Acosar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb acosar means to harass, to pursue, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Acosar means to harass or to pursue, to bother someone repeatedly or to chase someone without rest. It is used for bullying, for the press following a celebrity and for animals chasing prey, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, acosar 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 acoso a su víctima con mensajes, and in the preterite you say acosé a los vecinos con ruido. 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: acosar
  • English: to harass, to pursue
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: acosando
  • Past participle: acosado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + acosado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for acosar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Acosar is fully regular: acoso, acosa. It is repeated, unwanted pressure; perseguir is chasing, literally or figuratively.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for acosar. 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 acoso
tú acosas
él/ella/Ud. acosa
nosotros/as acosamos
vosotros/as acosáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acosan

Preterite

Person Form
yo acosé
tú acosaste
él/ella/Ud. acosó
nosotros/as acosamos
vosotros/as acosasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acosaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo acosaba
tú acosabas
él/ella/Ud. acosaba
nosotros/as acosábamos
vosotros/as acosabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. acosaban

Future

Person Form
yo acosaré
tú acosarás
él/ella/Ud. acosará
nosotros/as acosaremos
vosotros/as acosaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acosarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo acosaría
tú acosarías
él/ella/Ud. acosaría
nosotros/as acosaríamos
vosotros/as acosaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. acosarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo acose
tú acoses
él/ella/Ud. acose
nosotros/as acosemos
vosotros/as acoséis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acosen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo acosara
tú acosaras
él/ella/Ud. acosara
nosotros/as acosáramos
vosotros/as acosarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. acosaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú acosa
él/ella/Ud. acose
nosotros/as acosemos
vosotros/as acosad
ellos/ellas/Uds. acosen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú acoses
él/ella/Ud. acose
nosotros/as acosemos
vosotros/as acoséis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acosen

Gerund and past participle

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

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 acosar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Acoso a su víctima con mensajes. 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 acosar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, acosé al famoso en la calle. 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 acosar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, acosaba a los vecinos con ruido. 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 acosar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, acosaré al rival sin darle descanso. 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 acosar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Acosaría a su víctima con mensajes 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 acosar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he acosado al famoso en la calle. 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 acosar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había acosado a los vecinos con ruido 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 acosar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré acosado al rival sin darle descanso. 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 acosar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría acosado a su víctima con mensajes 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 acosar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él acose al famoso en la calle. 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 acosar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él acosara a los vecinos con ruido, 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 acosar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Acosa al rival sin darle descanso! 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 acosar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No acoses a su víctima con mensajes. 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 acosar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Acoso a su víctima con mensajes. — I harass his victim with messages.
  2. Acosa al famoso en la calle. — He/she harasses the celebrity in the street.
  3. Ayer, acosé a los vecinos con ruido. — Yesterday, I harassed the neighbours with noise.
  4. Antes, nosotros acosábamos al rival sin darle descanso. — Before, we used to harass the rival without giving him a rest.
  5. Mañana, tú acosarás a su víctima con mensajes. — Tomorrow, you will harass his victim with messages.
  6. Yo acosaría al famoso en la calle si tuviera más tiempo. — I would harass the celebrity in the street if I had more time.
  7. Él ha acosado a los vecinos con ruido. — He has harassed the neighbours with noise.
  8. Espero que él acose al rival sin darle descanso. — I hope he harasses the rival without giving him a rest.
  9. Yo ya había acosado a su víctima con mensajes antes de salir. — I had already harassed his victim with messages before leaving.
  10. Ellos acosaban al famoso en la calle cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to harass the celebrity in the street when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo acosa a su víctima con mensajes. — Right: Yo acoso a su víctima con mensajes. — The person matters: acosa is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acoso. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo acoso al famoso en la calle. — Right: Ayer yo acosé al famoso en la calle. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: acoso is happening now, while acosé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating acosar and perseguir as identical in every context. — Right: Acosar means to harass, to pursue, while perseguir means to chase or pursue. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acosar fits sentences such as Acoso a su víctima con mensajes, while perseguir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy acosado al famoso en la calle. — Right: Yo he acosado al famoso en la calle. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acosado, has acosado, ha acosado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo acosé a los vecinos con ruido todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo acosaba a los vecinos con ruido todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (acosaba), not the preterite. The preterite (acosé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su víctima con mensajes. (present tense) A. acoso B. acosas C. acosa D. acosamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al famoso en la calle. (preterite) A. acosé B. acosaste C. acosaron D. acosó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a los vecinos con ruido. (imperfect) A. acosabas B. acosaban C. acosábamos D. acosaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ al rival sin darle descanso. (future) A. acosaremos B. acosarás C. acosaré D. acosará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su víctima con mensajes si pudiera. (conditional) A. acosaría B. acosarías C. acosarían D. acoso

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al famoso en la calle. (present subjunctive) A. acoses B. acosemos C. acoso D. acose

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a los vecinos con ruido, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. acosáramos B. acoso C. acosara D. acosaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ al rival sin darle descanso. (present perfect) A. han acosado B. hemos acosado C. he acosado D. has acosado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a su víctima con mensajes! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. acosa B. acose C. acosemos D. acosad

  10. Which is the gerund of acosar, used with estar for the progressive? A. acosado B. acoso C. acosé D. acosando

Answer key

  1. acoso — The first-person present of acosar is acoso. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. acosó — The third-person preterite of acosar is acosó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. acosábamos — The nosotros imperfect of acosar is acosábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. acosarás — The second-person future of acosar is acosarás.
  5. acosaría — The first-person conditional of acosar is acosaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. acose — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of acosar is acose.
  7. acosara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of acosar is acosara.
  8. hemos acosado — The nosotros present perfect of acosar is hemos acosado: hemos + acosado.
  9. acosa — The affirmative tú imperative of acosar is acosa.
  10. acosando — The gerund of acosar is acosando: estoy acosando. The participle acosado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does acosar mean in English?

Acosar means to harass, to pursue. It is used in everyday situations such as Acoso a su víctima con mensajes. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is acosar regular or irregular?

Acosar 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 acoso in the present and acosé in the preterite.

What is the difference between acosar and perseguir?

Acosar means to harass, to pursue, while perseguir means to chase or pursue. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use acosar when you mean to harass, to pursue, as in Acoso a su víctima con mensajes, and use perseguir for to chase or pursue. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I harass” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo acosé al famoso en la calle. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo acosaba a los vecinos con ruido. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he acosado al famoso en la calle.

How do I practise acosar?

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

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