Adelgazar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb adelgazar means to lose weight, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Adelgazar means to lose weight, and it is the standard verb for slimming down through diet, exercise or illness. It is used with amounts — adelgazar cinco kilos — and with time expressions, and it appears constantly in health, diet and fitness conversations. Like every Spanish verb, adelgazar 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 adelgazo cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio, and in the preterite you say adelgacé caminando cada día. 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: adelgazar
- English: to lose weight
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: adelgazando
- Past participle: adelgazado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + adelgazado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for adelgazar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the subjunctive is adelgace, never adelgaze.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for adelgazar. 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 | adelgazo |
| tú | adelgazas |
| él/ella/Ud. | adelgaza |
| nosotros/as | adelgazamos |
| vosotros/as | adelgazáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adelgazan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adelgacé |
| tú | adelgazaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | adelgazó |
| nosotros/as | adelgazamos |
| vosotros/as | adelgazasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adelgazaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adelgazaba |
| tú | adelgazabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | adelgazaba |
| nosotros/as | adelgazábamos |
| vosotros/as | adelgazabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adelgazaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adelgazaré |
| tú | adelgazarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | adelgazará |
| nosotros/as | adelgazaremos |
| vosotros/as | adelgazaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adelgazarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adelgazaría |
| tú | adelgazarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | adelgazaría |
| nosotros/as | adelgazaríamos |
| vosotros/as | adelgazaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adelgazarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he adelgazado |
| tú | has adelgazado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha adelgazado |
| nosotros/as | hemos adelgazado |
| vosotros/as | habéis adelgazado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han adelgazado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había adelgazado |
| tú | habías adelgazado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había adelgazado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos adelgazado |
| vosotros/as | habíais adelgazado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían adelgazado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré adelgazado |
| tú | habrás adelgazado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá adelgazado |
| nosotros/as | habremos adelgazado |
| vosotros/as | habréis adelgazado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán adelgazado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría adelgazado |
| tú | habrías adelgazado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría adelgazado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos adelgazado |
| vosotros/as | habríais adelgazado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían adelgazado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adelgace |
| tú | adelgaces |
| él/ella/Ud. | adelgace |
| nosotros/as | adelgacemos |
| vosotros/as | adelgacéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adelgacen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adelgazara |
| tú | adelgazaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | adelgazara |
| nosotros/as | adelgazáramos |
| vosotros/as | adelgazarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adelgazaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | adelgaza |
| él/ella/Ud. | adelgace |
| nosotros/as | adelgacemos |
| vosotros/as | adelgazad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adelgacen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | adelgaces |
| él/ella/Ud. | adelgace |
| nosotros/as | adelgacemos |
| vosotros/as | adelgacéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adelgacen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | adelgazando | with estar for the progressive: estoy adelgazando |
| Past participle | adelgazado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he adelgazado |
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 adelgazar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Adelgazo cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio. 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 adelgazar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, adelgacé antes del verano. 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 adelgazar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, adelgazaba caminando cada día. 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 adelgazar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, adelgazaré de forma sana y poco a poco. 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 adelgazar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Adelgazaría cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio 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 adelgazar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he adelgazado antes del verano. 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 adelgazar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había adelgazado caminando cada día 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 adelgazar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré adelgazado de forma sana y poco a poco. 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 adelgazar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría adelgazado cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio 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. Note the spelling change here: z becomes c before e, so the forms use adelgac-, keeping the same sound. For adelgazar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él adelgace antes del verano. 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 adelgazar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él adelgazara caminando cada día, 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. Note the spelling change here: z becomes c before e, so the forms use adelgac-, keeping the same sound. For adelgazar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Adelgaza de forma sana y poco a poco! 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. Note the spelling change here: z becomes c before e, so the forms use adelgac-, keeping the same sound. For adelgazar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No adelgaces cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio. 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 adelgazar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Adelgazo cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio. — I lose weight five kilos with diet and exercise.
- Adelgaza antes del verano. — He/she loses weight before the summer.
- Ayer, adelgacé caminando cada día. — Yesterday, I lost weight by walking every day.
- Antes, nosotros adelgazábamos de forma sana y poco a poco. — Before, we used to lose weight in a healthy way, little by little.
- Mañana, tú adelgazarás cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio. — Tomorrow, you will lose weight five kilos with diet and exercise.
- Yo adelgazaría antes del verano si tuviera más tiempo. — I would lose weight before the summer if I had more time.
- Él ha adelgazado caminando cada día. — He has lost weight by walking every day.
- Espero que él adelgace de forma sana y poco a poco. — I hope he loses weight in a healthy way, little by little.
- Yo ya había adelgazado cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio antes de salir. — I had already lost weight five kilos with diet and exercise before leaving.
- Ellos adelgazaban antes del verano cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to lose weight before the summer when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo adelgaza cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio. — Right: Yo adelgazo cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio. — The person matters: adelgaza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is adelgazo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Espero que yo adelgaze cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio. — Right: Espero que yo adelgace cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio. — Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is adelgace, never adelgaze.
- Wrong: Treating adelgazar and engordar as identical in every context. — Right: Adelgazar means to lose weight, while engordar means to gain weight, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: adelgazar fits sentences such as Adelgazo cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio, while engordar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy adelgazado antes del verano. — Right: Yo he adelgazado antes del verano. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he adelgazado, has adelgazado, ha adelgazado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo adelgacé caminando cada día todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo adelgazaba caminando cada día todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (adelgazaba), not the preterite. The preterite (adelgacé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on adelgazar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio. (present tense) A. adelgazo B. adelgazas C. adelgaza D. adelgazamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ antes del verano. (preterite) A. adelgacé B. adelgazaste C. adelgazaron D. adelgazó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ caminando cada día. (imperfect) A. adelgazabas B. adelgazaban C. adelgazábamos D. adelgazaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ de forma sana y poco a poco. (future) A. adelgazaremos B. adelgazarás C. adelgazaré D. adelgazará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio si pudiera. (conditional) A. adelgazaría B. adelgazarías C. adelgazarían D. adelgazo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ antes del verano. (present subjunctive) A. adelgaces B. adelgacemos C. adelgazo D. adelgace
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ caminando cada día, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. adelgazáramos B. adelgazo C. adelgazara D. adelgazaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de forma sana y poco a poco. (present perfect) A. han adelgazado B. hemos adelgazado C. he adelgazado D. has adelgazado
Complete the command: ¡___ cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. adelgaza B. adelgace C. adelgacemos D. adelgazad
Which is the gerund of adelgazar, used with estar for the progressive? A. adelgazado B. adelgazo C. adelgacé D. adelgazando
Answer key
- adelgazo — The first-person present of adelgazar is adelgazo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- adelgazó — The third-person preterite of adelgazar is adelgazó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- adelgazábamos — The nosotros imperfect of adelgazar is adelgazábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- adelgazarás — The second-person future of adelgazar is adelgazarás.
- adelgazaría — The first-person conditional of adelgazar is adelgazaría, the form for what would happen.
- adelgace — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of adelgazar is adelgace.
- adelgazara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of adelgazar is adelgazara.
- hemos adelgazado — The nosotros present perfect of adelgazar is hemos adelgazado: hemos + adelgazado.
- adelgaza — The affirmative tú imperative of adelgazar is adelgaza.
- adelgazando — The gerund of adelgazar is adelgazando: estoy adelgazando. The participle adelgazado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does adelgazar mean in English?
Adelgazar means to lose weight. It is used in everyday situations such as Adelgazo cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is adelgazar regular or irregular?
Adelgazar 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 adelgazo in the present and adelgacé in the preterite.
What is the difference between adelgazar and engordar?
Adelgazar means to lose weight, while engordar means to gain weight, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use adelgazar when you mean to lose weight, as in Adelgazo cinco kilos con dieta y ejercicio, and use engordar for to gain weight, its opposite. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I lose weight” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo adelgacé antes del verano. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo adelgazaba caminando cada día. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he adelgazado antes del verano.
How do I practise adelgazar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the adelgazar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Adelgazar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for adelgazar.
- Adelgazar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for adelgazar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Engordar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with adelgazar.
- Respirar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with adelgazar.
- Desayunar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with adelgazar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.