Agradar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb agradar means to please, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Agradar means to please, and it works like gustar: the thing that pleases is the subject, and the person pleased is an indirect object, as in me agrada tu idea, your idea pleases me. It is a polite, slightly formal verb for liking something, common in letters, speeches and careful conversation. Like every Spanish verb, agradar changes its ending for each person and tense, but it works like gustar: the thing that pleases is the subject, and the person is an indirect object. 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 Me agrada tu idea, and in the preterite you say Me agradó el plan. 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: agradar
- English: to please
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: agradando
- Past participle: agradado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + agradado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for agradar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Agradar works like gustar: me agrada tu idea, not yo agrado tu idea. The verb agrees with the thing that pleases.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for agradar. 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 | agrado |
| tú | agradas |
| él/ella/Ud. | agrada |
| nosotros/as | agradamos |
| vosotros/as | agradáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agradan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agradé |
| tú | agradaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | agradó |
| nosotros/as | agradamos |
| vosotros/as | agradasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agradaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agradaba |
| tú | agradabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | agradaba |
| nosotros/as | agradábamos |
| vosotros/as | agradabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agradaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agradaré |
| tú | agradarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | agradará |
| nosotros/as | agradaremos |
| vosotros/as | agradaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agradarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agradaría |
| tú | agradarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | agradaría |
| nosotros/as | agradaríamos |
| vosotros/as | agradaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agradarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he agradado |
| tú | has agradado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha agradado |
| nosotros/as | hemos agradado |
| vosotros/as | habéis agradado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han agradado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había agradado |
| tú | habías agradado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había agradado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos agradado |
| vosotros/as | habíais agradado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían agradado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré agradado |
| tú | habrás agradado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá agradado |
| nosotros/as | habremos agradado |
| vosotros/as | habréis agradado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán agradado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría agradado |
| tú | habrías agradado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría agradado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos agradado |
| vosotros/as | habríais agradado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían agradado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agrade |
| tú | agrades |
| él/ella/Ud. | agrade |
| nosotros/as | agrademos |
| vosotros/as | agradéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agraden |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agradara |
| tú | agradaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | agradara |
| nosotros/as | agradáramos |
| vosotros/as | agradarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agradaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | agrada |
| él/ella/Ud. | agrade |
| nosotros/as | agrademos |
| vosotros/as | agradad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agraden |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | agrades |
| él/ella/Ud. | agrade |
| nosotros/as | agrademos |
| vosotros/as | agradéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agraden |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | agradando | with estar for the progressive: estoy agradando |
| Past participle | agradado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he agradado |
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 agradar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me agrada tu idea. 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 agradar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me agradó la propuesta. 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 agradar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me agradaba el plan. 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 agradar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me agradará la música. 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 agradar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me agradaría tu idea 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 agradar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me ha agradado la propuesta. 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 agradar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había agradado el plan 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 agradar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habrá agradado la música. 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 agradar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría agradado tu idea 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 agradar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que le agrade la propuesta. 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 agradar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si le agradara el plan, 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 agradar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que le agrade la música. 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 agradar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que no le agrade tu idea. 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 agradar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Me agrada tu idea. — Your idea pleases me.
- Le agrada la propuesta. — The proposal pleases him.
- Ayer, me agradó el plan. — Yesterday, The plan pleased me.
- Antes, nos agradaba la música. — Before, The music used to please us.
- Mañana, te agradará tu idea. — Tomorrow, Your idea will please you.
- Me agradaría la propuesta si pudiera. — The proposal would please me if I could.
- Le ha agradado el plan. — The plan has pleased him.
- Espero que le agrade la música. — I hope the music pleases him.
- Me había agradado tu idea antes de salir. — Your idea had already pleased me before leaving.
- Les agradaba la propuesta cuando eran jóvenes. — The proposal used to please them when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo agrado tu idea. — Right: Me agrada tu idea. — Agradar works like gustar: the thing that pleases is the subject, and the person is an indirect object (me, te, le, nos, os, les). The verb agrees with the thing, not with the person.
- Wrong: Treating agradar and gustar as identical in every context. — Right: Agradar means to please, while gustar means to like something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: agradar fits sentences such as Me agrada tu idea, while gustar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy agradado la propuesta. — Right: Yo he agradado la propuesta. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he agradado, has agradado, ha agradado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo agradé el plan todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo agradaba el plan todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (agradaba), not the preterite. The preterite (agradé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on agradar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Me ___ tu idea. (present tense) A. agrada B. agrado C. agradas D. agradamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, me ___ la propuesta. (preterite) A. agradé B. agradaste C. agradaron D. agradó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nos ___ el plan. (imperfect) A. agradaban B. agrado C. agradaba D. agradabas
Complete the sentence: Mañana, te ___ la música. (future) A. agrado B. agradará C. agradaré D. agradaremos
Complete the sentence: Me ___ tu idea si pudiera. (conditional) A. agradaría B. agradarías C. agradarían D. agrado
Complete the sentence: Espero que le ___ la propuesta. (present subjunctive) A. agrades B. agrademos C. agrado D. agrade
Complete the sentence: Si me ___ el plan, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. agradáramos B. agrado C. agradara D. agradaras
Complete the sentence: Le ___ la música. (present perfect) A. han agradado B. ha agradado C. he agradado D. has agradado
What does “Me agrada tu idea” mean? A. Your idea pleases me. B. I please your idea. C. Your idea pleases you. D. I am your idea.
Which is the gerund of agradar, used with estar for the progressive? A. agradado B. agrado C. agradé D. agradando
Answer key
- agrada — The verb agrees with the thing that pleases: the third-person present of agradar is agrada.
- agradó — The third-person preterite of agradar is agradó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- agradaba — The third-person imperfect of agradar is agradaba, used here for a repeated past habit.
- agradará — The third-person future of agradar is agradará.
- agradaría — The third-person conditional of agradar is agradaría, the form for what would happen.
- agrade — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of agradar is agrade.
- agradara — The third-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of agradar is agradara.
- ha agradado — The third-person present perfect of agradar is ha agradado: ha + agradado.
- Your idea pleases me. — Agradar works like gustar: the thing is the subject, so “Me agrada tu idea” means your idea pleases me.
- agradando — The gerund of agradar is agradando: estoy agradando. The participle agradado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does agradar mean in English?
Agradar means to please. It works like gustar: the thing that pleases is the subject, so you say Me agrada tu idea, which means Your idea pleases me. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Why does agradar use me, te and le instead of yo and tú?
Because agradar works like gustar: the person who feels the emotion is an indirect object, and the thing that causes it is the subject. You say me agrada tu idea, te agrada la propuesta and le agrada el plan, and the verb always agrees with the thing, not with the person.
What is the difference between agradar and gustar?
Agradar means to please, while gustar means to like something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use agradar when you mean to please, as in Me agrada tu idea, and use gustar for to like something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say something pleased me in the past?
For one finished action, use the preterite: me agradó la propuesta. For a repeated feeling in the past, use the imperfect: me agradaba el plan. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: me ha agradado la propuesta.
How do I practise agradar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the agradar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Agradar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for agradar.
- Agradar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for agradar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Agrandar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agradar.
- Agotar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agradar.
- Agrupar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agradar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.