Afilar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb afilar means to sharpen, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Afilar means to sharpen, to make a knife, a pencil or a tool sharp again. It is a household and workshop verb, fully regular, and it is used with the tool and often with con. Like every Spanish verb, afilar 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 afilo el cuchillo antes de cocinar, and in the preterite you say afilé la navaja con una piedra. 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: afilar
- English: to sharpen
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: afilando
- Past participle: afilado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + afilado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for afilar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Afilar is fully regular: afilo, afila. It makes the edge sharp; cortar is using the sharp edge to cut.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for afilar. 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 | afilo |
| tú | afilas |
| él/ella/Ud. | afila |
| nosotros/as | afilamos |
| vosotros/as | afiláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afilan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afilé |
| tú | afilaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | afiló |
| nosotros/as | afilamos |
| vosotros/as | afilasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afilaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afilaba |
| tú | afilabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | afilaba |
| nosotros/as | afilábamos |
| vosotros/as | afilabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afilaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afilaré |
| tú | afilarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | afilará |
| nosotros/as | afilaremos |
| vosotros/as | afilaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afilarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afilaría |
| tú | afilarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | afilaría |
| nosotros/as | afilaríamos |
| vosotros/as | afilaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afilarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he afilado |
| tú | has afilado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha afilado |
| nosotros/as | hemos afilado |
| vosotros/as | habéis afilado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han afilado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había afilado |
| tú | habías afilado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había afilado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos afilado |
| vosotros/as | habíais afilado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían afilado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré afilado |
| tú | habrás afilado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá afilado |
| nosotros/as | habremos afilado |
| vosotros/as | habréis afilado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán afilado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría afilado |
| tú | habrías afilado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría afilado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos afilado |
| vosotros/as | habríais afilado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían afilado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afile |
| tú | afiles |
| él/ella/Ud. | afile |
| nosotros/as | afilemos |
| vosotros/as | afiléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afilen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afilara |
| tú | afilaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | afilara |
| nosotros/as | afiláramos |
| vosotros/as | afilarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afilaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | afila |
| él/ella/Ud. | afile |
| nosotros/as | afilemos |
| vosotros/as | afilad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afilen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | afiles |
| él/ella/Ud. | afile |
| nosotros/as | afilemos |
| vosotros/as | afiléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afilen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | afilando | with estar for the progressive: estoy afilando |
| Past participle | afilado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he afilado |
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 afilar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Afilo el cuchillo antes de cocinar. 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 afilar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, afilé el lápiz para dibujar. 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 afilar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, afilaba la navaja con una piedra. 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 afilar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, afilaré las tijeras del taller. 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 afilar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Afilaría el cuchillo antes de cocinar 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 afilar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he afilado el lápiz para dibujar. 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 afilar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había afilado la navaja con una piedra 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 afilar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré afilado las tijeras del taller. 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 afilar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría afilado el cuchillo antes de cocinar 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 afilar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él afile el lápiz para dibujar. 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 afilar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él afilara la navaja con una piedra, 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 afilar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Afila las tijeras del taller! 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 afilar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No afiles el cuchillo antes de cocinar. 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 afilar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Afilo el cuchillo antes de cocinar. — I sharpen the knife before cooking.
- Afila el lápiz para dibujar. — He/she sharpens the pencil for drawing.
- Ayer, afilé la navaja con una piedra. — Yesterday, I sharpened the razor with a stone.
- Antes, nosotros afilábamos las tijeras del taller. — Before, we used to sharpen the workshop scissors.
- Mañana, tú afilarás el cuchillo antes de cocinar. — Tomorrow, you will sharpen the knife before cooking.
- Yo afilaría el lápiz para dibujar si tuviera más tiempo. — I would sharpen the pencil for drawing if I had more time.
- Él ha afilado la navaja con una piedra. — He has sharpened the razor with a stone.
- Espero que él afile las tijeras del taller. — I hope he sharpens the workshop scissors.
- Yo ya había afilado el cuchillo antes de cocinar antes de salir. — I had already sharpened the knife before cooking before leaving.
- Ellos afilaban el lápiz para dibujar cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to sharpen the pencil for drawing when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo afila el cuchillo antes de cocinar. — Right: Yo afilo el cuchillo antes de cocinar. — The person matters: afila is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is afilo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo afilo el lápiz para dibujar. — Right: Ayer yo afilé el lápiz para dibujar. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: afilo is happening now, while afilé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating afilar and cortar as identical in every context. — Right: Afilar means to sharpen, while cortar means to cut. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: afilar fits sentences such as Afilo el cuchillo antes de cocinar, while cortar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy afilado el lápiz para dibujar. — Right: Yo he afilado el lápiz para dibujar. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he afilado, has afilado, ha afilado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo afilé la navaja con una piedra todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo afilaba la navaja con una piedra todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (afilaba), not the preterite. The preterite (afilé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on afilar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el cuchillo antes de cocinar. (present tense) A. afilo B. afilas C. afila D. afilamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el lápiz para dibujar. (preterite) A. afilé B. afilaste C. afilaron D. afiló
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la navaja con una piedra. (imperfect) A. afilabas B. afilaban C. afilábamos D. afilaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ las tijeras del taller. (future) A. afilaremos B. afilarás C. afilaré D. afilará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el cuchillo antes de cocinar si pudiera. (conditional) A. afilaría B. afilarías C. afilarían D. afilo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el lápiz para dibujar. (present subjunctive) A. afiles B. afilemos C. afilo D. afile
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la navaja con una piedra, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. afiláramos B. afilo C. afilara D. afilaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las tijeras del taller. (present perfect) A. han afilado B. hemos afilado C. he afilado D. has afilado
Complete the command: ¡___ el cuchillo antes de cocinar! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. afila B. afile C. afilemos D. afilad
Which is the gerund of afilar, used with estar for the progressive? A. afilado B. afilo C. afilé D. afilando
Answer key
- afilo — The first-person present of afilar is afilo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- afiló — The third-person preterite of afilar is afiló, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- afilábamos — The nosotros imperfect of afilar is afilábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- afilarás — The second-person future of afilar is afilarás.
- afilaría — The first-person conditional of afilar is afilaría, the form for what would happen.
- afile — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of afilar is afile.
- afilara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of afilar is afilara.
- hemos afilado — The nosotros present perfect of afilar is hemos afilado: hemos + afilado.
- afila — The affirmative tú imperative of afilar is afila.
- afilando — The gerund of afilar is afilando: estoy afilando. The participle afilado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does afilar mean in English?
Afilar means to sharpen. It is used in everyday situations such as Afilo el cuchillo antes de cocinar. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is afilar regular or irregular?
Afilar 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 afilo in the present and afilé in the preterite.
What is the difference between afilar and cortar?
Afilar means to sharpen, while cortar means to cut. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use afilar when you mean to sharpen, as in Afilo el cuchillo antes de cocinar, and use cortar for to cut. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I sharpen” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo afilé el lápiz para dibujar. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo afilaba la navaja con una piedra. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he afilado el lápiz para dibujar.
How do I practise afilar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the afilar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Afilar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for afilar.
- Afilar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for afilar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Afianzar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with afilar.
- Afrontar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with afilar.
- Agachar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with afilar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.