In this module, we will explore 14 common Spanish verbs beginning with the letter “U.” You will learn their English translations, how to use them in sentences, and practice using them in different tenses (present, past, and future). These verbs will allow you to expand your vocabulary and enhance your ability to express a wide range of actions.
Usar – to use
Unir – to unite, to join
Unirse – to join, to unite oneself
Urgir – to be urgent
Ubicar – to locate, to place
Ubicarse – to be located
Ufanarse – to boast
Usurpar – to usurp
Ulular – to howl
Uncir – to harness
Usarse – to be used
Urgar – to rummage, to dig into
Uniformar – to standardize
Ubiquizar – to make ubiquitous
Usar (oo-SAR) – to use
Present: Yo uso mi teléfono todos los días. – I use my phone every day.
Past: Tú usaste la computadora ayer. – You used the computer yesterday.
Future: Ellos usarán la nueva herramienta en el proyecto. – They will use the new tool in the project.
Unir (oo-NEER) – to unite, to join
Present: Nosotros unimos nuestras fuerzas para ganar. – We unite our forces to win.
Past: Ellos unieron las piezas para formar una mesa. – They joined the pieces to form a table.
Future: Yo uniré todos los documentos mañana. – I will unite all the documents tomorrow.
Urgir (oor-HEER) – to urge
Present: El profesor urge que entregues la tarea. – The teacher urges you to turn in the homework.
Past: Yo urjé a mis amigos para que se apuraran. – I urged my friends to hurry.
Future: Tú urgirás a tus compañeros a que se preparen. – You will urge your teammates to prepare.
Ubicar (oo-BEE-kar) – to locate, to place
Present: Ellos ubican las oficinas en el centro de la ciudad. – They locate the offices in the city center.
Past: Nosotros ubicamos el restaurante cerca de la playa. – We located the restaurant near the beach.
Future: Yo ubicaré el nuevo almacén en el norte. – I will locate the new warehouse in the north.
Ufanarse (oo-fa-NAR-se) – to boast, to brag
Present: Él se ufana de sus logros. – He boasts about his achievements.
Past: Yo me ufané de haber ganado el premio. – I bragged about winning the prize.
Future: Tú te ufanarás de tu éxito en el futuro. – You will boast about your success in the future.
Usurpar (oo-soor-PAR) – to usurp
Present: Ellos intentan usurpar el poder. – They are trying to usurp the power.
Past: Nosotros usurpamos el lugar del líder. – We usurped the leader’s place.
Future: Yo usurparé el control de la empresa. – I will usurp control of the company.
Ulular (oo-loo-LAR) – to howl, to hoot
Present: Los lobos ululan durante la noche. – The wolves howl during the night.
Past: Ayer, los búhos ulularon en el bosque. – Yesterday, the owls hooted in the forest.
Future: Nosotros ulularemos si no nos apuramos. – We will howl if we don’t hurry.
Uncir (oon-SEER) – to harness
Present: Yo unco el caballo para trabajar. – I harness the horse to work.
Past: Ellos unciron a los animales en la granja. – They harnessed the animals on the farm.
Future: Tú uncirás los caballos para el desfile. – You will harness the horses for the parade.
Usarse (oo-SAR-se) – to be used
Present: El celular se usa para muchas cosas. – The cell phone is used for many things.
Past: Ese libro se usó mucho el año pasado. – That book was used a lot last year.
Future: El equipo se usará para entrenar a los nuevos empleados. – The equipment will be used to train the new employees.
Urdimbre (oor-DEEM-breh) – to weave (mainly used for looms or weaving)
Present: Ella urde el hilo en el telar. – She weaves the thread on the loom.
Past: Nosotros urdimos las telas para la venta. – We wove the fabrics for sale.
Future: Ellos urdirán una nueva colección de ropa. – They will weave a new clothing collection.
Ufanar (oo-fah-NAR) – to be proud of (literally to make oneself proud)
Present: Me ufano de mis logros. – I am proud of my achievements.
Past: Ella se ufanó de su éxito en la universidad. – She boasted about her success in college.
Future: Tú te ufanarás de tu trabajo en el futuro. – You will be proud of your work in the future.
Unirse (oo-NEER-se) – to join oneself, to unite oneself
Present: Nos unimos a la causa por un futuro mejor. – We join the cause for a better future.
Past: Ellos se unieron al grupo de voluntarios. – They joined the volunteer group.
Future: Yo me uniré a ustedes para apoyar el proyecto. – I will join you all to support the project.
Urgirse (oor-HEER-se) – to urge oneself, to hurry
Present: Me urge terminar este trabajo. – I urge myself to finish this work.
Past: Nos urgimos a salir temprano. – We urged ourselves to leave early.
Future: Él se urgirá para estar listo a tiempo. – He will hurry to be ready on time.
Usar de (oo-SAR de) – to use, to make use of
Present: Usamos de todo para completar el proyecto. – We make use of everything to complete the project.
Past: Ellos usaron de su conocimiento para resolver el problema. – They made use of their knowledge to solve the problem.
Future: Tú usarás de tu experiencia para enseñar a otros. – You will make use of your experience to teach others.
Ubicarse (oo-bee-KAR-se) – to be located, to place oneself
Present: La oficina se ubica en el tercer piso. – The office is located on the third floor.
Past: Yo me ubiqué en el centro del grupo. – I positioned myself in the center of the group.
Future: Ellos se ubicarán en la nueva sede la próxima semana. – They will be located at the new headquarters next week.
Usurparse (oo-soor-PAR-se) – to take something by force, to usurp
Present: Ellos se usurpan el poder en muchos países. – They usurp power in many countries.
Past: Nosotros nos usurpamos el puesto del director. – We took the director’s position by force.
Future: Yo me usurparé el control si no me respetan. – I will usurp control if they don’t respect me.
Uvalar (oo-VA-lar) – to harvest grapes (relating to vines)
Present: Nosotros uvalamos las uvas a mano. – We harvest the grapes by hand.
Past: Ellos uvalaron el año pasado durante la temporada. – They harvested last year during the season.
Future: Tú uvalarás la cosecha en septiembre. – You will harvest the crop in September.
Urgar (oor-GAR) – to dig, to search (especially in something)
Present: Nosotros urgamos en la arena buscando el tesoro. – We dig in the sand searching for treasure.
Past: Ellos urgaron en la basura para encontrar algo útil. – They dug through the trash to find something useful.
Future: Yo urgiré en el jardín mañana. – I will dig in the garden tomorrow.
Uniformar (oo-nee-form-AR) – to make uniform, to standardize
Present: La empresa quiere uniformar todos los productos. – The company wants to standardize all the products.
Past: Ellos uniformaron los procesos de producción. – They standardized the production processes.
Future: Nosotros uniformaremos las reglas para todos los empleados. – We will standardize the rules for all employees.
Ubiquizar (oo-bee-kee-ZAR) – to make something ubiquitous
Present: La tecnología ha ubiquizado los teléfonos móviles. – Technology has made mobile phones ubiquitous.
Past: Ellos ubiquizaron el servicio en varios países. – They made the service ubiquitous in several countries.
Future: Yo ubiquizaré mi marca en el mercado global. – I will make my brand ubiquitous in the global market.
In this section, we’ve covered 14 Spanish verbs starting with “U.” These verbs are widely used and can help you express actions and states across various situations. Practicing these in different tenses will help you become more versatile in speaking and writing Spanish.