Admitir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb admitir means to admit, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Admitir means to admit, and it covers admitting a mistake, admitting the truth and admitting someone to a course or a place. It is a regular -ir verb, and it is the opposite of negar in confessions. Like every Spanish verb, admitir 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 admito su error ante la clase, and in the preterite you say admití la verdad por fin. 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: admitir
  • English: to admit
  • Verb type: regular -ir verb
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: admitiendo
  • Past participle: admitido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + admitido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for admitir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Admitir is a regular -ir verb: admití, admitía, admitiré. Admitir un error is to admit a mistake; admitir a alguien is to let them in.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for admitir. 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 admito
tú admites
él/ella/Ud. admite
nosotros/as admitimos
vosotros/as admitís
ellos/ellas/Uds. admiten

Preterite

Person Form
yo admití
tú admitiste
él/ella/Ud. admitió
nosotros/as admitimos
vosotros/as admitisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. admitieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo admitía
tú admitías
él/ella/Ud. admitía
nosotros/as admitíamos
vosotros/as admitíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. admitían

Future

Person Form
yo admitiré
tú admitirás
él/ella/Ud. admitirá
nosotros/as admitiremos
vosotros/as admitiréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. admitirán

Conditional

Person Form
yo admitiría
tú admitirías
él/ella/Ud. admitiría
nosotros/as admitiríamos
vosotros/as admitiríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. admitirían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo admita
tú admitas
él/ella/Ud. admita
nosotros/as admitamos
vosotros/as admitáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. admitan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo admitiera
tú admitieras
él/ella/Ud. admitiera
nosotros/as admitiéramos
vosotros/as admitierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. admitieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú admite
él/ella/Ud. admita
nosotros/as admitamos
vosotros/as admitid
ellos/ellas/Uds. admitan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú admitas
él/ella/Ud. admita
nosotros/as admitamos
vosotros/as admitáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. admitan

Gerund and past participle

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

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 admitir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Admito su error ante la clase. 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 admitir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, admití a los alumnos en el curso. 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 admitir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, admitía la verdad por fin. 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 admitir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, admitiré que no sabía nada. 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 admitir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Admitiría su error ante la clase 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 admitir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he admitido a los alumnos en el curso. 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 admitir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había admitido la verdad por fin 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 admitir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré admitido que no sabía nada. 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 admitir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría admitido su error ante la clase 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 admitir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él admita a los alumnos en el curso. 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 admitir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él admitiera la verdad por fin, 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 admitir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Admite que no sabía nada! 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 admitir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No admitas su error ante la clase. 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 admitir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Admito su error ante la clase. — I admit his mistake before the class.
  2. Admite a los alumnos en el curso. — He/she admits the students onto the course.
  3. Ayer, admití la verdad por fin. — Yesterday, I admitted the truth at last.
  4. Antes, nosotros admitíamos que no sabía nada. — Before, we used to admit that he knew nothing.
  5. Mañana, tú admitirás su error ante la clase. — Tomorrow, you will admit his mistake before the class.
  6. Yo admitiría a los alumnos en el curso si tuviera más tiempo. — I would admit the students onto the course if I had more time.
  7. Él ha admitido la verdad por fin. — He has admitted the truth at last.
  8. Espero que él admita que no sabía nada. — I hope he admits that he knew nothing.
  9. Yo ya había admitido su error ante la clase antes de salir. — I had already admitted his mistake before the class before leaving.
  10. Ellos admitían a los alumnos en el curso cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to admit the students onto the course when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo admite su error ante la clase. — Right: Yo admito su error ante la clase. — The person matters: admite is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is admito. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros admitis a los alumnos en el curso. — Right: Vosotros admitís a los alumnos en el curso. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: admitís, not admitis. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating admitir and negar as identical in every context. — Right: Admitir means to admit, while negar means to deny, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: admitir fits sentences such as Admito su error ante la clase, while negar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy admitido a los alumnos en el curso. — Right: Yo he admitido a los alumnos en el curso. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he admitido, has admitido, ha admitido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo admití la verdad por fin todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo admitía la verdad por fin todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (admitía), not the preterite. The preterite (admití) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ su error ante la clase. (present tense) A. admito B. admites C. admite D. admitimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a los alumnos en el curso. (preterite) A. admití B. admitiste C. admitieron D. admitió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la verdad por fin. (imperfect) A. admitías B. admitían C. admitíamos D. admitía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ que no sabía nada. (future) A. admitiremos B. admitirás C. admitiré D. admitirá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ su error ante la clase si pudiera. (conditional) A. admitiría B. admitirías C. admitirían D. admito

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los alumnos en el curso. (present subjunctive) A. admitas B. admitamos C. admito D. admita

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la verdad por fin, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. admitiéramos B. admito C. admitiera D. admitieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ que no sabía nada. (present perfect) A. han admitido B. hemos admitido C. he admitido D. has admitido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ su error ante la clase! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. admite B. admita C. admitamos D. admitid

  10. Which is the gerund of admitir, used with estar for the progressive? A. admitido B. admito C. admití D. admitiendo

Answer key

  1. admito — The first-person present of admitir is admito. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. admitió — The third-person preterite of admitir is admitió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. admitíamos — The nosotros imperfect of admitir is admitíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. admitirás — The second-person future of admitir is admitirás.
  5. admitiría — The first-person conditional of admitir is admitiría, the form for what would happen.
  6. admita — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of admitir is admita.
  7. admitiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of admitir is admitiera.
  8. hemos admitido — The nosotros present perfect of admitir is hemos admitido: hemos + admitido.
  9. admite — The affirmative tú imperative of admitir is admite.
  10. admitiendo — The gerund of admitir is admitiendo: estoy admitiendo. The participle admitido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does admitir mean in English?

Admitir means to admit. It is used in everyday situations such as Admito su error ante la clase. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is admitir regular or irregular?

Admitir is a fully regular -ir 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 admito in the present and admití in the preterite.

What is the difference between admitir and negar?

Admitir means to admit, while negar means to deny, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use admitir when you mean to admit, as in Admito su error ante la clase, and use negar for to deny, its opposite. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I admit” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo admití a los alumnos en el curso. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo admitía la verdad por fin. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he admitido a los alumnos en el curso.

How do I practise admitir?

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

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