Introduction
Vender means “to sell”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Vender is the verb for selling things: a car, a house, clothes, food. The thing sold is the direct object, with no preposition. Vender a + person means to sell to someone. The personal a appears because the buyer is a person. This page shows vender 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 vendo mi coche viejo.” — I sell my old car.
Vender in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how vender 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 vender in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo vendo mi coche viejo.” — I sell my old car.
“¿Tú vendes ropa por internet?” — Do you sell clothes online?
“Mi padre vende la casa a una familia joven.” — My father sells the house to a young family.
“Nosotros vendemos en el mercado.” — We sell at the market.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show vender in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo vendí mi bicicleta.” — Yesterday I sold my bicycle. (preterite)
“La tienda vendía pan fresco cada día.” — The shop used to sell fresh bread 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 vender stays the same.
“Nosotros venderemos en el mercado mañana.” — We will sell at the market tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has vendido alguna vez por internet?” — Have you ever sold anything online? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros vendéis flores en la plaza.” — You sell flowers in the square.
“Ellos venden su empresa.” — They sell their company.
“Yo vendo libros de segunda mano.” — I sell second-hand books.
“La tienda vende pan fresco.” — The shop sells fresh bread.
Vender 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 vender appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Ana: “¿Tú vendes ropa por internet?” — Do you sell clothes online?
Luis: “Sí, yo vendo libros de segunda mano.” — Yes, I sell second-hand books.
Ana: “Nosotros vendemos en el mercado.” — We sell at the market.
Luis: “Y ellos venden su empresa.” — And they sell their company.
Ana: “Vosotros vendéis flores en la plaza.” — You sell flowers in the square.
Luis: “Sí, y mi padre vende la casa a una familia joven.” — Yes, and my father sells the house to a young family.
A short paragraph
Ana vende libros de segunda mano, y su padre vende la casa a una familia joven. Nosotros vendemos en el mercado, y ellos venden su empresa. Yo vendo mi coche viejo, y la tienda vende pan fresco. Vender is part of every market day, because selling a car, selling to someone and selling at the market are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with vender
These are the errors learners actually make with vender. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo vendo de mi coche.” Right: “Yo vendo mi coche.” Why: Vender takes a direct object with no preposition: vendo mi coche, not vendo de mi coche. The de appears only in phrases such as 'vendo un coche de segunda mano', where it belongs to the description.
Wrong: “Ellos vende su empresa.” Right: “Ellos venden su empresa.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form venden. The singular vende belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as la tienda.
Wrong: “Yo vendo mi bicicleta ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo vendí mi bicicleta.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished sale yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to vendí.
Wrong: “Nosotros vendes en el mercado.” Right: “Nosotros vendemos en el mercado.” Why: Nosotros needs vendemos. The tú form vendes belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos vendo todos los días.” Right: “Ellos venden todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form venden, not the yo form vendo. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: vender in use
Ten questions on vender in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ flores en la plaza.” (You sell flowers in the square.)
- (a) vendes
- (b) vendéis
- (c) vendo
Answer: vendéis — The vosotros/as form of vender in the present tense is vendéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ su empresa.” (They sell their company.)
- (a) venden
- (b) vendo
- (c) vendes
Answer: venden — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of vender in the present tense is venden.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ mi bicicleta.” (Yesterday I sold my bicycle.)
- (a) vendiste
- (b) vendió
- (c) vendí
Answer: vendí — In the preterite, the yo form of vender is vendí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “La tienda ______ pan fresco cada día.” (The shop used to sell fresh bread every day.)
- (a) vendías
- (b) vendía
- (c) vendía
Answer: vendía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of vender is vendía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ en el mercado mañana.” (We will sell at the market tomorrow.)
- (a) venderemos
- (b) venderé
- (c) venderás
Answer: venderemos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of vender is venderemos.
6. What does vender mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to sell
Answer: to sell — Vender means “to sell”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo vendo mi coche.
- (b) Yo vendo de mi coche.
- (c) Ellos vende su empresa.
Answer: Yo vendo mi coche. — “Yo vendo mi coche.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I sell second-hand books.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo venden libros de segunda mano.
- (b) Yo vendo libros de segunda mano.
- (c) La tienda vende pan fresco.
Answer: Yo vendo libros de segunda mano. — “Yo vendo libros de segunda mano.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of vender in the present tense?
- (a) vendo
- (b) vendes
- (c) vendemos
Answer: vendemos — The nosotros form is vendemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo vendí mi bicicleta.
- (b) Nosotros venderemos en el mercado mañana.
- (c) Yo vendo mi coche viejo.
Answer: Yo vendo mi coche viejo. — “Yo vendo mi coche viejo.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I sell my car' in Spanish?
Say 'Vendo mi coche'. The car follows directly with no preposition. For a routine: 'Vendo coches de segunda mano'.
How do you say 'to sell online' in Spanish?
Say 'vender por internet'. In the present: '¿Tú vendes ropa por internet?' Por internet is the phrase for online.
Can vender be used for selling a house?
Yes. 'Mi padre vende la casa a una familia joven' means my father sells the house to a young family. The house is the direct object, and the buyer takes the personal a.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of vender — every tense of vender in one place.
- Vender in the present 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 vender and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of vender until they are automatic.