Adornar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb adornar means to decorate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Adornar means to decorate, and it is used for decorating a house, a Christmas tree, a cake or a room: you decorate with lights, flowers, candles and ornaments. It also means to embellish a story, as in adornar la verdad, to dress up the truth. Like every Spanish verb, adornar 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 adorno la casa para Navidad, and in the preterite you say adorné la tarta con fresas. 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: adornar
- English: to decorate
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: adornando
- Past participle: adornado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + adornado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for adornar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Adornar is fully regular: adorné, adornaba, adornaré. Its reflexive partner adornarse means to dress yourself up.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for adornar. 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 | adorno |
| tú | adornas |
| él/ella/Ud. | adorna |
| nosotros/as | adornamos |
| vosotros/as | adornáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adornan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adorné |
| tú | adornaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | adornó |
| nosotros/as | adornamos |
| vosotros/as | adornasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adornaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adornaba |
| tú | adornabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | adornaba |
| nosotros/as | adornábamos |
| vosotros/as | adornabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adornaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adornaré |
| tú | adornarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | adornará |
| nosotros/as | adornaremos |
| vosotros/as | adornaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adornarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adornaría |
| tú | adornarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | adornaría |
| nosotros/as | adornaríamos |
| vosotros/as | adornaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adornarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he adornado |
| tú | has adornado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha adornado |
| nosotros/as | hemos adornado |
| vosotros/as | habéis adornado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han adornado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había adornado |
| tú | habías adornado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había adornado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos adornado |
| vosotros/as | habíais adornado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían adornado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré adornado |
| tú | habrás adornado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá adornado |
| nosotros/as | habremos adornado |
| vosotros/as | habréis adornado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán adornado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría adornado |
| tú | habrías adornado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría adornado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos adornado |
| vosotros/as | habríais adornado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían adornado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adorne |
| tú | adornes |
| él/ella/Ud. | adorne |
| nosotros/as | adornemos |
| vosotros/as | adornéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adornen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adornara |
| tú | adornaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | adornara |
| nosotros/as | adornáramos |
| vosotros/as | adornarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adornaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | adorna |
| él/ella/Ud. | adorne |
| nosotros/as | adornemos |
| vosotros/as | adornad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adornen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | adornes |
| él/ella/Ud. | adorne |
| nosotros/as | adornemos |
| vosotros/as | adornéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adornen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | adornando | with estar for the progressive: estoy adornando |
| Past participle | adornado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he adornado |
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 adornar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Adorno la casa para Navidad. 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 adornar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, adorné el árbol con luces. 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 adornar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, adornaba la tarta con fresas. 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 adornar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, adornaré la sala con flores. 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 adornar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Adornaría la casa para Navidad 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 adornar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he adornado el árbol con luces. 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 adornar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había adornado la tarta con fresas 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 adornar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré adornado la sala con flores. 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 adornar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría adornado la casa para Navidad 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 adornar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él adorne el árbol con luces. 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 adornar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él adornara la tarta con fresas, 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 adornar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡adorna la sala con flores! 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 adornar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No adornes la casa para Navidad. 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 adornar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Adorno la casa para Navidad. — I decorate the house for Christmas.
- Adorna el árbol con luces. — He/she decorates the tree with lights.
- Ayer, adorné la tarta con fresas. — Yesterday, I decorated the cake with strawberries.
- Antes, nosotros adornábamos la sala con flores. — Before, we used to decorate the room with flowers.
- Mañana, tú adornarás la casa para Navidad. — Tomorrow, you will decorate the house for Christmas.
- Yo adornaría el árbol con luces si tuviera más tiempo. — I would decorate the tree with lights if I had more time.
- Él ha adornado la tarta con fresas. — He has decorated the cake with strawberries.
- Espero que él adorne la sala con flores. — I hope he decorates the room with flowers.
- Yo ya había adornado la casa para Navidad antes de salir. — I had already decorated the house for Christmas before leaving.
- Ellos adornaban el árbol con luces cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to decorate the tree with lights when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo adorna la casa para Navidad. — Right: Yo adorno la casa para Navidad. — The person matters: adorna is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is adorno. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Treating adornar and decorar as identical in every context. — Right: Adornar means to decorate, while decorar means to decorate a room or building. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: adornar fits sentences such as Adorno la casa para Navidad, while decorar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy adornado el árbol con luces. — Right: Yo he adornado el árbol con luces. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he adornado, has adornado, ha adornado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo adorné la tarta con fresas todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo adornaba la tarta con fresas todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (adornaba), not the preterite. The preterite (adorné) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on adornar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la casa para Navidad. (present tense) A. adorno B. adornas C. adorna D. adornamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el árbol con luces. (preterite) A. adorné B. adornaste C. adornaron D. adornó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la tarta con fresas. (imperfect) A. adornabas B. adornaban C. adornábamos D. adornaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la sala con flores. (future) A. adornaremos B. adornarás C. adornaré D. adornará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la casa para Navidad si pudiera. (conditional) A. adornaría B. adornarías C. adornarían D. adorno
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el árbol con luces. (present subjunctive) A. adornes B. adornemos C. adorno D. adorne
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la tarta con fresas, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. adornáramos B. adorno C. adornara D. adornaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la sala con flores. (present perfect) A. han adornado B. hemos adornado C. he adornado D. has adornado
Complete the command: ¡___ la casa para Navidad! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. adorna B. adorne C. adornemos D. adornad
Which is the gerund of adornar, used with estar for the progressive? A. adornado B. adorno C. adorné D. adornando
Answer key
- adorno — The first-person present of adornar is adorno. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- adornó — The third-person preterite of adornar is adornó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- adornábamos — The nosotros imperfect of adornar is adornábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- adornarás — The second-person future of adornar is adornarás.
- adornaría — The first-person conditional of adornar is adornaría, the form for what would happen.
- adorne — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of adornar is adorne.
- adornara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of adornar is adornara.
- hemos adornado — The nosotros present perfect of adornar is hemos adornado: hemos + adornado.
- adorna — The affirmative tú imperative of adornar is adorna.
- adornando — The gerund of adornar is adornando: estoy adornando. The participle adornado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does adornar mean in English?
Adornar means to decorate. It is used in everyday situations such as Adorno la casa para Navidad. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is adornar regular or irregular?
Adornar 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 adorno in the present and adorné in the preterite.
What is the difference between adornar and decorar?
Adornar means to decorate, while decorar means to decorate a room or building. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use adornar when you mean to decorate, as in Adorno la casa para Navidad, and use decorar for to decorate a room or building. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I decorate” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo adorné el árbol con luces. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo adornaba la tarta con fresas. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he adornado el árbol con luces.
How do I practise adornar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the adornar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Adornar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for adornar.
- Adornar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for adornar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Adorar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with adornar.
- Afectar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with adornar.
- Adoptar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with adornar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.