Abrazar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb abrazar means to hug, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Abrazar means to hug, and it covers hugging your mother on arriving, hugging your son with affection and hugging a friend after years. It also means to embrace an idea, and it is a spelling-change verb: the z becomes c before e, so the preterite is abracé. Like every Spanish verb, abrazar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say abrazo a su madre al llegar, and in the preterite you say abracé a su amigo después de años. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: abrazar
- English: to hug
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: abrazando
- Past participle: abrazado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + abrazado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for abrazar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is abracé and the subjunctive is abrace. Abrazar una idea is to embrace an idea.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for abrazar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abrazo |
| tú | abrazas |
| él/ella/Ud. | abraza |
| nosotros/as | abrazamos |
| vosotros/as | abrazáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrazan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abracé |
| tú | abrazaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrazó |
| nosotros/as | abrazamos |
| vosotros/as | abrazasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrazaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abrazaba |
| tú | abrazabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrazaba |
| nosotros/as | abrazábamos |
| vosotros/as | abrazabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrazaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abrazaré |
| tú | abrazarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrazará |
| nosotros/as | abrazaremos |
| vosotros/as | abrazaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrazarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abrazaría |
| tú | abrazarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrazaría |
| nosotros/as | abrazaríamos |
| vosotros/as | abrazaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrazarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he abrazado |
| tú | has abrazado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha abrazado |
| nosotros/as | hemos abrazado |
| vosotros/as | habéis abrazado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han abrazado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había abrazado |
| tú | habías abrazado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había abrazado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos abrazado |
| vosotros/as | habíais abrazado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían abrazado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré abrazado |
| tú | habrás abrazado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá abrazado |
| nosotros/as | habremos abrazado |
| vosotros/as | habréis abrazado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán abrazado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría abrazado |
| tú | habrías abrazado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría abrazado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos abrazado |
| vosotros/as | habríais abrazado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían abrazado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abrace |
| tú | abraces |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrace |
| nosotros/as | abracemos |
| vosotros/as | abracéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abracen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abrazara |
| tú | abrazaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrazara |
| nosotros/as | abrazáramos |
| vosotros/as | abrazarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrazaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | abraza |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrace |
| nosotros/as | abracemos |
| vosotros/as | abrazad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abracen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | abraces |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrace |
| nosotros/as | abracemos |
| vosotros/as | abracéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abracen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | abrazando | with estar for the progressive: estoy abrazando |
| Past participle | abrazado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he abrazado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For abrazar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Abrazo a su madre al llegar. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change in the first person: z becomes c before e, so the preterite first person is abracé. For abrazar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, abracé a su hijo con cariño. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abrazar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, abrazaba a su amigo después de años. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abrazar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, abrazaré fuerte antes de despedirse. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abrazar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Abrazaría a su madre al llegar si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abrazar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he abrazado a su hijo con cariño. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abrazar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había abrazado a su amigo después de años antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abrazar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré abrazado fuerte antes de despedirse. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abrazar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría abrazado a su madre al llegar con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For abrazar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él abrace a su hijo con cariño. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abrazar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él abrazara a su amigo después de años, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For abrazar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Abraza fuerte antes de despedirse! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For abrazar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No abraces a su madre al llegar. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with abrazar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Abrazo a su madre al llegar. — I hug his mother on arriving.
- Abraza a su hijo con cariño. — He/she hugs her son with affection.
- Ayer, abracé a su amigo después de años. — Yesterday, I hugged his friend after years.
- Antes, nosotros abrazábamos fuerte antes de despedirse. — Before, we used to hug tightly before saying goodbye.
- Mañana, tú abrazarás a su madre al llegar. — Tomorrow, you will hug his mother on arriving.
- Yo abrazaría a su hijo con cariño si tuviera más tiempo. — I would hug her son with affection if I had more time.
- Él ha abrazado a su amigo después de años. — He has hugged his friend after years.
- Espero que él abrace fuerte antes de despedirse. — I hope he hugs tightly before saying goodbye.
- Yo ya había abrazado a su madre al llegar antes de salir. — I had already hugged his mother on arriving before leaving.
- Ellos abrazaban a su hijo con cariño cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to hug her son with affection when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo abraza a su madre al llegar. — Right: Yo abrazo a su madre al llegar. — The person matters: abraza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abrazo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo abrazé a su hijo con cariño. — Right: Yo abracé a su hijo con cariño. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is abracé, not abrazé. abrazar is a spelling-change verb: z becomes c before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
- Wrong: Treating abrazar and besar as identical in every context. — Right: Abrazar means to hug, while besar means to kiss, the affection partner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: abrazar fits sentences such as Abrazo a su madre al llegar, while besar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy abrazado a su hijo con cariño. — Right: Yo he abrazado a su hijo con cariño. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he abrazado, has abrazado, ha abrazado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo abracé a su amigo después de años todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo abrazaba a su amigo después de años todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (abrazaba), not the preterite. The preterite (abracé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on abrazar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su madre al llegar. (present tense) A. abrazo B. abrazas C. abraza D. abrazamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a su hijo con cariño. (preterite) A. abracé B. abrazaste C. abrazaron D. abrazó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a su amigo después de años. (imperfect) A. abrazabas B. abrazaban C. abrazábamos D. abrazaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ fuerte antes de despedirse. (future) A. abrazaremos B. abrazarás C. abrazaré D. abrazará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su madre al llegar si pudiera. (conditional) A. abrazaría B. abrazarías C. abrazarían D. abrazo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a su hijo con cariño. (present subjunctive) A. abraces B. abracemos C. abrazo D. abrace
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a su amigo después de años, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. abrazáramos B. abrazo C. abrazara D. abrazaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ fuerte antes de despedirse. (present perfect) A. han abrazado B. hemos abrazado C. he abrazado D. has abrazado
Complete the command: ¡___ a su madre al llegar! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. abraza B. abrace C. abracemos D. abrazad
Which is the gerund of abrazar, used with estar for the progressive? A. abrazado B. abrazo C. abracé D. abrazando
Answer key
- abrazo — The first-person present of abrazar is abrazo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- abrazó — The third-person preterite of abrazar is abrazó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- abrazábamos — The nosotros imperfect of abrazar is abrazábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- abrazarás — The second-person future of abrazar is abrazarás.
- abrazaría — The first-person conditional of abrazar is abrazaría, the form for what would happen.
- abrace — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of abrazar is abrace.
- abrazara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of abrazar is abrazara.
- hemos abrazado — The nosotros present perfect of abrazar is hemos abrazado: hemos + abrazado.
- abraza — The affirmative tú imperative of abrazar is abraza.
- abrazando — The gerund of abrazar is abrazando: estoy abrazando. The participle abrazado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does abrazar mean in English?
Abrazar means to hug. It is used in everyday situations such as Abrazo a su madre al llegar. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is abrazar regular or irregular?
Abrazar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including abrazo in the present and abracé in the preterite.
What is the difference between abrazar and besar?
Abrazar means to hug, while besar means to kiss, the affection partner. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use abrazar when you mean to hug, as in Abrazo a su madre al llegar, and use besar for to kiss, the affection partner. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I hug” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo abracé a su hijo con cariño. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo abrazaba a su amigo después de años. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he abrazado a su hijo con cariño.
How do I practise abrazar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the abrazar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Abrazar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for abrazar.
- Abrazar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for abrazar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Organizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with abrazar.
- Rezar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with abrazar.
- Cazar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with abrazar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.