Acompañar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb acompañar means to accompany, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Acompañar means to accompany, and it is used for going with someone somewhere, for keeping someone company and for food that goes with a dish: you accompany a friend to the doctor, you accompany your grandmother on a walk, and rice accompanies fish. It is one of the most useful social verbs in Spanish. Like every Spanish verb, acompañar 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 acompaño a mi abuela al médico, and in the preterite you say acompañé el pescado con arroz. 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: acompañar
  • English: to accompany
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: acompañando
  • Past participle: acompañado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + acompañado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for acompañar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Acompañar takes a person as its object, with a for the personal a: acompaño a mi abuela, never acompaño mi abuela.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for acompañar. 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 acompaño
tú acompañas
él/ella/Ud. acompaña
nosotros/as acompañamos
vosotros/as acompañáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acompañan

Preterite

Person Form
yo acompañé
tú acompañaste
él/ella/Ud. acompañó
nosotros/as acompañamos
vosotros/as acompañasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acompañaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo acompañaba
tú acompañabas
él/ella/Ud. acompañaba
nosotros/as acompañábamos
vosotros/as acompañabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. acompañaban

Future

Person Form
yo acompañaré
tú acompañarás
él/ella/Ud. acompañará
nosotros/as acompañaremos
vosotros/as acompañaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acompañarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo acompañaría
tú acompañarías
él/ella/Ud. acompañaría
nosotros/as acompañaríamos
vosotros/as acompañaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. acompañarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he acompañado
tú has acompañado
él/ella/Ud. ha acompañado
nosotros/as hemos acompañado
vosotros/as habéis acompañado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han acompañado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había acompañado
tú habías acompañado
él/ella/Ud. había acompañado
nosotros/as habíamos acompañado
vosotros/as habíais acompañado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían acompañado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré acompañado
tú habrás acompañado
él/ella/Ud. habrá acompañado
nosotros/as habremos acompañado
vosotros/as habréis acompañado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán acompañado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría acompañado
tú habrías acompañado
él/ella/Ud. habría acompañado
nosotros/as habríamos acompañado
vosotros/as habríais acompañado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían acompañado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo acompañe
tú acompañes
él/ella/Ud. acompañe
nosotros/as acompañemos
vosotros/as acompañéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acompañen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo acompañara
tú acompañaras
él/ella/Ud. acompañara
nosotros/as acompañáramos
vosotros/as acompañarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. acompañaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú acompaña
él/ella/Ud. acompañe
nosotros/as acompañemos
vosotros/as acompañad
ellos/ellas/Uds. acompañen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú acompañes
él/ella/Ud. acompañe
nosotros/as acompañemos
vosotros/as acompañéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acompañen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund acompañando with estar for the progressive: estoy acompañando
Past participle acompañado with haber for the perfect tenses: he acompañado

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 acompañar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Acompaño a mi abuela al médico. 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 acompañar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, acompañé a mi amigo a la estación. 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 acompañar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, acompañaba el pescado con arroz. 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 acompañar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, acompañaré a mi hija a la escuela. 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 acompañar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Acompañaría a mi abuela al médico 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 acompañar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he acompañado a mi amigo a la estación. 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 acompañar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había acompañado el pescado con arroz 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 acompañar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré acompañado a mi hija a la escuela. 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 acompañar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría acompañado a mi abuela al médico 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 acompañar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él acompañe a mi amigo a la estación. 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 acompañar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él acompañara el pescado con arroz, 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 acompañar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡acompaña a mi hija a la escuela! 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 acompañar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No acompañes a mi abuela al médico. 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 acompañar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Acompaño a mi abuela al médico. — I accompany my grandmother to the doctor.
  2. Acompaña a mi amigo a la estación. — He/she accompanies my friend to the station.
  3. Ayer, acompañé el pescado con arroz. — Yesterday, I accompanied fish with rice.
  4. Antes, nosotros acompañábamos a mi hija a la escuela. — Before, we used to accompany my daughter to school.
  5. Mañana, tú acompañarás a mi abuela al médico. — Tomorrow, you will accompany my grandmother to the doctor.
  6. Yo acompañaría a mi amigo a la estación si tuviera más tiempo. — I would accompany my friend to the station if I had more time.
  7. Él ha acompañado el pescado con arroz. — He has accompanied fish with rice.
  8. Espero que él acompañe a mi hija a la escuela. — I hope he accompanies my daughter to school.
  9. Yo ya había acompañado a mi abuela al médico antes de salir. — I had already accompanied my grandmother to the doctor before leaving.
  10. Ellos acompañaban a mi amigo a la estación cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to accompany my friend to the station when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo acompaña a mi abuela al médico. — Right: Yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico. — The person matters: acompaña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acompaño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating acompañar and seguir as identical in every context. — Right: Acompañar means to accompany, while seguir means to follow someone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acompañar fits sentences such as Acompaño a mi abuela al médico, while seguir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy acompañado a mi amigo a la estación. — Right: Yo he acompañado a mi amigo a la estación. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acompañado, has acompañado, ha acompañado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo acompañé el pescado con arroz todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo acompañaba el pescado con arroz todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (acompañaba), not the preterite. The preterite (acompañé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on acompañar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mi abuela al médico. (present tense) A. acompaño B. acompañas C. acompaña D. acompañamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a mi amigo a la estación. (preterite) A. acompañé B. acompañaste C. acompañaron D. acompañó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el pescado con arroz. (imperfect) A. acompañabas B. acompañaban C. acompañábamos D. acompañaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a mi hija a la escuela. (future) A. acompañaremos B. acompañarás C. acompañaré D. acompañará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mi abuela al médico si pudiera. (conditional) A. acompañaría B. acompañarías C. acompañarían D. acompaño

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a mi amigo a la estación. (present subjunctive) A. acompañes B. acompañemos C. acompaño D. acompañe

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el pescado con arroz, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. acompañáramos B. acompaño C. acompañara D. acompañaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a mi hija a la escuela. (present perfect) A. han acompañado B. hemos acompañado C. he acompañado D. has acompañado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a mi abuela al médico! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. acompaña B. acompañe C. acompañemos D. acompañad

  10. Which is the gerund of acompañar, used with estar for the progressive? A. acompañado B. acompaño C. acompañé D. acompañando

Answer key

  1. acompaño — The first-person present of acompañar is acompaño. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. acompañó — The third-person preterite of acompañar is acompañó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. acompañábamos — The nosotros imperfect of acompañar is acompañábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. acompañarás — The second-person future of acompañar is acompañarás.
  5. acompañaría — The first-person conditional of acompañar is acompañaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. acompañe — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of acompañar is acompañe.
  7. acompañara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of acompañar is acompañara.
  8. hemos acompañado — The nosotros present perfect of acompañar is hemos acompañado: hemos + acompañado.
  9. acompaña — The affirmative tú imperative of acompañar is acompaña.
  10. acompañando — The gerund of acompañar is acompañando: estoy acompañando. The participle acompañado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does acompañar mean in English?

Acompañar means to accompany. It is used in everyday situations such as Acompaño a mi abuela al médico. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is acompañar regular or irregular?

Acompañar 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 acompaño in the present and acompañé in the preterite.

What is the difference between acompañar and seguir?

Acompañar means to accompany, while seguir means to follow someone. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use acompañar when you mean to accompany, as in Acompaño a mi abuela al médico, and use seguir for to follow someone. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I accompany” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo acompañé a mi amigo a la estación. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo acompañaba el pescado con arroz. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he acompañado a mi amigo a la estación.

How do I practise acompañar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the acompañar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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