Acelerar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb acelerar means to accelerate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Acelerar means to accelerate, and it is used for speeding up a car, a process or a heartbeat. It is the opposite of frenar, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, acelerar 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 acelero en la autopista para adelantar, and in the preterite you say aceleré el coche en la recta. 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: acelerar
- English: to accelerate
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: acelerando
- Past participle: acelerado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + acelerado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for acelerar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Acelerar is fully regular: aceleré, aceleraba, aceleraré. Acelerar el paso means to hurry up on foot.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for acelerar. 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 | acelero |
| tú | aceleras |
| él/ella/Ud. | acelera |
| nosotros/as | aceleramos |
| vosotros/as | aceleráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aceleran |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aceleré |
| tú | aceleraste |
| él/ella/Ud. | aceleró |
| nosotros/as | aceleramos |
| vosotros/as | acelerasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aceleraron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aceleraba |
| tú | acelerabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aceleraba |
| nosotros/as | acelerábamos |
| vosotros/as | acelerabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aceleraban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aceleraré |
| tú | acelerarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | acelerará |
| nosotros/as | aceleraremos |
| vosotros/as | aceleraréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acelerarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aceleraría |
| tú | acelerarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | aceleraría |
| nosotros/as | aceleraríamos |
| vosotros/as | aceleraríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acelerarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he acelerado |
| tú | has acelerado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha acelerado |
| nosotros/as | hemos acelerado |
| vosotros/as | habéis acelerado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han acelerado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había acelerado |
| tú | habías acelerado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había acelerado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos acelerado |
| vosotros/as | habíais acelerado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían acelerado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré acelerado |
| tú | habrás acelerado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá acelerado |
| nosotros/as | habremos acelerado |
| vosotros/as | habréis acelerado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán acelerado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría acelerado |
| tú | habrías acelerado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría acelerado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos acelerado |
| vosotros/as | habríais acelerado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían acelerado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acelere |
| tú | aceleres |
| él/ella/Ud. | acelere |
| nosotros/as | aceleremos |
| vosotros/as | aceleréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aceleren |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acelerara |
| tú | aceleraras |
| él/ella/Ud. | acelerara |
| nosotros/as | aceleráramos |
| vosotros/as | acelerarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aceleraran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acelera |
| él/ella/Ud. | acelere |
| nosotros/as | aceleremos |
| vosotros/as | acelerad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aceleren |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aceleres |
| él/ella/Ud. | acelere |
| nosotros/as | aceleremos |
| vosotros/as | aceleréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aceleren |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | acelerando | with estar for the progressive: estoy acelerando |
| Past participle | acelerado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he acelerado |
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 acelerar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Acelero en la autopista para adelantar. 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 acelerar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, aceleré al salir del semáforo. 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 acelerar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, aceleraba el coche en la recta. 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 acelerar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, aceleraré el paso para llegar a tiempo. 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 acelerar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Aceleraría en la autopista para adelantar 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 acelerar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he acelerado al salir del semáforo. 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 acelerar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había acelerado el coche en la recta 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 acelerar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré acelerado el paso para llegar a tiempo. 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 acelerar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría acelerado en la autopista para adelantar 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 acelerar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él acelere al salir del semáforo. 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 acelerar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él acelerara el coche en la recta, 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 acelerar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Acelera el paso para llegar a tiempo! 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 acelerar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No aceleres en la autopista para adelantar. 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 acelerar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Acelero en la autopista para adelantar. — I accelerate on the motorway to overtake.
- Acelera al salir del semáforo. — He/she accelerates on leaving the traffic light.
- Ayer, aceleré el coche en la recta. — Yesterday, I accelerated the car on the straight.
- Antes, nosotros acelerábamos el paso para llegar a tiempo. — Before, we used to accelerate my pace to arrive on time.
- Mañana, tú acelerarás en la autopista para adelantar. — Tomorrow, you will accelerate on the motorway to overtake.
- Yo aceleraría al salir del semáforo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would accelerate on leaving the traffic light if I had more time.
- Él ha acelerado el coche en la recta. — He has accelerated the car on the straight.
- Espero que él acelere el paso para llegar a tiempo. — I hope he accelerates my pace to arrive on time.
- Yo ya había acelerado en la autopista para adelantar antes de salir. — I had already accelerated on the motorway to overtake before leaving.
- Ellos aceleraban al salir del semáforo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to accelerate on leaving the traffic light when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo acelera en la autopista para adelantar. — Right: Yo acelero en la autopista para adelantar. — The person matters: acelera is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acelero. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo acelero al salir del semáforo. — Right: Ayer yo aceleré al salir del semáforo. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: acelero is happening now, while aceleré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating acelerar and frenar as identical in every context. — Right: Acelerar means to accelerate, while frenar means to brake. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acelerar fits sentences such as Acelero en la autopista para adelantar, while frenar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy acelerado al salir del semáforo. — Right: Yo he acelerado al salir del semáforo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acelerado, has acelerado, ha acelerado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo aceleré el coche en la recta todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aceleraba el coche en la recta todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aceleraba), not the preterite. The preterite (aceleré) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on acelerar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la autopista para adelantar. (present tense) A. acelero B. aceleras C. acelera D. aceleramos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al salir del semáforo. (preterite) A. aceleré B. aceleraste C. aceleraron D. aceleró
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el coche en la recta. (imperfect) A. acelerabas B. aceleraban C. acelerábamos D. aceleraba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el paso para llegar a tiempo. (future) A. aceleraremos B. acelerarás C. aceleraré D. acelerará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la autopista para adelantar si pudiera. (conditional) A. aceleraría B. acelerarías C. acelerarían D. acelero
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al salir del semáforo. (present subjunctive) A. aceleres B. aceleremos C. acelero D. acelere
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el coche en la recta, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. aceleráramos B. acelero C. acelerara D. aceleraras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el paso para llegar a tiempo. (present perfect) A. han acelerado B. hemos acelerado C. he acelerado D. has acelerado
Complete the command: ¡___ en la autopista para adelantar! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. acelera B. acelere C. aceleremos D. acelerad
Which is the gerund of acelerar, used with estar for the progressive? A. acelerado B. acelero C. aceleré D. acelerando
Answer key
- acelero — The first-person present of acelerar is acelero. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- aceleró — The third-person preterite of acelerar is aceleró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- acelerábamos — The nosotros imperfect of acelerar is acelerábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- acelerarás — The second-person future of acelerar is acelerarás.
- aceleraría — The first-person conditional of acelerar is aceleraría, the form for what would happen.
- acelere — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of acelerar is acelere.
- acelerara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of acelerar is acelerara.
- hemos acelerado — The nosotros present perfect of acelerar is hemos acelerado: hemos + acelerado.
- acelera — The affirmative tú imperative of acelerar is acelera.
- acelerando — The gerund of acelerar is acelerando: estoy acelerando. The participle acelerado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does acelerar mean in English?
Acelerar means to accelerate. It is used in everyday situations such as Acelero en la autopista para adelantar. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is acelerar regular or irregular?
Acelerar 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 acelero in the present and aceleré in the preterite.
What is the difference between acelerar and frenar?
Acelerar means to accelerate, while frenar means to brake. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use acelerar when you mean to accelerate, as in Acelero en la autopista para adelantar, and use frenar for to brake. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I accelerate” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo aceleré al salir del semáforo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo aceleraba el coche en la recta. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he acelerado al salir del semáforo.
How do I practise acelerar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the acelerar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Acelerar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for acelerar.
- Acelerar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for acelerar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Doblar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acelerar.
- Frenar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acelerar.
- Arrancar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acelerar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.