Accionar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb accionar means to activate, to operate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Accionar means to activate or to operate, and it is the verb for switches, buttons, levers and mechanisms: you activate an alarm, operate a machine, press a trigger. It is a technical verb, common in manuals, engineering and safety instructions. Like every Spanish verb, accionar 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 acciono la alarma de incendios, and in the preterite you say accioné la máquina con el botón rojo. 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: accionar
- English: to activate, to operate
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: accionando
- Past participle: accionado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + accionado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for accionar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Accionar is fully regular. Note the double c: a-cc-ion-ar, and the same double c in acciono and accioné.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for accionar. 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 | acciono |
| tú | accionas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acciona |
| nosotros/as | accionamos |
| vosotros/as | accionáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | accionan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | accioné |
| tú | accionaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | accionó |
| nosotros/as | accionamos |
| vosotros/as | accionasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | accionaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | accionaba |
| tú | accionabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | accionaba |
| nosotros/as | accionábamos |
| vosotros/as | accionabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | accionaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | accionaré |
| tú | accionarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | accionará |
| nosotros/as | accionaremos |
| vosotros/as | accionaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | accionarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | accionaría |
| tú | accionarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | accionaría |
| nosotros/as | accionaríamos |
| vosotros/as | accionaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | accionarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he accionado |
| tú | has accionado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha accionado |
| nosotros/as | hemos accionado |
| vosotros/as | habéis accionado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han accionado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había accionado |
| tú | habías accionado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había accionado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos accionado |
| vosotros/as | habíais accionado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían accionado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré accionado |
| tú | habrás accionado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá accionado |
| nosotros/as | habremos accionado |
| vosotros/as | habréis accionado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán accionado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría accionado |
| tú | habrías accionado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría accionado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos accionado |
| vosotros/as | habríais accionado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían accionado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | accione |
| tú | acciones |
| él/ella/Ud. | accione |
| nosotros/as | accionemos |
| vosotros/as | accionéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | accionen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | accionara |
| tú | accionaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | accionara |
| nosotros/as | accionáramos |
| vosotros/as | accionarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | accionaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acciona |
| él/ella/Ud. | accione |
| nosotros/as | accionemos |
| vosotros/as | accionad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | accionen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acciones |
| él/ella/Ud. | accione |
| nosotros/as | accionemos |
| vosotros/as | accionéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | accionen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | accionando | with estar for the progressive: estoy accionando |
| Past participle | accionado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he accionado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For accionar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Acciono la alarma de incendios. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For accionar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, accioné el interruptor de la luz. 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 accionar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, accionaba la máquina con el botón rojo. 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 accionar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, accionaré el freno de emergencia. 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 accionar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Accionaría la alarma de incendios 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 accionar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he accionado el interruptor de la luz. 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 accionar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había accionado la máquina con el botón rojo 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 accionar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré accionado el freno de emergencia. 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 accionar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría accionado la alarma de incendios 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For accionar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él accione el interruptor de la luz. 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 accionar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él accionara la máquina con el botón rojo, 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For accionar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡acciona el freno de emergencia! 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For accionar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No acciones la alarma de incendios. 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 accionar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Acciono la alarma de incendios. — I activate the fire alarm.
- Acciona el interruptor de la luz. — He/she activates the light switch.
- Ayer, accioné la máquina con el botón rojo. — Yesterday, I activated the machine with the red button.
- Antes, nosotros accionábamos el freno de emergencia. — Before, we used to activate the emergency brake.
- Mañana, tú accionarás la alarma de incendios. — Tomorrow, you will activate the fire alarm.
- Yo accionaría el interruptor de la luz si tuviera más tiempo. — I would activate the light switch if I had more time.
- Él ha accionado la máquina con el botón rojo. — He has activated the machine with the red button.
- Espero que él accione el freno de emergencia. — I hope he activates the emergency brake.
- Yo ya había accionado la alarma de incendios antes de salir. — I had already activated the fire alarm before leaving.
- Ellos accionaban el interruptor de la luz cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to activate the light switch when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo acciona la alarma de incendios. — Right: Yo acciono la alarma de incendios. — The person matters: acciona is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acciono. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Treating accionar and activar as identical in every context. — Right: Accionar means to activate, to operate, while activar means to activate a device or system. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: accionar fits sentences such as Acciono la alarma de incendios, while activar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy accionado el interruptor de la luz. — Right: Yo he accionado el interruptor de la luz. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he accionado, has accionado, ha accionado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo accioné la máquina con el botón rojo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo accionaba la máquina con el botón rojo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (accionaba), not the preterite. The preterite (accioné) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on accionar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la alarma de incendios. (present tense) A. acciono B. accionas C. acciona D. accionamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el interruptor de la luz. (preterite) A. accioné B. accionaste C. accionaron D. accionó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la máquina con el botón rojo. (imperfect) A. accionabas B. accionaban C. accionábamos D. accionaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el freno de emergencia. (future) A. accionaremos B. accionarás C. accionaré D. accionará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la alarma de incendios si pudiera. (conditional) A. accionaría B. accionarías C. accionarían D. acciono
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el interruptor de la luz. (present subjunctive) A. acciones B. accionemos C. acciono D. accione
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la máquina con el botón rojo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. accionáramos B. acciono C. accionara D. accionaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el freno de emergencia. (present perfect) A. han accionado B. hemos accionado C. he accionado D. has accionado
Complete the command: ¡___ la alarma de incendios! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. acciona B. accione C. accionemos D. accionad
Which is the gerund of accionar, used with estar for the progressive? A. accionado B. acciono C. accioné D. accionando
Answer key
- acciono — The first-person present of accionar is acciono. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- accionó — The third-person preterite of accionar is accionó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- accionábamos — The nosotros imperfect of accionar is accionábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- accionarás — The second-person future of accionar is accionarás.
- accionaría — The first-person conditional of accionar is accionaría, the form for what would happen.
- accione — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of accionar is accione.
- accionara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of accionar is accionara.
- hemos accionado — The nosotros present perfect of accionar is hemos accionado: hemos + accionado.
- acciona — The affirmative tú imperative of accionar is acciona.
- accionando — The gerund of accionar is accionando: estoy accionando. The participle accionado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does accionar mean in English?
Accionar means to activate, to operate. It is used in everyday situations such as Acciono la alarma de incendios. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is accionar regular or irregular?
Accionar 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 acciono in the present and accioné in the preterite.
What is the difference between accionar and activar?
Accionar means to activate, to operate, while activar means to activate a device or system. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use accionar when you mean to activate, to operate, as in Acciono la alarma de incendios, and use activar for to activate a device or system. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I activate” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo accioné el interruptor de la luz. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo accionaba la máquina con el botón rojo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he accionado el interruptor de la luz.
How do I practise accionar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the accionar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Accionar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for accionar.
- Accionar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for accionar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Acercar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with accionar.
- Acampar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with accionar.
- Aclarar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with accionar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.