prometer — Spanish conjugation
to promise
Indicative
Present (Presente) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | prometo | I promise |
| tú | prometes | you promise |
| vos | prometés | you promise |
| él/ella/Ud. | promete | he/she/it promises |
| nosotros | prometemos | we promise |
| vosotros | prometéis | you (pl.) promise |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prometen | they promise |
Preterite (Pretérito indefinido) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | prometí | I promised |
| tú | prometiste | you promised |
| vos | prometiste | you promised |
| él/ella/Ud. | prometió | he/she/it promised |
| nosotros | prometimos | we promised |
| vosotros | prometisteis | you (pl.) promised |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prometieron | they promised |
Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | prometía |
| tú | prometías |
| vos | prometías |
| él/ella/Ud. | prometía |
| nosotros | prometíamos |
| vosotros | prometíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prometían |
Conditional (Condicional) Regular
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?
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | prometería | I would promise |
| tú | prometerías | you would promise |
| vos | prometerías | you would promise |
| él/ella/Ud. | prometería | he/she/it would promise |
| nosotros | prometeríamos | we would promise |
| vosotros | prometeríais | you (pl.) would promise |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prometerían | they would promise |
Future (Futuro) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | prometeré | I will promise |
| tú | prometerás | you will promise |
| vos | prometerás | you will promise |
| él/ella/Ud. | prometerá | he/she/it will promise |
| nosotros | prometeremos | we will promise |
| vosotros | prometeréis | you (pl.) will promise |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prometerán | they will promise |
Present perfect (Pretérito perfecto) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | he prometido | I have promised |
| tú | has prometido | you have promised |
| vos | has prometido | you have promised |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha prometido | he/she/it has promised |
| nosotros | hemos prometido | we have promised |
| vosotros | habéis prometido | you (pl.) have promised |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han prometido | they have promised |
Pluperfect (Pretérito pluscuamperfecto) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | había prometido | I had promised |
| tú | habías prometido | you had promised |
| vos | habías prometido | you had promised |
| él/ella/Ud. | había prometido | he/she/it had promised |
| nosotros | habíamos prometido | we had promised |
| vosotros | habíais prometido | you (pl.) had promised |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían prometido | they had promised |
Conditional perfect (Condicional perfecto) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | habría prometido |
| tú | habrías prometido |
| vos | habrías prometido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría prometido |
| nosotros | habríamos prometido |
| vosotros | habríais prometido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían prometido |
Future perfect (Futuro perfecto) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | habré prometido | I will have promised |
| tú | habrás prometido | you will have promised |
| vos | habrás prometido | you will have promised |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá prometido | he/she/it will have promised |
| nosotros | habremos prometido | we will have promised |
| vosotros | habréis prometido | you (pl.) will have promised |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán prometido | they will have promised |
Subjunctive
Present subjunctive (Subjuntivo presente) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | prometa |
| tú | prometas |
| vos | prometas |
| él/ella/Ud. | prometa |
| nosotros | prometamos |
| vosotros | prometáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prometan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra) (Subjuntivo imperfecto (-ra)) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | prometiera |
| tú | prometieras |
| vos | prometieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | prometiera |
| nosotros | prometiéramos |
| vosotros | prometierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prometieran |
Imperfect subjunctive (-se) (Subjuntivo imperfecto (-se)) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | prometiese |
| tú | prometieses |
| vos | prometieses |
| él/ella/Ud. | prometiese |
| nosotros | prometiésemos |
| vosotros | prometieseis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prometiesen |
Perfect subjunctive (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | haya prometido |
| tú | hayas prometido |
| vos | hayas prometido |
| él/ella/Ud. | haya prometido |
| nosotros | hayamos prometido |
| vosotros | hayáis prometido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | hayan prometido |
Pluperfect subjunctive (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | hubiera prometido |
| tú | hubieras prometido |
| vos | hubieras prometido |
| él/ella/Ud. | hubiera prometido |
| nosotros | hubiéramos prometido |
| vosotros | hubierais prometido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | hubieran prometido |
Other forms
Imperative (affirmative) (Imperativo afirmativo) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| tú | promete |
| vos | prometé |
| él/ella/Ud. | prometa |
| nosotros | prometamos |
| vosotros | prometed |
| ustedes | prometan |
Imperative (negative) (Imperativo negativo) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| tú | no prometas |
| vos | no prometas |
| él/ella/Ud. | no prometa |
| nosotros | no prometamos |
| vosotros | no prometáis |
| ustedes | no prometan |
Present progressive (Presente progresivo) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estoy prometiendo |
| tú | estás prometiendo |
| vos | estás prometiendo |
| él/ella/Ud. | está prometiendo |
| nosotros | estamos prometiendo |
| vosotros | estáis prometiendo |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | están prometiendo |
Preterite progressive (Pretérito indefinido progresivo) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estuve prometiendo |
| tú | estuviste prometiendo |
| vos | estuviste prometiendo |
| él/ella/Ud. | estuvo prometiendo |
| nosotros | estuvimos prometiendo |
| vosotros | estuvisteis prometiendo |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estuvieron prometiendo |
Imperfect progressive (Pretérito imperfecto progresivo) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estaba prometiendo |
| tú | estabas prometiendo |
| vos | estabas prometiendo |
| él/ella/Ud. | estaba prometiendo |
| nosotros | estábamos prometiendo |
| vosotros | estabais prometiendo |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estaban prometiendo |
Conditional progressive (Condicional progresivo) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estaría prometiendo |
| tú | estarías prometiendo |
| vos | estarías prometiendo |
| él/ella/Ud. | estaría prometiendo |
| nosotros | estaríamos prometiendo |
| vosotros | estaríais prometiendo |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estarían prometiendo |
Future progressive (Futuro progresivo) Regular
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
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estaré prometiendo |
| tú | estarás prometiendo |
| vos | estarás prometiendo |
| él/ella/Ud. | estará prometiendo |
| nosotros | estaremos prometiendo |
| vosotros | estaréis prometiendo |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estarán prometiendo |