One of the most difficult aspects for a student learning Spanish is the verb tenses. Studying the Spanish verb conjugation is a challenge because of the modes, tenses, and different conjugations they have. Unlike in English, in Spanish each verb has its own tense, mood, person, and number that must coincide when conjugating them.

If this is your case, donQuijote offers you a simple, quick, and easy guide with all the details you need to know how to differentiate the Spanish verb tenses. Learn Spanish by correctly using the verb modes, how to conjugate them and each existing tense with this article.

You can read this article in its Spanish version at this link.

Spanish verb tenses

Spanish verb tenses are very varied, they must agree in mood, tense, person, and number. Depending on the ending of the verb (-ar, -er or -ir) each one has a different conjugation.

In addition, tenses are classified in two. Simple tenses are those that express the action of the verb with a single word, for example: bailaba, comía or durmió. And compound tenses, those that express the action with the auxiliary verb “haber” followed by a participle, e.g.: ha resultado, haya escuchado or había comido. However, they are also affected by the mode, which expresses the intention of the speaker, and there are three: indicative mode, subjunctive mode, and imperative mode.

On the other hand, it is important for you to know that verb tense is the category that locates an action in time, that is, whether it occurs in the present, past, or future. In Spanish, the indicative and subjunctive moods include these three forms.

Below, you can find an explanation of each Spanish verb conjugation, what type of actions it is used and some examples.

Indicative mode

The indicative mode is the most used in Spanish and is used describe and talk about actions that are happening now, in the past or in the future. Let's look at the same three verbs (cantar, comer and salir) conjugated with the different Spanish verb tenses that exist in the indicative mode.

So, the indicative mode is divided into several verb tenses:

Presente (present): this Spanish verb tense expresses permanent, stable situations and describes actions that are repeated, so it places the action in the immediate moment.

For example, in the verb cantar (sing), comer (eat) and salir (go out) would be:

• Yo canto. Tú cantas. Él canta. Nosotros cantamos. Vosotros cantáis. Ellos cantan
• Yo como. Tú comes. Él come. Nosotros comemos. Vosotros coméis. Ellos comen
• Yo salgo. Tú sales. Él sale. Nosotros salimos. Vosotros salís. Ellos salen

Pretérito perfecto simple: expresses actions that began and ended in the past, that were punctual or interrupted other actions. Example:

• Yo canté. Tú cantaste. Él cantó. Nosotros cantamos. Vosotros cantasteis. Ellos cantaron
• Yo comí. Tú comiste. Él comió. Nosotros comimos. Vosotros comisteis. Ellos comieron
• Yo salí. Tú saliste. Él salió. Nosotros salimos. Vosotros salisteis. Ellos salieron

Pretérito imperfecto: this Spanish verb tense expresses past actions that we do not know when they began and if they ended. It also conveys the continuity of an action in the past. For example:

• Yo cantaba. Tú cantabas. Él cantaba. Nosotros cantábamos. Vosotros cantabais. Ellos cantaban
• Yo comía. Tú comías. Él comía. Nosotros comíamos. Vosotros comíais. Ellos comían
• Yo salía. Tú salías. Él salía. Nosotros salíamos. Vosotros salíais. Ellos salían

Pretérito perfecto compuesto: expresses actions in the past that are connected to the present or that are still happening. Since it is a compound tense, it needs the verb “haber” as an auxiliary verb. All compound tenses use this conjugated auxiliary verb + the participle of the main verb. For example:

• Yo he cantado. Tú has cantado. Él ha cantado. Nosotros hemos cantado. Vosotros habéis cantado. Ellos han cantado
• Yo he comido. Tú has comido. Él ha comido. Nosotros hemos comido. Vosotros habéis comido. Ellos han comido
• Yo he salido. Tú has salido. Él ha salido. Nosotros hemos cantado. Vosotros habéis cantado. Ellos han salido

Pretérito pluscuamperfecto: a verb tense that expresses a past action prior to another action that also occurred in the past. It is a compound verb that also uses the verb “haber”. For example:

• Yo había cantado. Tú habías cantado. Él había cantado. Nosotros habíamos cantado. Vosotros habíais cantado. Ellos habían cantado
• Yo había comido. Tú habías comido. Él había comido. Nosotros habíamos comido. Vosotros habíais comido. Ellos habían comido
• Yo había salido. Tú habías salido. Él había salido. Nosotros habíamos cantado. Vosotros habíais cantado. Ellos habían salido

Pretérito anterior: this is a Spanish verb tense that is rarely used, but which refers to an action that has concluded so that the following action can take place. For example:

• Yo hube cantado. Tú hubiste cantado. Él hubo cantado. Nosotros hubimos cantado. Vosotros hubisteis cantado. Ellos hubieron cantado
• Yo hube comido. Tú hubiste comido. Él hubo comido. Nosotros hubimos comido. Vosotros hubisteis comido. Ellos hubieron comido
• Yo hube salido. Tú hubiste salido. Él hubo salido. Nosotros hubimos cantado. Vosotros hubisteis cantado. Ellos hubieron salido

Futuro simple (future simple): it expresses an action that takes place later than the enunciation. For example:

• Yo cantaré. Tú cantarás. Él cantará. Nosotros cantaremos. Vosotros cantaréis. Ellos cantarán
• Yo comeré. Tú comerás. Él comerá. Nosotros comeremos. Vosotros comeréis. Ellos comerán
• Yo saldré. Tú saldrás. Él saldrá. Nosotros saldremos. Vosotros saldréis. Ellos saldrán

Future compuesto (compound future): expresses an action prior to another future action, but later with respect to the present; it can also express doubt in relation to a past action. It is a compound verb tense in Spanish. For example:

• Yo habré cantado. Tú habrás cantado. Él habrá cantado. Nosotros habremos cantado. Vosotros habréis cantado. Ellos habrán cantado
• Yo habré comido. Tú habrás comido. Él habrá comido. Nosotros habremos comido. Vosotros habréis comido. Ellos habrán comido
• Yo habré salido. Tú habrás salido. Él habrá salido. Nosotros habremos cantado. Vosotros habréis cantado. Ellos habrán salido

Condicional simple (simple conditional): expresses suppositions, hypotheses, or suggestions, it is also used to form questions, requests, or invitations. Examples:

• Yo cantaría. Tú cantarías. Él cantaría. Nosotros cantaríamos. Vosotros cantaríais. Ellos cantarían
• Yo comería. Tú comerías. Él comería. Nosotros comeríamos. Vosotros comeríais. Ellos comerían
• Yo saldría. Tú saldrías. Él saldría. Nosotros saldríamos. Vosotros saldríais. Ellos saldrían

Condicional compuesto (compound conditional): expresses past hypothetical situations that did not occur or past wishes that were impossible to fulfill. For example:

• Yo habría cantado. Tú habrías cantado. Él habría cantado. Nosotros habríamos cantado. Vosotros habríais cantado. Ellos habrían cantado
• Yo habría comido. Tú habrías comido. Él habría comido. Nosotros habríamos comido. Vosotros habríais comido. Ellos habrían comido
• Yo habría salido. Tú habrías salido. Él habría salido. Nosotros habríamos cantado. Vosotros habríais cantado. Ellos habrían salido

Subjunctive mode

The subjunctive mode is used to express possible, desired, or hypothetical actions, but which are not happening. The same as the indicative mood, it is divided into:

Presente: it expresses a present or future probability. It also expresses emotions, feelings, desires, advice, etc. Examples:

• Yo cante. Tú cantes. Él ante. Nosotros cantemos. Vosotros cantéis. Ellos canten
• Yo coma. Tú comas. Él coma. Nosotros comamos. Vosotros comáis. Ellos coman
• Yo salga. Tú salgas. Él salga. Nosotros salgamos. Vosotros salgáis. Ellos salgan

Pretérito perfecto compuesto: expresses actions that have already ended but are related to an action in the main sentence or actions that will end in the future. For example:

• Yo haya cantado. Tú hayas cantado. Él haya cantado. Nosotros hayamos cantado. Vosotros hayáis cantado. Ellos hayan cantado
• Yo haya comido. Tú hayas comido. Él haya comido. Nosotros hayamos comido. Vosotros hayáis comido. Ellos hayan comido
• Yo haya salido. Tú hayas salido. Él haya salido. Nosotros hayamos cantado. Vosotros hayáis cantado. Ellos hayan salido

Pretérito imperfecto: this Spanish verb tense expresses an action that occurred at the same time or after another. It is also used in conditional, concessive, or improbable sentences. For example:

• Yo cantara o cantase. Tú cantaras o cantases. Él cantara o cantase. Nosotros cantáramos o cantásemos. Vosotros cantarais o cantaseis. Ellos cantaran o cantasen
• Yo comiera o comiese. Tú comieras o comieses. Él comiera o comiese. Nosotros comiéramos o comiésemos. Vosotros comierais o comieseis. Ellos comieran o comiesen
• Yo saliera o saliese. Tú salieras o saliese. Él saliera o saliese. Nosotros saliéramos o saliésemos. Vosotros salierais o salieseis. Ellos salieran o saliesen

Pretérito pluscuamperfecto: this verb tense in Spanish conveys actions that could have happened or would have happened in the past. Examples:

• Yo hubiera o hubiese cantado. Tú hubieras o hubieses cantado. Él hubiera o hubiese cantado. Nosotros hubiéramos o hubiésemos cantado. Vosotros hubierais o hubieseis cantado. Ellos hubieran o hubiesen cantado
• Yo hubiera o hubiese comido. Tú hubieras o hubieses comido. Él hubiera o hubiese comido. Nosotros hubiéramos o hubiésemos comido. Vosotros hubierais o hubieseis comido. Ellos hubieran o hubiesen comido
• Yo hubiera o hubiese salido. Tú hubieras o hubieses salido. Él hubiera o hubiese salido. Nosotros hubiéramos o hubiésemos cantado. Vosotros hubierais o hubieseis cantado. Ellos hubieran o hubiesen salido

Futuro simple: in the subjunctive mood, the future simple is a verb tense used to refer to a future, hypothetical action, or situation. For example:

• Yo cantare. Tú cantares. Él cantare. Nosotros cantáremos. Vosotros cantareis. Ellos cantaren
• Yo comiere. Tú comieres. Él comiere. Nosotros comiéremos. Vosotros comiereis. Ellos comieren
• Yo saliere. Tú salieres. Él saliere. Nosotros saliéremos. Vosotros saliereis. Ellos salieren

Futuro compuesto: this verb tense in Spanish expresses a future action that would have already ended with respect to a future tense, but that would occur only if the previous situation were fulfilled. Examples:

• Yo hubiere cantado. Tú hubieres cantado. Él hubiere cantado. Nosotros hubiéremos cantado. Vosotros hubiereis cantado. Ellos hubieren cantado
• Yo hubiere comido. Tú hubieres comido. Él hubiere comido. Nosotros hubiéremos comido. Vosotros hubiereis comido. Ellos hubieren comido
• Yo hubiere salido. Tú hubieres salido. Él hubiere salido. Nosotros hubiéremos cantado. Vosotros hubiereis cantado. Ellos hubieren salido

Imperative mode

The imperative mode is used to give orders or advice, make requests, or give instructions. Unlike the indicative and subjunctive moods, this mode does not differentiate verb tenses and only presents the second person of both singular and plural, i.e. tú and vosotros, as well as usted in Spanish. Although in the imperative mood, the subject is usually omitted most of the time since this verb conjugation is used to give orders or instructions.

For example:

• Canta (tú). Cante (usted). Cantad (vosotros). Canten (ustedes)
• Come (tú). Coma (usted). Comed (vosotros). Coman (ustedes)
• Sal (tú). Salga (usted). Salid (vosotros). Salgan (ustedes)

These are all the Spanish verb tenses that exist, depending on the verb, they are conjugated in one way or another. As in English, there are regular and irregular verbs, so each verb is unique and has a different way of being conjugated. So come and study a Spanish course in Spain with donQuijote and learn from professional teachers the best tricks to understand and internalize the Spanish verb conjugation and tenses.

Are you learning Spanish and want to give a different touch to your learning? The best way to do it is through music. The Spanish songs will give you the opportunity to learn new vocabulary, listen to very different genres and get into unique stories.

Music has become an essential part of language learning to gain fluency, new vocabulary, and greater listening comprehension. The thousands of artists from Spain and Latin America who make music will allow you to navigate through different genres, easy and complex lyrics, or fascinating stories through the lyrics of their songs.

Below, you will find songs to learn Spanish for all levels and for different styles of music. As in donQuijote's Spanish schools in Spain, the music can be adapted to the levels and knowledge of the students.

Read this article in Spanish by clicking on this link.

1. Cuando me vaya - Melocos and Natalia

Let’s start with a pop/rock ballad by the Spanish group Melocos featuring Mexican singer Natalia Jiménez. “Cuando me vaya” is a song about saying goodbye and leaving the past behind.

A slow but catchy rhythm with which you can learn vocabulary and make your ear to Spanish. Also, with this song you will learn about emotions, goodbye and nostalgia. A mix of voices that will leave you wanting to keep listening to songs to learn Spanish.

2. Eres - Café Tacuba

A genre between alternative and rock in Spanish you can find “Eres”. This romantic song by the artist Café Tacuba expresses admiration and love towards the loved one. If you want to learn vocabulary about love, devotion, or admiration towards another person, this is the song for you.

3. Me voy - Julieta Venegas

From the singer Julieta Venegas we find the song “Me voy”, Latin pop and alternative that will make you fall in love with her sweet voice. A lyric that talks about walking away from a love relationship even when you don't want to. Also, from the same singer you can listen to “Limón y sal”, another song that will be easy to understand and in which you can learn a variety of vocabulary and the use of the present tense in Spanish.

4. Vivir mi vida - Marc Anthony

Although if you are looking for music with rhythm that makes you dance in Spanish, Marc Anthony has the key. “Vivir mi vida” is a song that celebrates life and talks about overcoming adversity. A musical genre made for dancing with which you can learn vocabulary about positivity and overcoming adversity, as well as colloquialisms such as “pa qué”, a short way of saying “para qué” (so what).

5. Bailando - Alaska

Alaska is one of the best-known artists of the movida madrileña, a cultural movement that manifested itself, above all, through music. An electronic pop genre, this song will make you enjoy and learn Spanish thanks to the use of the gerund. As it is a song to learn the language, you will be able to distinguish all the lyrics as it is sung slowly.

6. La camisa negra - Juanes

A romantic ballad with a touch of Latin rock, that's “La camisa negra” by Colombian singer Juanes. The lyrics are about a man regretting the loss of his lover, with which you will learn vocabulary and the past tense of Spanish. A song to improve your Spanish that conquered all Latin America and Europe at the time of its release.

7. Despacito - Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee

Undoubtedly, the most known, listened and played Spanish song par excellence in the music scene: “Despacito”. This song broke records on YouTube and reached the top 1 in more than 40 countries.

This hit is for a more advanced level of Spanish, especially for Yankee's rap part, but you can try listening to it by following the lyrics and trying to understand what it says. “Despacito” will go down in history for sure.

8. Bonito - Jarabe de Palo

A song that celebrates the beauty in everyday life and in the little things, “Bonito” by Jarabe de Palo has a rhythm that engages and a catchy chorus that is repeated several times. You'll learn the lyrics to this song with your eyes closed and be able to sing in Spanish easily.

9. Bailando - Enrique Iglesias ft. Descemer Bueno, Gente de Zona

Perfect for beginner and intermediate levels, “Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias is a song that mixes flamenco and pop to create a perfect urban Latin genre. With lyrics that are easy to learn and understand, “Bailando” is sure to have you singing and dancing to the beat.

10. Rosas - La Oreja de Van Gogh

Unrequited love and broken hopes, with a slow rhythm so you can understand each word it says, “Rosas” is perfect for a beginner student of Spanish. This song by the Spanish group La Oreja de Van Gogh is one of the most famous and with a pop rock genre that will make you fall in love.

11. Todos me miran - Gloria Trevi

From Mexican singer Gloria Trevi you can find “Todos me miran”. A hymn to empowerment that celebrates individuality and authenticity. This song will help you learn Spanish thanks to the fact that the singer pronounces all the words and will let you understand everything without any problem.

12. Mi gran noche - Raphael

One of Raphael's most iconic and well-known songs: “Mi gran noche”. The use of the future imperfect used in this song will help you improve your knowledge and teach you how to use this verb tense in Spanish. “Mi gran noche” celebrates a special night full of excitement and happiness, it talks about the anticipation and excitement of living a great night.

13. Rayando el sol - Maná

Nostalgia and the melancholy of missing someone are the main themes of this song by the group Maná. “Rayando el sol” is easy to understand thanks to the fact that the singer pronounces all the words to the rhythm of the music and there are none with a complicated meaning.

14. Corazón partío - Alejandro Sanz

Another ballad that cannot be missing in this list is “Corazón partío” by Alejandro Sanz. A song that deals with the pain of a broken heart and the feelings that accompany a love breakup. Undoubtedly, one of the singer's best-known songs and that will help you understand the colloquialisms and abbreviation of words, as the title of the song has one. “Corazón partío” is, in fact, corazón partido (heartbroken), which refers to when someone breaks your heart.

15. Con altura - Rosalía

Finally, one of the most listened Spanish singers of the moment: Rosalía. The Catalan singer has carved a niche for herself in Spanish music and in the charts around the world with songs like “Con altura”.

This song is an anthem to live life in a fun way, to celebrate success and self-confidence. A flamenco genre fusion with reggaeton that will get into your head and help you improve your Spanish if you have a high level.

Are you learning Spanish and need to know how to use possessives adjectives in your conversations? You've come to the right page! In this donQuijote article you will learn what are the possessive adjectives and pronouns in Spanish, how to use them and several examples to make it easier for you to understand them.

If you prefer to read in Spanish what are the possessives adjectives in Spanish, you can do it from here.

What are possessives in Spanish?

Spanish possessives are words that indicate possession or belonging to an animal, object, or thing. They are divided into two categories: possessive adjectives, also called possessive determiners, and possessive pronouns.

These Spanish words are essential for expressing relationships between people and objects, as well as for describing possession in a conversation or in a text. Here you will find a list of possessives adjectives in Spanish and some examples of how to use them.

Possessives adjectives in Spanish

Spanish possessive determiners or adjectives accompany a noun and are used to indicate to whom something belongs. The possessives adjectives in Spanish agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they accompany.

This is the list of possessive adjectives in Spanish: mi, mis, tu, tus, su, sus, nuestro/a, nuestros/as, vuestro/a, vuestras/os. In English, these possessive adjectives correspond to: my, your, his, her, its, our, your and their.

In Spanish, each one corresponds to a personal pronoun, depending on who is speaking, for example, “mi” belongs to the person speaking, while “su” can refer to the third person singular or plural.

Here are some examples:

• Mi casa es grande (My house is big)
• Mi gato es naranja (My cat is orange)
• ¿Dónde están tus llaves? (Where are your keys?)
• Juan lava su coche (Juan washes his car)
• Es su responsabilidad, no la mía (It's his responsibility, not mine)
• Luis recoge su moto del taller (Luis picks up his bike from the garage)
• Nuestros amigos nos visitarán pronto (Our friends will visit us soon)
• ¿Dónde están sus mochilas? (Where are their backpacks?)
• Ellos han dejado sus abrigos tirados en el suelo (They have left their coats lying on the floor)
• Vuestro perro es muy juguetón (Your dog is very playful)

Possessive pronouns in Spanish

On the other hand, you can find the possessive pronouns in Spanish, which replace the noun and accompany it to indicate possession. These words also agree in gender and number with the noun they replace.

The list of possessive pronouns in Spanish is: mío/a, mías/os, tuyo/a, tuyas/os, suyo/a, suyos/as, nuestras/os, nuestro/a, vuestra/o, vuestras/os. In English correspond to: mine, ours, yours, his, her, theirs and whose.

Here are some examples:

• Ese libro es mío (That book is mine)
• Esta bufanda es tuya (This scarf is yours)
• ¿Ese coche es suyo? (That car is yours?)
• Esta es nuestra casa (This is our house)
• Estas son vuestras llaves (These are your keys)
• Es su plato de comida (This is your dinner plate)
• Las galletas que hay en la mesa no son nuestras (The cookies on the table are not ours)
• No se llevaron sus maletas, sino las nuestras (They didn't take your suitcases, they took ours)

In addition, it is important to remember that possessives vary according to the context and the relationship between people. Therefore, it is important that you practice the use of possessive adjectives and pronouns in Spanish to know how to use them in different situations and how to indicate that something is yours or someone else's. Improve your understanding and skills by practicing with exchange groups or by signing up for a Spanish course in Spain.