Achacar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb achacar means to blame, to attribute, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Achacar means to blame or to attribute, to say that something is someone's fault or is caused by something. It is used with a for the person blamed and is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e. Like every Spanish verb, achacar 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 achaco la culpa a su compañero, and in the preterite you say achaqué el problema a la falta de tiempo. 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: achacar
- English: to blame, to attribute
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: achacando
- Past participle: achacado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + achacado)
- Spelling change: Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is achaque and the preterite first person is achaqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for achacar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is achaqué. Achacar takes a: achacar la culpa a alguien.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for achacar. 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 | achaco |
| tú | achacas |
| él/ella/Ud. | achaca |
| nosotros/as | achacamos |
| vosotros/as | achacáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | achacan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | achaqué |
| tú | achacaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | achacó |
| nosotros/as | achacamos |
| vosotros/as | achacasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | achacaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | achacaba |
| tú | achacabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | achacaba |
| nosotros/as | achacábamos |
| vosotros/as | achacabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | achacaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | achacaré |
| tú | achacarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | achacará |
| nosotros/as | achacaremos |
| vosotros/as | achacaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | achacarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | achacaría |
| tú | achacarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | achacaría |
| nosotros/as | achacaríamos |
| vosotros/as | achacaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | achacarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he achacado |
| tú | has achacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha achacado |
| nosotros/as | hemos achacado |
| vosotros/as | habéis achacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han achacado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había achacado |
| tú | habías achacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había achacado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos achacado |
| vosotros/as | habíais achacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían achacado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré achacado |
| tú | habrás achacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá achacado |
| nosotros/as | habremos achacado |
| vosotros/as | habréis achacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán achacado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría achacado |
| tú | habrías achacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría achacado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos achacado |
| vosotros/as | habríais achacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían achacado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | achaque |
| tú | achaques |
| él/ella/Ud. | achaque |
| nosotros/as | achaquemos |
| vosotros/as | achaquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | achaquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | achacara |
| tú | achacaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | achacara |
| nosotros/as | achacáramos |
| vosotros/as | achacarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | achacaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | achaca |
| él/ella/Ud. | achaque |
| nosotros/as | achaquemos |
| vosotros/as | achacad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | achaquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | achaques |
| él/ella/Ud. | achaque |
| nosotros/as | achaquemos |
| vosotros/as | achaquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | achaquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | achacando | with estar for the progressive: estoy achacando |
| Past participle | achacado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he achacado |
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 achacar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Achaco la culpa a su compañero. 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is achaque and the preterite first person is achaqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For achacar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, achaqué el error al cansancio. 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 achacar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, achacaba el problema a la falta de tiempo. 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 achacar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, achacaré todo a la mala suerte. 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 achacar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Achacaría la culpa a su compañero 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 achacar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he achacado el error al cansancio. 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 achacar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había achacado el problema a la falta de tiempo 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 achacar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré achacado todo a la mala suerte. 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 achacar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría achacado la culpa a su compañero 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is achaque and the preterite first person is achaqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For achacar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él achaque el error al cansancio. 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 achacar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él achacara el problema a la falta de tiempo, 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is achaque and the preterite first person is achaqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For achacar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Achaca todo a la mala suerte! 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is achaque and the preterite first person is achaqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For achacar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No achaques la culpa a su compañero. 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 achacar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Achaco la culpa a su compañero. — I blame the blame to his colleague.
- Achaca el error al cansancio. — He/she blames the mistake to tiredness.
- Ayer, achaqué el problema a la falta de tiempo. — Yesterday, I blamed the problem to lack of time.
- Antes, nosotros achacábamos todo a la mala suerte. — Before, we used to blame everything to bad luck.
- Mañana, tú achacarás la culpa a su compañero. — Tomorrow, you will blame the blame to his colleague.
- Yo achacaría el error al cansancio si tuviera más tiempo. — I would blame the mistake to tiredness if I had more time.
- Él ha achacado el problema a la falta de tiempo. — He has blamed the problem to lack of time.
- Espero que él achaque todo a la mala suerte. — I hope he blames everything to bad luck.
- Yo ya había achacado la culpa a su compañero antes de salir. — I had already blamed the blame to his colleague before leaving.
- Ellos achacaban el error al cansancio cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to blame the mistake to tiredness when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo achaca la culpa a su compañero. — Right: Yo achaco la culpa a su compañero. — The person matters: achaca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is achaco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Espero que yo achace el error al cansancio. — Right: Espero que yo achaque el error al cansancio. — Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is achaque, never achace.
- Wrong: Treating achacar and culpar as identical in every context. — Right: Achacar means to blame, to attribute, while culpar means to blame someone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: achacar fits sentences such as Achaco la culpa a su compañero, while culpar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy achacado el error al cansancio. — Right: Yo he achacado el error al cansancio. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he achacado, has achacado, ha achacado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo achaqué el problema a la falta de tiempo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo achacaba el problema a la falta de tiempo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (achacaba), not the preterite. The preterite (achaqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on achacar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la culpa a su compañero. (present tense) A. achaco B. achacas C. achaca D. achacamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el error al cansancio. (preterite) A. achaqué B. achacaste C. achacaron D. achacó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el problema a la falta de tiempo. (imperfect) A. achacabas B. achacaban C. achacábamos D. achacaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ todo a la mala suerte. (future) A. achacaremos B. achacarás C. achacaré D. achacará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la culpa a su compañero si pudiera. (conditional) A. achacaría B. achacarías C. achacarían D. achaco
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el error al cansancio. (present subjunctive) A. achaques B. achaquemos C. achaco D. achaque
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el problema a la falta de tiempo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. achacáramos B. achaco C. achacara D. achacaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ todo a la mala suerte. (present perfect) A. han achacado B. hemos achacado C. he achacado D. has achacado
Complete the command: ¡___ la culpa a su compañero! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. achaca B. achaque C. achaquemos D. achacad
Which is the gerund of achacar, used with estar for the progressive? A. achacado B. achaco C. achaqué D. achacando
Answer key
- achaco — The first-person present of achacar is achaco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- achacó — The third-person preterite of achacar is achacó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- achacábamos — The nosotros imperfect of achacar is achacábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- achacarás — The second-person future of achacar is achacarás.
- achacaría — The first-person conditional of achacar is achacaría, the form for what would happen.
- achaque — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of achacar is achaque.
- achacara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of achacar is achacara.
- hemos achacado — The nosotros present perfect of achacar is hemos achacado: hemos + achacado.
- achaca — The affirmative tú imperative of achacar is achaca.
- achacando — The gerund of achacar is achacando: estoy achacando. The participle achacado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does achacar mean in English?
Achacar means to blame, to attribute. It is used in everyday situations such as Achaco la culpa a su compañero. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is achacar regular or irregular?
Achacar is a spelling-change verb, so it is not fully regular. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is achaque and the preterite first person is achaqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. The other tenses follow the regular -ar endings. Learn the changed forms from the tables above rather than applying the regular spelling.
What is the difference between achacar and culpar?
Achacar means to blame, to attribute, while culpar means to blame someone. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use achacar when you mean to blame, to attribute, as in Achaco la culpa a su compañero, and use culpar for to blame someone. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I blame” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo achaqué el error al cansancio. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo achacaba el problema a la falta de tiempo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he achacado el error al cansancio.
How do I practise achacar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the achacar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Achacar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for achacar.
- Achacar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for achacar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Acechar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with achacar.
- Acarrear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with achacar.
- Abrochar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with achacar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.