The 18 Spanish Verb Tenses Explained

There are 18 Spanish verb tenses—some used daily, and others only in literature and legal documents.

You likely already know some, like the present simple tense (and maybe even the preterite and imperfect).

But others—I’m looking at you, subjunctive—might have you scratching your head and murmuring ¡Ay, Dios mío! (oh my God!)

This post will explain all 18 tenses with the help of conjugation tables and examples provided by an hispanohablante (Spanish speaker).

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What Are the 18 Spanish Tenses?

Spanish uses both moods (a feature used for signaling modality) and tenses (a category that expresses time) to talk about time and events.

There are three moods:

1. Indicative: This is what you will use the most, and is used for making factual statements 
2. Subjunctive: used to express desires, doubts, wants, hopes and wishes
3. Imperative: used to give commands in Spanish

There are 18 tenses in total that allow you to convey different shades of meaning, and we’ll go over each one in this post. 

But before we continue, make sure you either understand (or brush up on):

• Infinitive forms
• Subject pronouns

Spanish Moods vs. Spanish Tenses

A Spanish tense describes when the action took place—past, present or future.

The Spanish moods, on the other hand, determine how the verb will be conjugated—because, unlike the tense, it describes how the action took place.

For example:

• Did it happen before another action interrupted it?
• Is the action a command?
• Is it something that will happen or something you hope will happen?

To fully understand how each mood affects the conjugations, you’ll first learn the tenses in the indicative mood, then the subjective and finally, the imperative.

The tables will teach you how to form the correct conjugations for –ar, –er and –ir verbs and you’ll see them in action with the example sentences.

It’s important to note, too, that not all verbs are equal: There’s a handful of irregular verbs in Spanish (such as ser, estar and tener), so once you’ve mastered the regulars with the tables here, you can level up by becoming confident in those.

The Spanish Indicative Mood

The indicative mood is the most common in Spanish and the first one you learn when starting your Spanish journey.

It includes all the simple tenses (such as future simple and present simple) and you can use it to talk about anything factual (such as observable features and true events, like “she is tall” or “I went to the store yesterday”).

There are 10 total Spanish verb tenses in the indicative mood, each of which we will explain: present simple, imperfect, preterite, future simple, simple conditional, present perfect, past perfect, past anterior, future perfect and conditional perfect.

1. Present Simple Tense

Generally speaking, we use the simple present tense to talk about facts and descriptions. For example:

Los pájaros vuelan.
Birds fly.

Vivo en Polonia.
I live in Poland.

Juan es alto y tiene los ojos azules.
Juan is tall and has blue eyes.

The present simple tense is used a lot more in Spanish than it is in English though, which might not come as natural for you at first.

Such instances include any time you’re talking about:

• Actions that are currently happening (but not at the moment of speaking)
• Talking about future plans
• Actions that are ongoing

For example:

Ahora viven en un hotel.
They are living in a hotel now.

Viajo a España el martes.
I’m traveling to Spain on Tuesday.

Vivo en Polonia desde 2006.
I have been living in Poland since 2006.

A helpful tip: any time you see the words desde, desde que and desde hace and the verbal periphrasis llevar + gerund, you’ll most likely want to use the present simple tense!

Pronoun	-AR Ending	-ER Ending	-IR Ending	Hablar Example	Comer Example	Vivir Example
Yo	-o	-o	-o	Hablo	Como	Vivo
Tú	-as	-es	-es	Hablas	Comes	Vives
Él/Ella/Usted	-a	-e	-e	Habla	Come	Vive
Nosotros	-amos	-emos	-imos	Hablamos	Comemos	Vivimos
Vosotros	-áis	-éis	-ís	Habláis	Coméis	Vivís
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-an	-en	-en	Hablan	Comen	Viven

2. Imperfect Tense

We use the Spanish imperfect tense to talk about actions that happened in the past without a specific time duration (such as habitual actions—things that occurred regularly or over a prolonged period of time).

A good rule of thumb: Any time you’d say “used to” in English, you’ll want to use the imperfect tense in Spanish.

Take a look at the example sentences to see what I mean:

Solía ir a ese parque cuando era joven.
I used to go to that park when I was young.

Juana cocinaba cuando Pedro volvió.
Juana was cooking when Pedro came back.

In the imperfect tense, –er and –ir verbs have the same conjugations.

Pronoun	-AR Ending	-ER/-IR Ending	Hablar Example	Comer Example	Vivir Example
Yo	-aba	-ía	Hablaba	Comía	Vivía
Tú	-abas	-ías	Hablabas	Comías	Vivías
Él/Ella/Usted	-aba	-ía	Hablaba	Comía	Vivía
Nosotros	-ábamos	-íamos	Hablábamos	Comíamos	Vivíamos
Vosotros	-abais	-íais	Hablabais	Comíais	Vivíais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-aban	-ían	Hablaban	Comían	Vivían

3. Preterite Tense

We use the Spanish preterite to talk about:

• Actions that both started and finished in the past
• Actions that took place during a specific time period
• Sequences of actions

For example:

Ayer comí lasaña.
I ate lasagna yesterday.

El mes pasado fui de compras dos veces.
I went shopping twice last month.

Me levanté, abrí la puerta y me fui.
I got up, opened the door and left.

Pronoun	-AR Ending	-ER/-IR Ending	Hablar Example	Comer Example	Vivir Example
Yo	-é	-í	Hablé	Comí	Viví
Tú	-aste	-iste	Hablaste	Comiste	Viviste
Él/Ella/Usted	-ó	-ió	Habló	Comió	Vivió
Nosotros	-amos	-imos	Hablamos	Comimos	Vivimos
Vosotros	-asteis	-isteis	Hablasteis	Comisteis	Vivisteis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-aron	-ieron	Hablaron	Comieron	Vivieron

4. Future Simple

The future simple is used exactly how it sounds: to describe actions that haven’t happened yet, but will. For example:

Llegaré tarde.
I will be late.

Encontrarás al amor de tu vida muy pronto.
You will find the love of your life very soon.

You’ll hear it less frequently, but we also use this tense for solemn commands, such as:

No matarás.
Thou shall not kill.

No irás a la fiesta.
You won’t go to the party.

However, there’s one other use of the future simple in Spanish that drives some learners crazy—talking about possibilities.

¿Dónde estará Juan?
Where could Juan be?

Me pregunto qué hora será.
I wonder what time it is.

To use the future simple tense, you don’t really conjugate, but rather add a specific ending to the infinitive form of a verb, depending on which pronoun you’re using.

Pronoun	Ending	Hablar Example	Comer Example	Vivir Example
Yo	-é	Hablaré	Comeré	Viviré
Tú	-ás	Hablarás	Comerás	Vivirás
Él/Ella/Usted	-á	Hablará	Comerá	Vivirá
Nosotros	-emos	Hablaremos	Comeremos	Viviremos
Vosotros	-éis	Hablaréis	Comeréis	Viviréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-án	Hablarán	Comerán	Vivirán

5. Simple Conditional Tense

We use the Spanish simple conditional to talk about hypothetical situations, give advice and make requests.

You’ll often hear the phrase me gustaría, which means “I’d like/love to…”. By starting a sentence with this, you can use the conditional tense instead of the subjunctive when talking about wishes and desires.

¿Podrías pasarme la sal, por favor?
Could you pass me the salt, please?

Me gustaría ser millonario.
I would like to be a millionaire.

¿Por qué no vino Juan? No sé, estaría enfermo.
Why didn’t Juan come? I don’t know, maybe he was ill.

Si yo fuera tú, lo dejaría.
If I were you, I would leave him.

¿Por qué no estudiaría yo más?
Why didn’t I study harder?

Like the simple future, simply add the appropriate ending to a verb to conjugate it in the simple conditional tense.

Pronoun	Ending	Hablar Example	Comer Example	Vivir Example
Yo	-ía	Hablaría	Comería	Viviría
Tú	-ías	Hablarías	Comerías	Vivirías
Él/Ella/Usted	-ía	Hablaría	Comería	Viviría
Nosotros	-íamos	Hablaríamos	Comeríamos	Viviríamos
Vosotros	-íais	Hablaríais	Comeríais	Viviríais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-ían	Hablarían	Comerían	Vivierían

6. Present Perfect Tense

You’ll need to use the Spanish present perfect tense when talking about completed actions and actions that have already started but are still ongoing.

He desayunado dos veces ya.
I have already had breakfast twice.

Juan ha vivido en Sevilla todo este tiempo.
Juan has lived in Seville all this time.

It’s also the perfect tense to use when talking about life experiences (or lack thereof).

Nunca he estado casado.
I have never been married.

Hemos concertado una reunión con él para mañana.
We have arranged a meeting with him for tomorrow.

The present perfect tense is probably the easiest one to use. You only have to conjugate one verb: haber (to have). Then, simply make the main verb you’re wanting to use into the past participle.

The formula is:

conjugated haber + past participle of the verb

For the full rundown on Spanish past participles, check out this post that covers them in detail. But for now, all you need to know is to take away the infinitive verb ending and attach –ado or –ido.

Pronoun	Present Perfect	Participle Example
Yo	He	Hablado Bebido
Tú	Has	Hablado Bebido
Él/Ella/Usted	Ha	Hablado Bebido
Nosotros	Hemos	Hablado Bebido
Vosotros	Habéis	Hablado Bebido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Han	Hablado Bebido

If you want to learn more about the verb haber, I highly recommend this video:

7. Past Perfect Tense (Pluperfect Tense)

The Spanish past perfect is used for two situations: talking about an action that happened before another and life experiences that you’re having for the first time.

La bomba ya había explotado cuando llegó la policía.
The bomb had already exploded when the police arrived.

Nunca antes había visto un tiburón.
I had never seen a shark before.

Conjugation for the past perfect is similar to the present perfect. The difference is that the conjugation of haber is in the imperfect form rather than the simple present.

Pronoun	Imperfect Form of Haber	Participle Example
Yo	Había	Hablado Bebido
Tú	Habías	Hablado Bebido
Él/Ella/Usted	Había	Hablado Bebido
Nosotros	Habíamos	Hablado Bebido
Vosotros	Habíais	Hablado Bebido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Habían	Hablado Bebido

8. Past Anterior Tense (Preterite Perfect Tense)

This tense is rare in Spanish nowadays, as it usually only appears in literature and extremely formal language.

The past perfect tense almost entirely replaces it now, as it’s also used to talk about a past action that took place right before another past action.

Cuando hubo comido, lavó los platos.
When/After he had eaten, he washed the dishes.

No dije nada después de que hube oído la noticia.
I didn’t say anything after hearing/having heard/I had heard the news.

The past anterior follows the same pattern as the present perfect and the past perfect, but this time haber will be in its preterite form.

Pronoun	Preterite Form of Haber	Participle Example
Yo	Hube	Hablado Bebido
Tú	Hubiste	Hablado Bebido
Él/Ella/Usted	Hubo	Hablado Bebido
Nosotros	Hubimos	Hablado Bebido
Vosotros	Hubisteis	Hablado Bebido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hubieron	Hablado Bebido

9. Future Perfect Tense

We use the future perfect to talk about actions that will have been completed in the future and to make conjectures and hypotheses about the past (much like the simple future is used to make conjectures about the present).

En septiembre habré terminado mis estudios.
I will have finished my studies in September.

Ella se habrá quedado dormida para el final de la película.
She will have fallen asleep by the end of the movie.

Once again, we use haber + the past participle, but this time haber will be in its future form.

Pronoun	Future Form of Haber	Participle Example
Yo	Habré	Hablado Bebido
Tú	Habrás	Hablado Bebido
Él/Ella/Usted	Habrá	Hablado Bebido
Nosotros	Habremos	Hablado Bebido
Vosotros	Habréis	Hablado Bebido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Habrán	Hablado Bebido

10. Conditional Perfect Tense

We use the Spanish conditional perfect to talk about things that would or could have happened in the past (or not).

Habríamos ido si Ana no hubiera estado enferma.
We would have gone if Ana hadn’t been sick.

Habría preferido quedarme en casa.
I would have preferred to stay home.

Creí que no habrías querido venir.
I thought you wouldn’t have wanted to come.

Pronoun	Conditional Form of Haber	Participle Example
Yo	Habría	Hablado Bebido
Tú	Habrías	Hablado Bebido
Él/Ella/Usted	Habría	Hablado Bebido
Nosotros	Habríamos	Hablado Bebido
Vosotros	Habríais	Hablado Bebido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Habrían	Hablado Bebido

The Spanish Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive in Spanish is the opposite of the indicative. Instead of expressing facts, it’s used to communicate things like wishes and doubts.

Any time you’re unsure which one to use, think of the popular acronym “WEIRDO”:

• Wishes
• Emotions
• Interpersonal expressions
• Recommendations
• Doubt/Denial
• Ojalá (I wish, hope, etc.)

In any of these cases, you’d conjugate the verb in the subjunctive.

There are six Spanish verb tenses under the subjunctive mood:

• Present subjunctive
• Imperfect subjunctive
• Future subjunctive
• Present perfect subjunctive
• Pluperfect subjunctive
• Future perfect subjunctive

11. Present Subjunctive Tense

You already know why and when to use the subjunctive (think “WEIRDO”). So it makes sense then that the present subjunctive tense simply expresses those characteristics (such as wishes and doubts) in the present tense.

Necesito que venga pronto.
I need him to come soon.

¡Ojalá llueva!
I hope it rains!

Pronoun	-AR Ending	-ER/-IR Ending	Hablar Example	Comer Example	Vivir Example
Yo	-e	-a	Hable	Coma	Viva
Tú	-es	-as	Hables	Comas	Vivas
Él/Ella/Usted	-e	-a	Hable	Coma	Viva
Nosotros	-emos	-amos	Hablemos	Comamos	Vivamos
Vosotros	-éis	-áis	Habléis	Comáis	Viváis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-en	-an	Hablen	Coman	Vivan

12. Imperfect Subjunctive Tense

We use the imperfect subjunctive tense to talk about past feelings, but also to reflect on past events (as the first example sentence shows).

No creo que el examen fuera difícil.
I don’t think the exam was difficult.

Ojalá no lloviera.
I wish it hadn’t rained.

Quisiera saber su nombre, por favor. (I would like to know your name, please.)

There are three steps to conjugating Spanish verbs in the imperfect subjunctive tense:

Step 1: Find the third person plural of the verb in its preterite form (for example, hablaron — they talked)

Step 2: Remove the –ron at the end (for example, hablaron → habla)

Step 3: Conjugate the stem

There are two endings you can use in each case, and they both mean the same thing, although “-ra-” endings are more common to hear in everyday Spanish:

Pronoun	-AR Ending	-ER/-IR Ending	Hablar Example	Comer Example	Vivir Example
Yo	-ra/-se	-ra/-se	Hablara / Hablase	Comiera / Comiese	Viviera / Viviese
Tú	-ras/-ses	-ras/-ses	Hablaras / Hablases	Comieras / Comieses	Vivieras / Vivieses
Él/Ella/Usted	-ra/-se	-ra/-se	Hablara / Hablase	Comiera / Comiese	Viviera / Viviese
Nosotros	-áramos/-ásemos	-iéramos/-iésemos	Habláramos / Hablásemos	Comiéramos / Comiésemos	Viviéramos / Viviésemos
Vosotros	-rais/-seis	-rais/-seis	Hablarais / Hablaseis	Comierais / Comieseis	Vivierais / Vivieseis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-ran/-sen	-ran/-sen	Hablaran / Hablasen	Comieran / Comiesen	Vivieran / Viviesen

13. Future Subjunctive Tense

Like the anterior preterite, you’ll rarely encounter the future subjunctive “in the wild.”

It’s mainly seen in literature and legal documents now, and where it was routinely used in conversations in the past, the present subjunctive and present indicative are typically used instead.

Its main use is when the main verb requires the subjunctive and it refers to the future:

Adonde fueres, haz lo que vieres. (When in Rome, do as the Romans do.)

El que rompiere la regla, será castigado. (He who breaks the rule will be punished.)

The conjugation for the future subjunctive uses the same stem as the imperfect subjunctive but uses these endings for all verb types instead:

Pronoun	Endings	Hablar Example	Comer Example	Vivir Example
Yo	-re	Hablare	Comiere	Viviere
Tú	-res	Hablares	Comieres	Vivieres
Él/Ella/Usted	-re	Hablare	Comiere	Viviere
Nosotros	-remos	Hablaremos	Comiéremos	Viviéremos
Vosotros	-reis	Hablareis	Comiereis	Viviereis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	-ren	Hablaren	Comieren	Vivieren

14. Present Perfect Subjunctive Tense

The present perfect subjunctive expresses the same things as the present subjunctive. The difference is that the verb has already happened or will in the near future.

Espero que hayas dormido bien.
I hope you slept well.

Te llamaré cuando haya comido.
I’ll call you when I finish eating.

To conjugate this tense, take the present subjunctive form of haber and add the past participle.

Pronoun	Present Subjunctive Form of Haber	Participle Example
Yo	Haya	Hablado Bebido
Tú	Hayas	Hablado Bebido
Él/Ella/Usted	Haya	Hablado Bebido
Nosotros	Hayamos	Hablado Bebido
Vosotros	Hayáis	Hablado Bebido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hayan	Hablado Bebido

15. Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense

We use the Spanish pluperfect subjunctive to reflect on actions in the past that were followed by another. Most commonly, to wish something had or hadn’t happened.

Si hubieras estudiado más, habrías aprobado el examen.
If you had studied harder, you would have passed the exam.

Ojalá no hubiera llovido tanto.
I wish it hadn’t rained so much.

For this one, put haber into the imperfect subjunctive form and add the past participle.

Pronoun	Imperfect Subjunctive Form of Haber	Participle Example
Yo	Hubiera/Hubiese	Hablado Bebido
Tú	Hubieras/Hubieses	Hablado Bebido
Él/Ella/Usted	Hubiera/Hubiese	Hablado Bebido
Nosotros	Hubiéramos/Hubiésemos	Hablado Bebido
Vosotros	Hubierais/Hubieseis	Hablado Bebido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hubieran/Hubiesen	Hablado Bebido

16. Future Perfect Subjunctive Tense

The Spanish future perfect subjunctive is basically obsolete.

It’s only used in formal literature, poetry and legal texts to refer to a future completed event that would only be true if the condition of an earlier event is fulfilled.

Sound complicated?

Well, it is, even for us native Spanish speakers!

This mouthful simply means that something can be completed in the future if and only if a prior condition is met.

Something has to happen first, and then a second event will take place and be completed.

Quien hubiere ultrajado la bandera, será castigado.
He who has vilified the flag will be punished.

Si no hubiere vuelto en dos horas, llamad a la policía.
If I haven’t returned in two hours, call the police.

For the future perfect subjunctive, put haber into its future form and add the past participle.

Pronoun	Future Subjunctive Form of Haber	Participle Example
Yo	Hubiere	Hablado Bebido
Tú	Hubieres	Hablado Bebido
Él/Ella/Usted	Hubiere	Hablado Bebido
Nosotros	Hubiéremos	Hablado Bebido
Vosotros	Hubiereis	Hablado Bebido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hubieren	Hablado Bebido

The Spanish Imperative Mood

The imperative in Spanish is used to tell somebody what to do (i.e., make a demand).

There’s both an affirmative imperative and a negative imperative tense.

You’ll be happy to hear though that unlike the other Spanish verb tenses, both imperatives only conjugate in the tú, nosotros, usted, and ustedes forms.

17. Affirmative Imperative

¡Ven rápido!
Come quick!

Déjame ir a la fiesta, por favor.
Let me go to the party, please.

Perdóname, mi amor.
Forgive me, my love.

Pronoun	-AR Ending	-ER Ending	-IR Ending	Hablar Example	Comer Example	Vivir Example
Tú	-a	-e	-e	Habla	Come	Vive
Usted	-e	-a	-a	Hable	Coma	Viva
Nosotros	-emos	-amos	-amos	Hablemos	Comamos	Vivamos
Vosotros	-ad	-ed	-id	Hablad	Comed	Vivid
Ustedes	-en	-an	-an	Hablen	Coman	Vivan

18. Negative Imperative

The negative imperative is used to tell people what not to do—the opposite of the affirmative imperative.

¡No vengas!
Don’t come!

No vayas a la fiesta.
Don’t go to the party.

No me pidas perdón.
Don’t apologize.

Pronoun	-AR Ending	-ER/-IR Ending	Hablar Example	Comer Example	Vivir Example
Tú	-es	-as	Hables	Comas	Vivas
Usted	-e	-a	Hable	Coma	Viva
Nosotros	-emos	-amos	Hablemos	Comamos	Vivamos
Vosotros	-éis	-áis	Habléis	Comáis	Viváis
Ustedes	-en	-an	Hablen	Coman	Vivan

20 Most Common Irregular Spanish Verbs

Part of mastering the Spanish tenses is knowing which verbs are irregular.

There are over 250 irregular Spanish verbs in total. But I suggest focusing on committing the most important to memory first. The rest you’ll pick up naturally, especially while watching Spanish media and having conversations.

You can do so by using language exchange apps, watching TV shows and movies and using an immersion platform like FluentU.

In the meantime, here are 20 of the most common irregular verbs in Spanish:

Spanish	English
Ser	To be
Estar	To be
Tener	To have
Hacer	To do, to make
Poder	To be able to, can
Decir	To say, to tell
Ir	To go
Ver	To see
Dar	To give
Saber	To know
Querer	To want, to love
Llegar	To arrive
Poner	To put
Parecer	To seem
Empezar	To begin, to start
Encontrar	To find
Venir	To come
Pensar	To think
Salir	To leave, to go out
Conocer	To know, to meet

If you want to explore Spanish verbs more, here are two resources to check out:

Spanish Tenses Practice Quiz

Conjugate the following verbs in the correct tense, then check your answers below.

1. Yo (vivir) en Lima, Peru. (I lived in Lima, Peru)

2. Tú te (quedar) en casa todo el día. (You stayed at home all day.)

3. Nosotros (jugar) fútbol todos los viernes. (We played soccer every Friday.)

4. Ella (hacer) su tarea. (She does her homework.)

5. Ustedes (comer) pizza esta noche. (You will eat pizza tonight.)

6. Yo (comprar) un nuevo carro. (I would buy a new car.)

7. Ella ya (haber comer). (She has already eaten.)

8. Yo (haber hablar) antes del baile. (I had talked to her before the dance.)

9. Tú (haber llegar) para abril. (You will have arrived by April.)

10. Yo (haber ir) a Japón si pudiera. (I would have gone to Japan if I could.)

11. Quiero que tú (venir) a la fiesta. (I want you to come to the party.)

12. Ella quería que yo (bailar) con él. (She wanted me to dance with him.)

13. Espero que tú (haber dormir) bien. (I hope you slept well.)

 

1. vivía

2. quedaste

3. jugábamos

4. hace

5. comerán

6. compraría

7. ha comido

8. había hablado

9. habrás llegado

10. habría ido

11. vengas

12. bailara

13. hayas dormido

 

Spanish verb tenses are an adventure that your language learning journey will inevitably require you to embark on—especially for intermediate and advanced students who want to finally reach fluency.

And when you’re ready, download a language exchange app and start chatting with native speakers!

Stay curious, my friends, and as always, happy learning!

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