Afeitar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb afeitar means to shave, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Afeitar means to shave, and it is the non-reflexive verb for shaving someone else, as a barber does: you shave a customer, a patient or a child. To shave yourself, Spanish uses the reflexive afeitarse, and confusing the two is a classic mistake — yo afeito suggests you shave other people for a living. Like every Spanish verb, afeitar 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 afeito al cliente en la barbería, and in the preterite you say afeité la barba de mi abuelo. 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: afeitar
  • English: to shave
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: afeitando
  • Past participle: afeitado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + afeitado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for afeitar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Afeitar shaves someone else; afeitarse shaves yourself. Say me afeito for your own face, and afeito a mi padre for his.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for afeitar. 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 afeito
tú afeitas
él/ella/Ud. afeita
nosotros/as afeitamos
vosotros/as afeitáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. afeitan

Preterite

Person Form
yo afeité
tú afeitaste
él/ella/Ud. afeitó
nosotros/as afeitamos
vosotros/as afeitasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. afeitaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo afeitaba
tú afeitabas
él/ella/Ud. afeitaba
nosotros/as afeitábamos
vosotros/as afeitabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. afeitaban

Future

Person Form
yo afeitaré
tú afeitarás
él/ella/Ud. afeitará
nosotros/as afeitaremos
vosotros/as afeitaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. afeitarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo afeitaría
tú afeitarías
él/ella/Ud. afeitaría
nosotros/as afeitaríamos
vosotros/as afeitaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. afeitarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo afeite
tú afeites
él/ella/Ud. afeite
nosotros/as afeitemos
vosotros/as afeitéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. afeiten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo afeitara
tú afeitaras
él/ella/Ud. afeitara
nosotros/as afeitáramos
vosotros/as afeitarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. afeitaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú afeita
él/ella/Ud. afeite
nosotros/as afeitemos
vosotros/as afeitad
ellos/ellas/Uds. afeiten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú afeites
él/ella/Ud. afeite
nosotros/as afeitemos
vosotros/as afeitéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. afeiten

Gerund and past participle

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

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 afeitar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Afeito al cliente en la barbería. 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 afeitar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, afeité a mi padre con cuidado. 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 afeitar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, afeitaba la barba de mi abuelo. 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 afeitar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, afeitaré al paciente en el hospital. 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 afeitar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Afeitaría al cliente en la barbería 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 afeitar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he afeitado a mi padre con cuidado. 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 afeitar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había afeitado la barba de mi abuelo 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 afeitar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré afeitado al paciente en el hospital. 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 afeitar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría afeitado al cliente en la barbería 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 afeitar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él afeite a mi padre con cuidado. 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 afeitar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él afeitara la barba de mi abuelo, 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 afeitar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡afeita al paciente en el hospital! 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 afeitar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No afeites al cliente en la barbería. 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 afeitar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Afeito al cliente en la barbería. — I shave the customer in the barber's.
  2. Afeita a mi padre con cuidado. — He/she shaves my father carefully.
  3. Ayer, afeité la barba de mi abuelo. — Yesterday, I shaved my grandfather's beard.
  4. Antes, nosotros afeitábamos al paciente en el hospital. — Before, we used to shave the patient in the hospital.
  5. Mañana, tú afeitarás al cliente en la barbería. — Tomorrow, you will shave the customer in the barber's.
  6. Yo afeitaría a mi padre con cuidado si tuviera más tiempo. — I would shave my father carefully if I had more time.
  7. Él ha afeitado la barba de mi abuelo. — He has shaved my grandfather's beard.
  8. Espero que él afeite al paciente en el hospital. — I hope he shaves the patient in the hospital.
  9. Yo ya había afeitado al cliente en la barbería antes de salir. — I had already shaved the customer in the barber's before leaving.
  10. Ellos afeitaban a mi padre con cuidado cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to shave my father carefully when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo afeita al cliente en la barbería. — Right: Yo afeito al cliente en la barbería. — The person matters: afeita is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is afeito. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating afeitar and afeitarse as identical in every context. — Right: Afeitar means to shave, while afeitarse means to shave yourself. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: afeitar fits sentences such as Afeito al cliente en la barbería, while afeitarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy afeitado a mi padre con cuidado. — Right: Yo he afeitado a mi padre con cuidado. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he afeitado, has afeitado, ha afeitado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo afeité la barba de mi abuelo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo afeitaba la barba de mi abuelo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (afeitaba), not the preterite. The preterite (afeité) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al cliente en la barbería. (present tense) A. afeito B. afeitas C. afeita D. afeitamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a mi padre con cuidado. (preterite) A. afeité B. afeitaste C. afeitaron D. afeitó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la barba de mi abuelo. (imperfect) A. afeitabas B. afeitaban C. afeitábamos D. afeitaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ al paciente en el hospital. (future) A. afeitaremos B. afeitarás C. afeitaré D. afeitará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al cliente en la barbería si pudiera. (conditional) A. afeitaría B. afeitarías C. afeitarían D. afeito

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a mi padre con cuidado. (present subjunctive) A. afeites B. afeitemos C. afeito D. afeite

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la barba de mi abuelo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. afeitáramos B. afeito C. afeitara D. afeitaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ al paciente en el hospital. (present perfect) A. han afeitado B. hemos afeitado C. he afeitado D. has afeitado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ al cliente en la barbería! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. afeita B. afeite C. afeitemos D. afeitad

  10. Which is the gerund of afeitar, used with estar for the progressive? A. afeitado B. afeito C. afeité D. afeitando

Answer key

  1. afeito — The first-person present of afeitar is afeito. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. afeitó — The third-person preterite of afeitar is afeitó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. afeitábamos — The nosotros imperfect of afeitar is afeitábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. afeitarás — The second-person future of afeitar is afeitarás.
  5. afeitaría — The first-person conditional of afeitar is afeitaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. afeite — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of afeitar is afeite.
  7. afeitara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of afeitar is afeitara.
  8. hemos afeitado — The nosotros present perfect of afeitar is hemos afeitado: hemos + afeitado.
  9. afeita — The affirmative tú imperative of afeitar is afeita.
  10. afeitando — The gerund of afeitar is afeitando: estoy afeitando. The participle afeitado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does afeitar mean in English?

Afeitar means to shave. It is used in everyday situations such as Afeito al cliente en la barbería. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is afeitar regular or irregular?

Afeitar 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 afeito in the present and afeité in the preterite.

What is the difference between afeitar and afeitarse?

Afeitar means to shave, while afeitarse means to shave yourself. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use afeitar when you mean to shave, as in Afeito al cliente en la barbería, and use afeitarse for to shave yourself. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I shave” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo afeité a mi padre con cuidado. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo afeitaba la barba de mi abuelo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he afeitado a mi padre con cuidado.

How do I practise afeitar?

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

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