Administrar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb administrar means to manage, to administer, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Administrar means to manage or to administer, to run a business, a house or a medicine dose. It is a fully regular verb used in work, government and health contexts. Like every Spanish verb, administrar 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 administro la empresa con mucho cuidado, and in the preterite you say administré el medicamento al enfermo. 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: administrar
- English: to manage, to administer
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: administrando
- Past participle: administrado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + administrado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for administrar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Administrar is fully regular: administro, administra. It is managing resources or giving a medicine; gestionar is handling a process or a file.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for administrar. 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 | administro |
| tú | administras |
| él/ella/Ud. | administra |
| nosotros/as | administramos |
| vosotros/as | administráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | administran |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | administré |
| tú | administraste |
| él/ella/Ud. | administró |
| nosotros/as | administramos |
| vosotros/as | administrasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | administraron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | administraba |
| tú | administrabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | administraba |
| nosotros/as | administrábamos |
| vosotros/as | administrabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | administraban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | administraré |
| tú | administrarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | administrará |
| nosotros/as | administraremos |
| vosotros/as | administraréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | administrarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | administraría |
| tú | administrarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | administraría |
| nosotros/as | administraríamos |
| vosotros/as | administraríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | administrarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he administrado |
| tú | has administrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha administrado |
| nosotros/as | hemos administrado |
| vosotros/as | habéis administrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han administrado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había administrado |
| tú | habías administrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había administrado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos administrado |
| vosotros/as | habíais administrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían administrado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré administrado |
| tú | habrás administrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá administrado |
| nosotros/as | habremos administrado |
| vosotros/as | habréis administrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán administrado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría administrado |
| tú | habrías administrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría administrado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos administrado |
| vosotros/as | habríais administrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían administrado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | administre |
| tú | administres |
| él/ella/Ud. | administre |
| nosotros/as | administremos |
| vosotros/as | administréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | administren |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | administrara |
| tú | administraras |
| él/ella/Ud. | administrara |
| nosotros/as | administráramos |
| vosotros/as | administrarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | administraran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | administra |
| él/ella/Ud. | administre |
| nosotros/as | administremos |
| vosotros/as | administrad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | administren |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | administres |
| él/ella/Ud. | administre |
| nosotros/as | administremos |
| vosotros/as | administréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | administren |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | administrando | with estar for the progressive: estoy administrando |
| Past participle | administrado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he administrado |
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 administrar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Administro la empresa con mucho cuidado. 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 administrar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, administré el dinero de la familia. 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 administrar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, administraba el medicamento al enfermo. 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 administrar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, administraré el tiempo entre el trabajo y el 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 administrar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Administraría la empresa con mucho cuidado 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 administrar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he administrado el dinero de la familia. 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 administrar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había administrado el medicamento al enfermo 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 administrar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré administrado el tiempo entre el trabajo y el 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 administrar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría administrado la empresa con mucho cuidado 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 administrar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él administre el dinero de la familia. 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 administrar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él administrara el medicamento al enfermo, 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 administrar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Administra el tiempo entre el trabajo y el 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 administrar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No administres la empresa con mucho cuidado. 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 administrar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Administro la empresa con mucho cuidado. — I manage the company very carefully.
- Administra el dinero de la familia. — He/she manages the family's money.
- Ayer, administré el medicamento al enfermo. — Yesterday, I managed the medicine to the patient.
- Antes, nosotros administrábamos el tiempo entre el trabajo y el descanso. — Before, we used to manage my time between work and rest.
- Mañana, tú administrarás la empresa con mucho cuidado. — Tomorrow, you will manage the company very carefully.
- Yo administraría el dinero de la familia si tuviera más tiempo. — I would manage the family's money if I had more time.
- Él ha administrado el medicamento al enfermo. — He has managed the medicine to the patient.
- Espero que él administre el tiempo entre el trabajo y el descanso. — I hope he manages my time between work and rest.
- Yo ya había administrado la empresa con mucho cuidado antes de salir. — I had already managed the company very carefully before leaving.
- Ellos administraban el dinero de la familia cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to manage the family's money when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo administra la empresa con mucho cuidado. — Right: Yo administro la empresa con mucho cuidado. — The person matters: administra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is administro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo administro el dinero de la familia. — Right: Ayer yo administré el dinero de la familia. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: administro is happening now, while administré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating administrar and gestionar as identical in every context. — Right: Administrar means to manage, to administer, while gestionar means to manage, as a process. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: administrar fits sentences such as Administro la empresa con mucho cuidado, while gestionar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy administrado el dinero de la familia. — Right: Yo he administrado el dinero de la familia. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he administrado, has administrado, ha administrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo administré el medicamento al enfermo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo administraba el medicamento al enfermo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (administraba), not the preterite. The preterite (administré) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on administrar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la empresa con mucho cuidado. (present tense) A. administro B. administras C. administra D. administramos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el dinero de la familia. (preterite) A. administré B. administraste C. administraron D. administró
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el medicamento al enfermo. (imperfect) A. administrabas B. administraban C. administrábamos D. administraba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el tiempo entre el trabajo y el descanso. (future) A. administraremos B. administrarás C. administraré D. administrará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la empresa con mucho cuidado si pudiera. (conditional) A. administraría B. administrarías C. administrarían D. administro
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el dinero de la familia. (present subjunctive) A. administres B. administremos C. administro D. administre
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el medicamento al enfermo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. administráramos B. administro C. administrara D. administraras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el tiempo entre el trabajo y el descanso. (present perfect) A. han administrado B. hemos administrado C. he administrado D. has administrado
Complete the command: ¡___ la empresa con mucho cuidado! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. administra B. administre C. administremos D. administrad
Which is the gerund of administrar, used with estar for the progressive? A. administrado B. administro C. administré D. administrando
Answer key
- administro — The first-person present of administrar is administro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- administró — The third-person preterite of administrar is administró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- administrábamos — The nosotros imperfect of administrar is administrábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- administrarás — The second-person future of administrar is administrarás.
- administraría — The first-person conditional of administrar is administraría, the form for what would happen.
- administre — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of administrar is administre.
- administrara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of administrar is administrara.
- hemos administrado — The nosotros present perfect of administrar is hemos administrado: hemos + administrado.
- administra — The affirmative tú imperative of administrar is administra.
- administrando — The gerund of administrar is administrando: estoy administrando. The participle administrado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does administrar mean in English?
Administrar means to manage, to administer. It is used in everyday situations such as Administro la empresa con mucho cuidado. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is administrar regular or irregular?
Administrar 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 administro in the present and administré in the preterite.
What is the difference between administrar and gestionar?
Administrar means to manage, to administer, while gestionar means to manage, as a process. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use administrar when you mean to manage, to administer, as in Administro la empresa con mucho cuidado, and use gestionar for to manage, as a process. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I manage” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo administré el dinero de la familia. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo administraba el medicamento al enfermo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he administrado el dinero de la familia.
How do I practise administrar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the administrar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Administrar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for administrar.
- Administrar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for administrar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Adjudicar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with administrar.
- Afianzar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with administrar.
- Afilar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with administrar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.