Skip to content
Quick cheat sheet for the 18 Spanish tenses visualisation

Quick cheat sheet for the 18 Spanish tenses

Conquer Spanish Tenses: A Simplified Approach: Quick cheat sheet for the 18 Spanish tenses
Learn with Comprenders App Join Telegram Courses About Comprenders

Here is a quick cheat sheet for the 18 Spanish tenses, divided by mood and between simple and compound tenses, using the example verbs comprar (to buy), correr (to run), and vivir (to live).

Overview: The 18 Spanish Tenses at a Glance

Spanish verbs are conjugated in three moods—Indicative, Subjunctive, and Imperative—and further divided into simple tenses (single-word forms) and compound tenses (formed with auxiliary verbs). Mastering these 18 tenses gives a learner the ability to express time, mood, and aspect with precision in everyday conversation.

Indicative Mood — Simple Tenses

  • Present (Presente): Use for habits or general truths.
    • yo compro, corro, vivo (I buy, run, live)
      This is the most commonly used tense for current actions and facts: “Ella vive en Madrid.” (She lives in Madrid.)
  • Preterite (Pretérito): Use for completed actions in the past.
    • yo compré, corrí, viví (I bought, ran, lived)
      The preterite expresses finished actions with a clear endpoint: “Compré un libro ayer.” (I bought a book yesterday.)
  • Imperfect (Imperfecto): Use for ongoing past actions or descriptions.
    • yo compraba, corría, vivía (I was buying, running, living)
      It describes habits or background scenes in the past: “Cuando era niño, vivía en el campo.” (When I was a child, I lived in the countryside.)
  • Future (Futuro): Use for actions that will happen.
    • yo compraré, correré, viviré (I will buy, run, live)
      The future is less common in everyday speech; often, present tense or other constructions substitute. For example, “Mañana viajo a Barcelona.” (Tomorrow I travel to Barcelona.)
  • Conditional (Condicional): Use for hypothetical actions.
    • yo compraría, correría, viviría (I would buy, run, live)
      Expresses polite requests or unlikely situations: “Me gustaría comprar eso.” (I would like to buy that.)

Indicative Mood — Compound Tenses

Each compound tense uses the auxiliary verb haber + past participle. This construction emphasizes the completion of an action relative to some timeframe.

  • Present Perfect (Pretérito Perfecto): Actions completed recently or that affect the present.
    • he comprado, he corrido, he vivido (I have bought, run, lived)
      Common in spoken Spanish, especially in Spain, to talk about past actions relevant now: “He visto esa película.” (I have seen that movie.)
  • Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto): Actions completed before another past action.
    • había comprado, había corrido, había vivido (I had bought, run, lived)
      This tense sets a sequence of past actions: “Cuando llegué, ella ya había salido.” (When I arrived, she had already left.)
  • Future Perfect (Futuro Perfecto): Actions that will have been completed in the future.
    • habré comprado, habré corrido, habré vivido (I will have bought, run, lived)
      Less common, often used to express assumptions about the past from a future perspective: “Para entonces, ya habré terminado.” (By then, I will have finished.)
  • Conditional Perfect (Condicional Perfecto): Hypothetical actions in the past.
    • habría comprado, habría corrido, habría vivido (I would have bought, run, lived)
      Used in conditional sentences expressing unreal situations: “Habría comprado la casa si tuviera dinero.” (I would have bought the house if I had money.)

Subjunctive Mood — Simple Tenses

The subjunctive expresses doubt, emotion, desire, or uncertainty. It is essential for polite requests, wishes, and hypothetical situations.

  • Present Subjunctive (Presente de Subjuntivo): Expresses wishes, doubts, or emotions.
    • compre, corra, viva (that I buy, run, live)
      Follows verbs like “querer,” “esperar,” or expressions like “es importante que”: “Es importante que estudies.” (It’s important that you study.)
  • Imperfect Subjunctive (Imperfecto de Subjuntivo): Same use as present subjunctive but for past/conditional contexts.
    • comprara/comprase, corriera/corriese, viviera/viviese
      Used after past-tense verbs or to express hypothetical situations in the past: “Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría más.” (If I had time, I would travel more.)
  • Future Subjunctive (Futuro de Subjuntivo) [rare]: Mostly literary or formal usage.
    • comprare, corriere, viviere
      Almost extinct in modern speech, seen only in legal documents or old texts.

Subjunctive Mood — Compound Tenses

Compound subjunctives use haber in subjunctive form + past participle.

  • Present Perfect Subjunctive: Actions that may have happened recently.
    • haya comprado, haya corrido, haya vivido
      Commonly used in subordinate clauses expressing doubt or emotion about a past action: “No creo que haya llegado.” (I don’t think he has arrived.)
  • Past Perfect Subjunctive: Actions that may have happened before another past action.
    • hubiera/hubiese comprado, corrido, vivido
      Often used in conditional sentences referring to past hypotheses: “Si hubieras venido, te habría ayudado.” (If you had come, I would have helped you.)

Imperative Mood

The imperative is for commands or requests. It uses different forms depending on the person:

  • Tú: compra, corre, vive
  • Usted: compre, corra, viva
  • Vosotros: comprad, corred, vivid
  • Ustedes: compren, corran, vivan

Though not a tense per se, mastering the imperative forms is critical for clear spoken instructions or invitations.

Common Mistakes and Pitfalls With Spanish Tenses

  • Mixing Preterite and Imperfect: Learners often confuse when to use preterite vs imperfect. The preterite marks completed actions (“ayer comí”), whereas the imperfect describes past habits or ongoing states (“cuando era niño, comía mucho”). Recognizing this distinction is essential to sounding natural.
  • Overusing the Future Tense: In everyday conversation, the present tense often replaces the future (“Mañana salgo”). Overuse of the futuro may sound overly formal or stilted.
  • Ignoring the Subjunctive Mood: Many learners avoid the subjunctive because it feels complicated but missing it makes speech sound unnatural. The subjunctive frequently appears after common expressions of doubt, emotion, or volition and mastering it enables nuanced conversation.
  • Confusing Compound Tenses: The difference between present perfect and preterite usage varies regionally. In Spain, present perfect (he comprado) is used more for recent past, while in Latin America, simple preterite (compré) is preferred even for recent actions.

Tips for Practical Use and Mastery

  • Focus on Conversational Priorities: The present, preterite, imperfect, and present subjunctive cover the bulk of daily interactions. Starting with these tenses ensures the ability to communicate effectively.
  • Use Real Phrases and Context: Memorizing conjugation tables is less effective than practicing full sentences in context (e.g., “Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los días.”).
  • Practice Listening: Exposure to native speech sharpens the understanding of when speakers choose one tense over another, especially for subtle differences like preterite vs imperfect.
  • Leverage Conversation Practice: Speaking with tutors or AI conversation partners helps internalize tense usage and build fluency more than passive study.

This covers the 18 total Spanish verb tenses including all three moods (indicative, subjunctive, and imperative) and the simple and compound forms within them. The examples given are for regular verbs of each ending (-ar, -er, -ir) for clarity and common usage.

References