Actuar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb actuar means to act, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Actuar means to act, and it covers acting in a play or a film, performing on stage and, figuratively, acting in a certain way in a situation. It is a regular -ar verb with an accent on the u in some forms, such as actúo, which is its main spelling point. Like every Spanish verb, actuar 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 actúo en la obra del colegio, and in the preterite you say actué con calma en la crisis. 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: actuar
  • English: to act
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: actuando
  • Past participle: actuado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + actuado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for actuar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Actuar keeps the accent on the u where the stress falls on it: yo actúo, tú actúas. Without the accent the pronunciation changes.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for actuar. 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 actúo
tú actúas
él/ella/Ud. actúa
nosotros/as actuamos
vosotros/as actuáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. actúan

Preterite

Person Form
yo actué
tú actuaste
él/ella/Ud. actuó
nosotros/as actuamos
vosotros/as actuasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. actuaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo actuaba
tú actuabas
él/ella/Ud. actuaba
nosotros/as actuábamos
vosotros/as actuabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. actuaban

Future

Person Form
yo actuaré
tú actuarás
él/ella/Ud. actuará
nosotros/as actuaremos
vosotros/as actuaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. actuarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo actuaría
tú actuarías
él/ella/Ud. actuaría
nosotros/as actuaríamos
vosotros/as actuaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. actuarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo actúe
tú actúes
él/ella/Ud. actúe
nosotros/as actuemos
vosotros/as actuéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. actúen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo actuara
tú actuaras
él/ella/Ud. actuara
nosotros/as actuáramos
vosotros/as actuarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. actuaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú actúa
él/ella/Ud. actúe
nosotros/as actuemos
vosotros/as actuad
ellos/ellas/Uds. actúen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú actúes
él/ella/Ud. actúe
nosotros/as actuemos
vosotros/as actuéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. actúen

Gerund and past participle

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

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 actuar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Actúo en la obra del colegio. 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 actuar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, actué en una película de comedia. 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 actuar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, actuaba con calma en la crisis. 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 actuar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, actuaré en el teatro de la ciudad. 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 actuar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Actuaría en la obra del colegio 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 actuar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he actuado en una película de comedia. 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 actuar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había actuado con calma en la crisis 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 actuar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré actuado en el teatro de la ciudad. 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 actuar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría actuado en la obra del colegio 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 actuar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él actúe en una película de comedia. 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 actuar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él actuara con calma en la crisis, 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 actuar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Actúa en el teatro de la ciudad! 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 actuar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No actúes en la obra del colegio. 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 actuar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Actúo en la obra del colegio. — I act in the school play.
  2. Actúa en una película de comedia. — He/she acts in a comedy film.
  3. Ayer, actué con calma en la crisis. — Yesterday, I acted calmly in the crisis.
  4. Antes, nosotros actuábamos en el teatro de la ciudad. — Before, we used to act in the city theatre.
  5. Mañana, tú actuarás en la obra del colegio. — Tomorrow, you will act in the school play.
  6. Yo actuaría en una película de comedia si tuviera más tiempo. — I would act in a comedy film if I had more time.
  7. Él ha actuado con calma en la crisis. — He has acted calmly in the crisis.
  8. Espero que él actúe en el teatro de la ciudad. — I hope he acts in the city theatre.
  9. Yo ya había actuado en la obra del colegio antes de salir. — I had already acted in the school play before leaving.
  10. Ellos actuaban en una película de comedia cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to act in a comedy film when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo actúa en la obra del colegio. — Right: Yo actúo en la obra del colegio. — The person matters: actúa is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is actúo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo actuo en una película de comedia. — Right: Yo actúo en una película de comedia. — In the present, the correct first-person form is actúo, not actuo. The present of actuar does not follow the regular pattern here, so learn the form from the table.
  3. Wrong: Treating actuar and interpretar as identical in every context. — Right: Actuar means to act, while interpretar means to perform a role, the close synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: actuar fits sentences such as Actúo en la obra del colegio, while interpretar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy actuado en una película de comedia. — Right: Yo he actuado en una película de comedia. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he actuado, has actuado, ha actuado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo actué con calma en la crisis todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo actuaba con calma en la crisis todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (actuaba), not the preterite. The preterite (actué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la obra del colegio. (present tense) A. actúo B. actúas C. actúa D. actuamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en una película de comedia. (preterite) A. actué B. actuaste C. actuaron D. actuó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con calma en la crisis. (imperfect) A. actuabas B. actuaban C. actuábamos D. actuaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en el teatro de la ciudad. (future) A. actuaremos B. actuarás C. actuaré D. actuará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la obra del colegio si pudiera. (conditional) A. actuaría B. actuarías C. actuarían D. actúo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en una película de comedia. (present subjunctive) A. actúes B. actuemos C. actúo D. actúe

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con calma en la crisis, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. actuáramos B. actúo C. actuara D. actuaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en el teatro de la ciudad. (present perfect) A. han actuado B. hemos actuado C. he actuado D. has actuado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ en la obra del colegio! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. actúa B. actúe C. actuemos D. actuad

  10. Which is the gerund of actuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. actuado B. actúo C. actué D. actuando

Answer key

  1. actúo — The first-person present of actuar is actúo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. actuó — The third-person preterite of actuar is actuó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. actuábamos — The nosotros imperfect of actuar is actuábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. actuarás — The second-person future of actuar is actuarás.
  5. actuaría — The first-person conditional of actuar is actuaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. actúe — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of actuar is actúe.
  7. actuara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of actuar is actuara.
  8. hemos actuado — The nosotros present perfect of actuar is hemos actuado: hemos + actuado.
  9. actúa — The affirmative tú imperative of actuar is actúa.
  10. actuando — The gerund of actuar is actuando: estoy actuando. The participle actuado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does actuar mean in English?

Actuar means to act. It is used in everyday situations such as Actúo en la obra del colegio. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is actuar regular or irregular?

Actuar 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 actúo in the present and actué in the preterite.

What is the difference between actuar and interpretar?

Actuar means to act, while interpretar means to perform a role, the close synonym. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use actuar when you mean to act, as in Actúo en la obra del colegio, and use interpretar for to perform a role, the close synonym. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I act” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo actué en una película de comedia. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo actuaba con calma en la crisis. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he actuado en una película de comedia.

How do I practise actuar?

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

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