Aconsejar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb aconsejar means to advise, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Aconsejar means to advise, and it is used for advising a son about his studies, advising students before an exam and advising a friend to rest. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and it is the standard verb for giving advice to one person. Like every Spanish verb, aconsejar 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 aconsejo a su hijo sobre los estudios, and in the preterite you say aconsejé paciencia a su amigo. 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: aconsejar
- English: to advise
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: aconsejando
- Past participle: aconsejado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + aconsejado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for aconsejar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Aconsejar is fully regular: aconsejé, aconsejaba, aconsejaré. Aconsejar que + subjunctive is the usual pattern for advice.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for aconsejar. 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 | aconsejo |
| tú | aconsejas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aconseja |
| nosotros/as | aconsejamos |
| vosotros/as | aconsejáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aconsejan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aconsejé |
| tú | aconsejaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | aconsejó |
| nosotros/as | aconsejamos |
| vosotros/as | aconsejasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aconsejaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aconsejaba |
| tú | aconsejabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aconsejaba |
| nosotros/as | aconsejábamos |
| vosotros/as | aconsejabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aconsejaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aconsejaré |
| tú | aconsejarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | aconsejará |
| nosotros/as | aconsejaremos |
| vosotros/as | aconsejaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aconsejarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aconsejaría |
| tú | aconsejarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | aconsejaría |
| nosotros/as | aconsejaríamos |
| vosotros/as | aconsejaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aconsejarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he aconsejado |
| tú | has aconsejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha aconsejado |
| nosotros/as | hemos aconsejado |
| vosotros/as | habéis aconsejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han aconsejado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había aconsejado |
| tú | habías aconsejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había aconsejado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos aconsejado |
| vosotros/as | habíais aconsejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían aconsejado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré aconsejado |
| tú | habrás aconsejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá aconsejado |
| nosotros/as | habremos aconsejado |
| vosotros/as | habréis aconsejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán aconsejado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría aconsejado |
| tú | habrías aconsejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría aconsejado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos aconsejado |
| vosotros/as | habríais aconsejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían aconsejado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aconseje |
| tú | aconsejes |
| él/ella/Ud. | aconseje |
| nosotros/as | aconsejemos |
| vosotros/as | aconsejéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aconsejen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aconsejara |
| tú | aconsejaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | aconsejara |
| nosotros/as | aconsejáramos |
| vosotros/as | aconsejarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aconsejaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aconseja |
| él/ella/Ud. | aconseje |
| nosotros/as | aconsejemos |
| vosotros/as | aconsejad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aconsejen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aconsejes |
| él/ella/Ud. | aconseje |
| nosotros/as | aconsejemos |
| vosotros/as | aconsejéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aconsejen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | aconsejando | with estar for the progressive: estoy aconsejando |
| Past participle | aconsejado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he aconsejado |
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 aconsejar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Aconsejo a su hijo sobre los estudios. 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 aconsejar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, aconsejé a los alumnos antes del examen. 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 aconsejar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, aconsejaba paciencia a su amigo. 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 aconsejar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, aconsejaré a María que descanse. 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 aconsejar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Aconsejaría a su hijo sobre los estudios 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 aconsejar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he aconsejado a los alumnos antes del examen. 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 aconsejar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había aconsejado paciencia a su amigo 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 aconsejar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré aconsejado a María que descanse. 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 aconsejar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría aconsejado a su hijo sobre los estudios 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 aconsejar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aconseje a los alumnos antes del examen. 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 aconsejar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él aconsejara paciencia a su amigo, 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 aconsejar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Aconseja a María que descanse! 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 aconsejar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No aconsejes a su hijo sobre los estudios. 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 aconsejar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Aconsejo a su hijo sobre los estudios. — I advise her son about his studies.
- Aconseja a los alumnos antes del examen. — He/she advises the students before the exam.
- Ayer, aconsejé paciencia a su amigo. — Yesterday, I advised patience to her friend.
- Antes, nosotros aconsejábamos a María que descanse. — Before, we used to advise María to rest.
- Mañana, tú aconsejarás a su hijo sobre los estudios. — Tomorrow, you will advise her son about his studies.
- Yo aconsejaría a los alumnos antes del examen si tuviera más tiempo. — I would advise the students before the exam if I had more time.
- Él ha aconsejado paciencia a su amigo. — He has advised patience to her friend.
- Espero que él aconseje a María que descanse. — I hope he advises María to rest.
- Yo ya había aconsejado a su hijo sobre los estudios antes de salir. — I had already advised her son about his studies before leaving.
- Ellos aconsejaban a los alumnos antes del examen cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to advise the students before the exam when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo aconseja a su hijo sobre los estudios. — Right: Yo aconsejo a su hijo sobre los estudios. — The person matters: aconseja is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aconsejo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Vosotros aconsejais a los alumnos antes del examen. — Right: Vosotros aconsejáis a los alumnos antes del examen. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: aconsejáis, not aconsejais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
- Wrong: Treating aconsejar and recomendar as identical in every context. — Right: Aconsejar means to advise, while recomendar means to recommend, the close synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aconsejar fits sentences such as Aconsejo a su hijo sobre los estudios, while recomendar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy aconsejado a los alumnos antes del examen. — Right: Yo he aconsejado a los alumnos antes del examen. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aconsejado, has aconsejado, ha aconsejado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo aconsejé paciencia a su amigo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aconsejaba paciencia a su amigo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aconsejaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aconsejé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on aconsejar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su hijo sobre los estudios. (present tense) A. aconsejo B. aconsejas C. aconseja D. aconsejamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a los alumnos antes del examen. (preterite) A. aconsejé B. aconsejaste C. aconsejaron D. aconsejó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ paciencia a su amigo. (imperfect) A. aconsejabas B. aconsejaban C. aconsejábamos D. aconsejaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a María que descanse. (future) A. aconsejaremos B. aconsejarás C. aconsejaré D. aconsejará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su hijo sobre los estudios si pudiera. (conditional) A. aconsejaría B. aconsejarías C. aconsejarían D. aconsejo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los alumnos antes del examen. (present subjunctive) A. aconsejes B. aconsejemos C. aconsejo D. aconseje
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ paciencia a su amigo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. aconsejáramos B. aconsejo C. aconsejara D. aconsejaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a María que descanse. (present perfect) A. han aconsejado B. hemos aconsejado C. he aconsejado D. has aconsejado
Complete the command: ¡___ a su hijo sobre los estudios! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. aconseja B. aconseje C. aconsejemos D. aconsejad
Which is the gerund of aconsejar, used with estar for the progressive? A. aconsejado B. aconsejo C. aconsejé D. aconsejando
Answer key
- aconsejo — The first-person present of aconsejar is aconsejo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- aconsejó — The third-person preterite of aconsejar is aconsejó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- aconsejábamos — The nosotros imperfect of aconsejar is aconsejábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- aconsejarás — The second-person future of aconsejar is aconsejarás.
- aconsejaría — The first-person conditional of aconsejar is aconsejaría, the form for what would happen.
- aconseje — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of aconsejar is aconseje.
- aconsejara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of aconsejar is aconsejara.
- hemos aconsejado — The nosotros present perfect of aconsejar is hemos aconsejado: hemos + aconsejado.
- aconseja — The affirmative tú imperative of aconsejar is aconseja.
- aconsejando — The gerund of aconsejar is aconsejando: estoy aconsejando. The participle aconsejado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does aconsejar mean in English?
Aconsejar means to advise. It is used in everyday situations such as Aconsejo a su hijo sobre los estudios. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is aconsejar regular or irregular?
Aconsejar 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 aconsejo in the present and aconsejé in the preterite.
What is the difference between aconsejar and recomendar?
Aconsejar means to advise, while recomendar means to recommend, the close synonym. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use aconsejar when you mean to advise, as in Aconsejo a su hijo sobre los estudios, and use recomendar for to recommend, the close synonym. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I advise” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo aconsejé a los alumnos antes del examen. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo aconsejaba paciencia a su amigo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he aconsejado a los alumnos antes del examen.
How do I practise aconsejar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the aconsejar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Aconsejar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for aconsejar.
- Aconsejar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for aconsejar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Recomendar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with aconsejar.
- Avisar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with aconsejar.
- Informar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with aconsejar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.