Conjunation

Spanish verb conjugation

2,385 Spanish verbs with full conjugation tables — every tense and pronoun, including voseo.

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Most common Spanish verbs

  1. contradecir to contradict, to belie
  2. ser to be (essence, identity)
  3. derrumbar to collapse
  4. estar to be (state, location)
  5. tener to have (possession)
  6. enredar to tangle
  7. haber to have (auxiliary)
  8. triangular triangular.
  9. hacer to do/make
  10. timar to swindle
  11. enjaular to cage
  12. ir to go (movement or direction)
  13. rayar to scratch
  14. asimilar to assimilate, to absorb, to take in, to digest, to grasp
  15. esmerar to take care
  16. poder to be able to
  17. aplazar to postpone
  18. decir to say
  19. descontar to deduct
  20. querer to want
  21. esbozar to sketch
  22. persuadir to persuade
  23. saber to know (facts, how to)
  24. ver to see
  25. dar to give
  26. transferir to transfer
  27. estremecer to tremble
  28. interrogar to interrogate
  29. poner to put
  30. cuajar to curdle
  31. venir to come (to arrive)
  32. llegar to arrive
  33. ultimar to finalise
  34. flechar to shoot an arrow
  35. pasar to pass
  36. deber to owe (to have an obligation)
  37. malinterpretar to misinterpret
  38. quedar to stay
  39. creer to believe
  40. guiñar to wink
  41. hablar to speak
  42. serenar to calm
  43. azular to blue
  44. llevar to carry
  45. mutilar to mutilate
  46. dejar to leave
  47. recomponer to recompose
  48. seguir to follow; to continue
  49. alternar to alternate
  50. encontrar to find

Spanish tenses explained

Present (Presente)

The present tense is the most versatile tense in Spanish. It covers actions happening right now, habitual actions, and even near-future plans. One form does the work of three English constructions.

Ella habla inglés — She speaks / is speaking English

Present subjunctive (Subjuntivo presente)

Used in subordinate clauses after expressions of desire, doubt, emotion, necessity, or impersonal statements. Triggered by a change of subject between the main and subordinate clause.

Espero que hable — I hope she speaks

Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Used for completed past actions with a defined endpoint — a single event, a series of events, or an action that interrupted another. Common with time expressions like ayer, el lunes, una vez.

Ella habló de ti ayer — She spoke about you yesterday

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra) (Subjuntivo imperfecto (-ra))

The past subjunctive used after past main verbs, in if-clauses with conditional, and for polite softening. The -ra form is more common in everyday speech than the -se form.

Si pudiera, lo haría — If I could, I would do it

Imperative (affirmative) (Imperativo afirmativo)

Direct commands and instructions. The imperative only exists for tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros and ustedes — yo has no command form. Affirmative and negative forms use different conjugations.

Habla más despacio — Speak more slowly

Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Describes ongoing or habitual past states — what things were like, background context, what used to happen. Contrasts with the preterite which marks completed events.

Cuando era niño vivía en Valencia — When I was a child I lived in Valencia

Imperfect subjunctive (-se) (Subjuntivo imperfecto (-se))

The alternative past subjunctive form. Interchangeable with -ra in most contexts but slightly more literary or formal. Both forms are grammatically correct in all regions.

Si pudiese, lo haría — If I could, I would do it

Imperative (negative) (Imperativo negativo)

Negative commands use the subjunctive forms for all persons. Formed with no + present subjunctive. This applies to all persons including tú where the affirmative uses a different form.

No hables tan rápido — Do not speak so fast

Conditional (Condicional)

Expresses hypothetical actions, polite requests, and what would happen under certain conditions. Also used for reported speech about the future from a past perspective.

¿Podrías ayudarme? — Could you help me?

Perfect subjunctive (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

A compound subjunctive that expresses completed actions in a subjunctive context — used after present or future main verbs expressing doubt, emotion or desire.

Dudo que ya haya llegado — I doubt she has already arrived

Present progressive (Presente progresivo)

Emphasises that an action is happening right now at this very moment. Less common than in English since the present tense already covers ongoing actions in Spanish.

Estoy hablando contigo — I am speaking with you

Future (Futuro)

Expresses future actions, predictions, and probability about the present. Formed with the full infinitive as stem for most verbs. In spoken Spanish, ir a + infinitive is often preferred for near future.

Ella hablará en conferencia mañana — She will speak at the conference tomorrow

Pluperfect subjunctive (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Expresses what had happened in hypothetical or unreal past contexts — the subjunctive equivalent of the pluperfect. Common in contrary-to-fact past conditions.

Si hubiera hablado, lo habrían creído — If she had spoken, they would have believed her

Preterite progressive (Pretérito indefinido progresivo)

Describes an action that was in progress throughout a completed past period. Uses the preterite of estar + gerund to emphasise the ongoing nature within a defined timeframe.

Estuvo hablando toda la tarde — He was talking all afternoon

Present perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

A compound past tense linking a past action to the present moment — something that has happened and still feels recent or relevant. More common in Spain than Latin America where preterite is preferred.

Hoy he hablado con el jefe — Today I have spoken with the boss

Imperfect progressive (Pretérito imperfecto progresivo)

Emphasises an ongoing background action using the imperfect of estar + gerund. Layered on top of the imperfect which already conveys continuity — used for extra emphasis on the progressive nature.

Estaba hablando cuando entró — I was speaking when he came in

Pluperfect (Pretérito pluscuamperfecto)

The past of the past — describes an action that was already completed before another past event happened. Always implies a reference point in the past.

Ya había hablado cuando llegaste — She had already spoken when you arrived

Conditional progressive (Condicional progresivo)

Expresses what would be in progress under hypothetical conditions. Uses the conditional of estar + gerund. Less common but used for emphasis on the ongoing nature of a hypothetical action.

Estaría hablando ahora si pudiera — I would be speaking now if I could

Conditional perfect (Condicional perfecto)

Expresses what would have happened — actions that were possible but did not occur, or regrets about the past. Formed with conditional of haber + past participle.

Habría hablado, pero no me dejaron — I would have spoken, but they did not let me

Future progressive (Futuro progresivo)

Describes an action that will be in progress at a future point, or expresses probability about an ongoing present action. Uses the future of estar + gerund.

Mañana a esta hora estaré viajando — At this time tomorrow I will be travelling

Future perfect (Futuro perfecto)

Describes an action that will have been completed by a certain point in the future, or expresses probability about a recent past action.

Para el lunes habré terminado — By Monday I will have finished