vaciabas C. vaciabais D. vaciábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ la piscina en invierno — "Tomorrow, you will empty the swimming pool in winter" (future) A. vaciarás B. vaciaré C. vaciará D. vaciaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el armario para mudarse — "I would empty the wardrobe before moving" (conditional) A. vaciaríamos B. vaciaríais C. vaciaría D. vaciarías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la bolsa de la compra — "He has emptied the shopping bag" (present perfect) A. he vaciado B. has vaciado C. hemos vaciado D. ha vaciado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el depósito del coche — "I hope he empties the car tank" (present subjunctive) A. vaciemos B. vaciéis C. vacíe D. vacíes

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la papelera cada tarde. — "Empty the wastepaper basket every evening." (affirmative imperative) A. vacíe B. vaciemos C. vaciad D. vacía

  9. Which is the gerund of vaciar, used with estar for the progressive? A. vaciando B. vaciado C. vacío D. vacié

  10. What does vaciar mean in English? A. to cross B. to draw C. to empty D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. vacío — The present form for yo is vacío.
  2. vacié — The preterite form for yo is vacié.
  3. vaciábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is vaciábamos.
  4. vaciarás — The future form for tú is vaciarás.
  5. vaciaría — The conditional form for yo is vaciaría.
  6. ha vaciado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha vaciado.
  7. vacíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is vacíe.
  8. vacía — The affirmative imperative form is vacía.
  9. vaciando — The gerund of vaciar is vaciando: estoy vaciando. The participle vaciado is used with haber instead.
  10. to empty — vaciar means to empty.

Frequently asked questions

What does vaciar mean in English?

vaciar means to empty. For example: Yo vacío la bolsa de la compra — "I empty the shopping bag". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with vaciar?

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

Is vaciar regular?

Yes. vaciar 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 vaciar?

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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