vacar — Spanish conjugation
to vacate
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 | vaco | I vacate |
| tú | vacas | you vacate |
| vos | vacás | you vacate |
| él/ella/Ud. | vaca | he/she/it vacates |
| nosotros | vacamos | we vacate |
| vosotros | vacáis | you (pl.) vacate |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vacan | they vacate |
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 | vaqué | I vacated |
| tú | vacaste | you vacated |
| vos | vacaste | you vacated |
| él/ella/Ud. | vacó | he/she/it vacated |
| nosotros | vacamos | we vacated |
| vosotros | vacasteis | you (pl.) vacated |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vacaron | they vacated |
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 | vacaba |
| tú | vacabas |
| vos | vacabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | vacaba |
| nosotros | vacábamos |
| vosotros | vacabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vacaban |
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 | vacaría | I would vacate |
| tú | vacarías | you would vacate |
| vos | vacarías | you would vacate |
| él/ella/Ud. | vacaría | he/she/it would vacate |
| nosotros | vacaríamos | we would vacate |
| vosotros | vacaríais | you (pl.) would vacate |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vacarían | they would vacate |
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 | vacaré | I will vacate |
| tú | vacarás | you will vacate |
| vos | vacarás | you will vacate |
| él/ella/Ud. | vacará | he/she/it will vacate |
| nosotros | vacaremos | we will vacate |
| vosotros | vacaréis | you (pl.) will vacate |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vacarán | they will vacate |
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 vacado | I have vacated |
| tú | has vacado | you have vacated |
| vos | has vacado | you have vacated |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha vacado | he/she/it has vacated |
| nosotros | hemos vacado | we have vacated |
| vosotros | habéis vacado | you (pl.) have vacated |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han vacado | they have vacated |
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 vacado | I had vacated |
| tú | habías vacado | you had vacated |
| vos | habías vacado | you had vacated |
| él/ella/Ud. | había vacado | he/she/it had vacated |
| nosotros | habíamos vacado | we had vacated |
| vosotros | habíais vacado | you (pl.) had vacated |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían vacado | they had vacated |
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 vacado |
| tú | habrías vacado |
| vos | habrías vacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría vacado |
| nosotros | habríamos vacado |
| vosotros | habríais vacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían vacado |
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 vacado | I will have vacated |
| tú | habrás vacado | you will have vacated |
| vos | habrás vacado | you will have vacated |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá vacado | he/she/it will have vacated |
| nosotros | habremos vacado | we will have vacated |
| vosotros | habréis vacado | you (pl.) will have vacated |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán vacado | they will have vacated |
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 | vaque |
| tú | vaques |
| vos | vaques |
| él/ella/Ud. | vaque |
| nosotros | vaquemos |
| vosotros | vaquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vaquen |
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 | vacara |
| tú | vacaras |
| vos | vacaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | vacara |
| nosotros | vacáramos |
| vosotros | vacarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vacaran |
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 | vacase |
| tú | vacases |
| vos | vacases |
| él/ella/Ud. | vacase |
| nosotros | vacásemos |
| vosotros | vacaseis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vacasen |
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 vacado |
| tú | hayas vacado |
| vos | hayas vacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | haya vacado |
| nosotros | hayamos vacado |
| vosotros | hayáis vacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | hayan vacado |
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 vacado |
| tú | hubieras vacado |
| vos | hubieras vacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | hubiera vacado |
| nosotros | hubiéramos vacado |
| vosotros | hubierais vacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | hubieran vacado |
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 | vaca |
| vos | vacá |
| él/ella/Ud. | vaque |
| nosotros | vaquemos |
| vosotros | vacad |
| ustedes | vaquen |
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 vaques |
| vos | no vaques |
| él/ella/Ud. | no vaque |
| nosotros | no vaquemos |
| vosotros | no vaquéis |
| ustedes | no vaquen |
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 vacando |
| tú | estás vacando |
| vos | estás vacando |
| él/ella/Ud. | está vacando |
| nosotros | estamos vacando |
| vosotros | estáis vacando |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | están vacando |
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 vacando |
| tú | estuviste vacando |
| vos | estuviste vacando |
| él/ella/Ud. | estuvo vacando |
| nosotros | estuvimos vacando |
| vosotros | estuvisteis vacando |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estuvieron vacando |
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 vacando |
| tú | estabas vacando |
| vos | estabas vacando |
| él/ella/Ud. | estaba vacando |
| nosotros | estábamos vacando |
| vosotros | estabais vacando |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estaban vacando |
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 vacando |
| tú | estarías vacando |
| vos | estarías vacando |
| él/ella/Ud. | estaría vacando |
| nosotros | estaríamos vacando |
| vosotros | estaríais vacando |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estarían vacando |
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 vacando |
| tú | estarás vacando |
| vos | estarás vacando |
| él/ella/Ud. | estará vacando |
| nosotros | estaremos vacando |
| vosotros | estaréis vacando |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estarán vacando |