Adecuar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb adecuar means to adapt, to suit, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Adecuar means to adapt something to something else: adecuar el precio a su bolsillo, adecuar el texto al público. It takes a before the thing it is adapted to. Like every Spanish verb, adecuar 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 Yo adecúo el precio a su bolsillo — "I adapt the price to his pocket". 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: adecuar
  • English: to adapt, to suit
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: adecuando
  • Past participle: adecuado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + adecuado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for adecuar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for adecuar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | adecúo | | tú | adecúas | | él/ella/Ud. | adecúa | | nosotros/as | adecuamos | | vosotros/as | adecuáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | adecúan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | adecué | | tú | adecuaste | | él/ella/Ud. | adecuó | | nosotros/as | adecuamos | | vosotros/as | adecuasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | adecuaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | adecuaba | | tú | adecuabas | | él/ella/Ud. | adecuaba | | nosotros/as | adecuábamos | | vosotros/as | adecuabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | adecuaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | adecuaré | | tú | adecuarás | | él/ella/Ud. | adecuará | | nosotros/as | adecuaremos | | vosotros/as | adecuaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | adecuarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | adecuaría | | tú | adecuarías | | él/ella/Ud. | adecuaría | | nosotros/as | adecuaríamos | | vosotros/as | adecuaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | adecuarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | adecúe | | tú | adecúes | | él/ella/Ud. | adecúe | | nosotros/as | adecuemos | | vosotros/as | adecuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | adecúen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | adecuara | | tú | adecuaras | | él/ella/Ud. | adecuara | | nosotros/as | adecuáramos | | vosotros/as | adecuarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | adecuaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | adecúa | | él/ella/Ud. | adecúe | | nosotros/as | adecuemos | | vosotros/as | adecuad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | adecúen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | adecúes | | él/ella/Ud. | adecúe | | nosotros/as | adecuemos | | vosotros/as | adecuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | adecúen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund adecuando with estar for the progressive: está adecuando
Past participle adecuado with haber for the perfect tenses: he adecuado

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 adecuar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo adecúo el precio a su bolsillo — "I adapt the price to his pocket".

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 adecuar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo adecué el horario a sus clases — "Yesterday, I adapted the timetable to his classes".

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 adecuar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo adecuaba la ropa al clima — "As a child, I used to adapt the clothes to the climate".

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 adecuar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo adecuaré el texto al público — "Tomorrow, I will adapt the text to the audience".

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 adecuar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo adecuaría el precio a su bolsillo si pudiera — "I would adapt the price to his pocket if I could".

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 adecuar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he adecuado el horario a sus clases — "Today, I have adapted the timetable to his classes".

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 adecuar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había adecuado la ropa al clima antes de salir — "I already had adapted the clothes to the climate before leaving".

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 adecuar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré adecuado el texto al público — "By tomorrow, I will have adapted the text to the audience".

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 adecuar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría adecuado el precio a su bolsillo con más tiempo — "I would have adapted the price to his pocket with more time".

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 adecuar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él adecúe el horario a sus clases — "I hope he adapts the timetable to his classes".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 adecuar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo adecuara la ropa al clima, todo cambiaría — "If I adapted the clothes to the climate, everything would change".

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 adecuar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Adecúa el texto al público. — "Adapt the text to the audience.".

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 adecuar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No adecúes el precio a su bolsillo. — "Do not adapt the price to his pocket.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with adecuar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo adecúo el precio a su bolsillo — "I adapt the price to his pocket"
  2. Mi amigo adecúa el horario a sus clases — "My friend adapts the timetable to his classes"
  3. Ayer, yo adecué la ropa al clima — "Yesterday, I adapted the clothes to the climate"
  4. Antes, nosotros adecuábamos el texto al público — "Before, we used to adapt the text to the audience"
  5. Mañana, tú adecuarás su conducta a las normas — "Tomorrow, you will adapt his behaviour to the rules"
  6. Yo adecuaría el precio a su bolsillo si tuviera más tiempo — "I would adapt the price to his pocket if I had more time"
  7. Él ha adecuado el horario a sus clases — "He has adapted the timetable to his classes"
  8. Espero que él adecúe la ropa al clima — "I hope he adapts the clothes to the climate"
  9. Yo ya había adecuado el texto al público antes de salir — "I already had adapted the text to the audience before leaving"
  10. Ellos adecuaban su conducta a las normas cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to adapt his behaviour to the rules when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él adecúa el horario a sus clases — Right: Espero que él adecúe el horario a sus clases — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él adecúe el horario a sus clases — not the indicative Espero que él adecúa el horario a sus clases.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo adecúo la ropa al clima — Right: Ayer, yo adecué la ropa al clima — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo adecué la ropa al clima.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo adecué el texto al público todos los días — Right: De niño, yo adecuaba el texto al público todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo adecuaba el texto al público todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo adecúo en el precio a su bolsillo. — Right: Yo adecúo el precio a su bolsillo. — adecuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo adecúo el precio a su bolsillo.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros adecuais su conducta a las normas. — Right: Vosotros adecuáis su conducta a las normas. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: adecuáis, not adecuais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el precio a su bolsillo — "I adapt the price to his pocket" (present) A. adecúas B. adecúa C. adecuamos D. adecúo

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el horario a sus clases — "He adapted the timetable to his classes" (preterite) A. adecuaste B. adecuamos C. adecuó D. adecué

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la ropa al clima — "We used to adapt the clothes to the climate" (imperfect) A. adecuábamos B. adecuaba C. adecuabas D. adecuabais

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el texto al público — "You will adapt the text to the audience" (future) A. adecuaré B. adecuará C. adecuaremos D. adecuarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ su conducta a las normas — "I would adapt his behaviour to the rules" (conditional) A. adecuaría B. adecuarías C. adecuaríamos D. adecuaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el precio a su bolsillo — "I hope he adapts the price to his pocket" (present subjunctive) A. adecúes B. adecuemos C. adecuéis D. adecúe

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el horario a sus clases, todo cambiaría — "If I adapted the timetable to his classes, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. adecuáramos B. adecuarais C. adecuara D. adecuaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la ropa al clima — "We have adapted the clothes to the climate" (present perfect) A. hemos adecuado B. he adecuado C. has adecuado D. ha adecuado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el texto al público. — "Do not adapt the text to the audience." (negative imperative) A. adecúe B. adecuemos C. adecuéis D. adecúes

  10. Which is the gerund of adecuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. adecué B. adecuando C. adecuado D. adecúo

Answer key

  1. adecúo — The present form for yo is adecúo.
  2. adecuó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is adecuó.
  3. adecuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is adecuábamos.
  4. adecuarás — The future form for tú is adecuarás.
  5. adecuaría — The conditional form for yo is adecuaría.
  6. adecúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is adecúe.
  7. adecuara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is adecuara.
  8. hemos adecuado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos adecuado.
  9. adecúes — The negative imperative form is adecúes.
  10. adecuando — The gerund of adecuar is adecuando: estoy adecuando. The participle adecuado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does adecuar mean in English?

adecuar means to adapt, to suit. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo adecúo el precio a su bolsillo — "I adapt the price to his pocket". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is adecuar regular?

Yes. adecuar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as adecuáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of adecuar?

The gerund is adecuando and the past participle is adecuado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I adapt" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo adecué el horario a sus clases — "Yesterday, I adapted the timetable to his classes". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo adecuaba la ropa al clima — "As a child, I used to adapt the clothes to the climate". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he adecuado el horario a sus clases — "Today, I have adapted the timetable to his classes".

What is the difference between adecuar and adaptar?

Adaptar is the everyday verb for adapting something. Adecuar is the more formal synonym, common in official and academic Spanish. Adecuar means to adapt something to something else: adecuar el precio a su bolsillo, adecuar el texto al público. It takes a before the thing it is adapted to.

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