Adorar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb adorar means to adore, to worship, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Adorar means to adore or to worship, and it covers loving something deeply — you adore your children, your grandmother's cooking, a singer — and worshipping in a religious sense. In everyday speech it is an enthusiastic way of saying you love something, stronger than gustar and close to encantar. Like every Spanish verb, adorar 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 adoro a mis hijos más que a nada, and in the preterite you say adoré el chocolate con locura. 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: adorar
  • English: to adore, to worship
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: adorando
  • Past participle: adorado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + adorado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for adorar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Adorar is fully regular: adoré, adoraba, adoraré. In everyday speech, adoro el chocolate is a stronger way of saying me encanta el chocolate.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for adorar. 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 adoro
tú adoras
él/ella/Ud. adora
nosotros/as adoramos
vosotros/as adoráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. adoran

Preterite

Person Form
yo adoré
tú adoraste
él/ella/Ud. adoró
nosotros/as adoramos
vosotros/as adorasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. adoraron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo adoraba
tú adorabas
él/ella/Ud. adoraba
nosotros/as adorábamos
vosotros/as adorabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. adoraban

Future

Person Form
yo adoraré
tú adorarás
él/ella/Ud. adorará
nosotros/as adoraremos
vosotros/as adoraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. adorarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo adoraría
tú adorarías
él/ella/Ud. adoraría
nosotros/as adoraríamos
vosotros/as adoraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. adorarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo adore
tú adores
él/ella/Ud. adore
nosotros/as adoremos
vosotros/as adoréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. adoren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo adorara
tú adoraras
él/ella/Ud. adorara
nosotros/as adoráramos
vosotros/as adorarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. adoraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú adora
él/ella/Ud. adore
nosotros/as adoremos
vosotros/as adorad
ellos/ellas/Uds. adoren

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú adores
él/ella/Ud. adore
nosotros/as adoremos
vosotros/as adoréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. adoren

Gerund and past participle

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

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 adorar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Adoro a mis hijos más que a nada. 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 adorar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, adoré la cocina de mi abuela. 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 adorar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, adoraba el chocolate con locura. 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 adorar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, adoraré a Dios en la iglesia. 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 adorar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Adoraría a mis hijos más que a nada 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 adorar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he adorado la cocina de mi abuela. 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 adorar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había adorado el chocolate con locura 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 adorar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré adorado a Dios en la iglesia. 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 adorar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría adorado a mis hijos más que a nada 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 adorar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él adore la cocina de mi abuela. 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 adorar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él adorara el chocolate con locura, 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 adorar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡adora a Dios en la iglesia! 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 adorar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No adores a mis hijos más que a nada. 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 adorar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Adoro a mis hijos más que a nada. — I adore my children more than anything.
  2. Adora la cocina de mi abuela. — He/she adores my grandmother's cooking.
  3. Ayer, adoré el chocolate con locura. — Yesterday, I adored chocolate madly.
  4. Antes, nosotros adorábamos a Dios en la iglesia. — Before, we used to adore God in church.
  5. Mañana, tú adorarás a mis hijos más que a nada. — Tomorrow, you will adore my children more than anything.
  6. Yo adoraría la cocina de mi abuela si tuviera más tiempo. — I would adore my grandmother's cooking if I had more time.
  7. Él ha adorado el chocolate con locura. — He has adored chocolate madly.
  8. Espero que él adore a Dios en la iglesia. — I hope he adores God in church.
  9. Yo ya había adorado a mis hijos más que a nada antes de salir. — I had already adored my children more than anything before leaving.
  10. Ellos adoraban la cocina de mi abuela cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to adore my grandmother's cooking when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo adora a mis hijos más que a nada. — Right: Yo adoro a mis hijos más que a nada. — The person matters: adora is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is adoro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating adorar and encantar as identical in every context. — Right: Adorar means to adore, to worship, while encantar means to love something, to be delighted by it. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: adorar fits sentences such as Adoro a mis hijos más que a nada, while encantar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy adorado la cocina de mi abuela. — Right: Yo he adorado la cocina de mi abuela. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he adorado, has adorado, ha adorado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo adoré el chocolate con locura todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo adoraba el chocolate con locura todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (adoraba), not the preterite. The preterite (adoré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mis hijos más que a nada. (present tense) A. adoro B. adoras C. adora D. adoramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la cocina de mi abuela. (preterite) A. adoré B. adoraste C. adoraron D. adoró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el chocolate con locura. (imperfect) A. adorabas B. adoraban C. adorábamos D. adoraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a Dios en la iglesia. (future) A. adoraremos B. adorarás C. adoraré D. adorará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mis hijos más que a nada si pudiera. (conditional) A. adoraría B. adorarías C. adorarían D. adoro

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la cocina de mi abuela. (present subjunctive) A. adores B. adoremos C. adoro D. adore

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el chocolate con locura, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. adoráramos B. adoro C. adorara D. adoraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a Dios en la iglesia. (present perfect) A. han adorado B. hemos adorado C. he adorado D. has adorado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a mis hijos más que a nada! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. adora B. adore C. adoremos D. adorad

  10. Which is the gerund of adorar, used with estar for the progressive? A. adorado B. adoro C. adoré D. adorando

Answer key

  1. adoro — The first-person present of adorar is adoro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. adoró — The third-person preterite of adorar is adoró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. adorábamos — The nosotros imperfect of adorar is adorábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. adorarás — The second-person future of adorar is adorarás.
  5. adoraría — The first-person conditional of adorar is adoraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. adore — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of adorar is adore.
  7. adorara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of adorar is adorara.
  8. hemos adorado — The nosotros present perfect of adorar is hemos adorado: hemos + adorado.
  9. adora — The affirmative tú imperative of adorar is adora.
  10. adorando — The gerund of adorar is adorando: estoy adorando. The participle adorado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does adorar mean in English?

Adorar means to adore, to worship. It is used in everyday situations such as Adoro a mis hijos más que a nada. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is adorar regular or irregular?

Adorar 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 adoro in the present and adoré in the preterite.

What is the difference between adorar and encantar?

Adorar means to adore, to worship, while encantar means to love something, to be delighted by it. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use adorar when you mean to adore, to worship, as in Adoro a mis hijos más que a nada, and use encantar for to love something, to be delighted by it. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I adore” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo adoré la cocina de mi abuela. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo adoraba el chocolate con locura. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he adorado la cocina de mi abuela.

How do I practise adorar?

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

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