Ahorrar Conjugation in Spanish
ahorrar means "to save (money)" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about saving money — for a trip, a house, retirement or a rainy day, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of ahorrar in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Ahorrar is a regular -ar verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: Yo ahorro dinero cada mes. — "I save money every month.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: ahorrar
- English: to save (money)
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Gerund: ahorrando
- Past participle: ahorrado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + ahorrado)
Full conjugation table
Every tense of ahorrar with all six persons. The gerund is ahorrando and the past participle is ahorrado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahorro |
| tú | ahorras |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahorra |
| nosotros/as | ahorramos |
| vosotros/as | ahorráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahorran |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahorré |
| tú | ahorraste |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahorró |
| nosotros/as | ahorramos |
| vosotros/as | ahorrasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahorraron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahorraba |
| tú | ahorrabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahorraba |
| nosotros/as | ahorrábamos |
| vosotros/as | ahorrabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahorraban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahorraré |
| tú | ahorrarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahorrará |
| nosotros/as | ahorraremos |
| vosotros/as | ahorraréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahorrarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahorraría |
| tú | ahorrarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahorraría |
| nosotros/as | ahorraríamos |
| vosotros/as | ahorraríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahorrarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he ahorrado |
| tú | has ahorrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha ahorrado |
| nosotros/as | hemos ahorrado |
| vosotros/as | habéis ahorrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han ahorrado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había ahorrado |
| tú | habías ahorrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había ahorrado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos ahorrado |
| vosotros/as | habíais ahorrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían ahorrado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré ahorrado |
| tú | habrás ahorrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá ahorrado |
| nosotros/as | habremos ahorrado |
| vosotros/as | habréis ahorrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán ahorrado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría ahorrado |
| tú | habrías ahorrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría ahorrado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos ahorrado |
| vosotros/as | habríais ahorrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían ahorrado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahorre |
| tú | ahorres |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahorre |
| nosotros/as | ahorremos |
| vosotros/as | ahorréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahorren |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahorrara |
| tú | ahorraras |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahorrara |
| nosotros/as | ahorráramos |
| vosotros/as | ahorrarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahorraran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | ahorra |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahorre |
| nosotros/as | ahorremos |
| vosotros/as | ahorrad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahorren |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | ahorres |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahorre |
| nosotros/as | ahorremos |
| vosotros/as | ahorréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahorren |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | ahorrando |
| Past participle | ahorrado |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with ahorrar, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ahorro dinero cada mes.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Ayer yo ahorré dinero cada mes.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: En aquella época, yo ahorraba dinero cada mes.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Mañana yo ahorraré dinero cada mes.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ahorraría dinero cada mes si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya he ahorrado dinero cada mes.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya había ahorrado dinero cada mes antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Para mañana yo ya habré ahorrado dinero cada mes.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo habría ahorrado dinero cada mes si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Espero que él ahorre dinero cada mes.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Si él ahorrara dinero cada mes, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: ¡Ahorra dinero cada mes!
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: No ahorres dinero cada mes.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with ahorrar, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- Yo ahorro dinero cada mes. — "I save money every month."
- ¿Tú ahorras dinero cada mes? — "Do you save money every month?"
- Ayer ahorré dinero para el viaje. — "Yesterday I saved money for the trip."
- Ella ahorraba dinero cada mes cuando trabajaba. — "She used to save money every month when she worked."
- Mañana ahorraré dinero cada mes sin falta. — "Tomorrow I will save money every month without fail."
- Yo ahorraría dinero cada mes si ganara más. — "I would save money every month if I earned more."
- Ya he ahorrado dinero cada mes este año. — "I have already saved money every month this year."
- Espero que ahorre dinero cada mes. — "I hope he saves money every month."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with ahorrar — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo ahorré dinero cada mes — learners often write ahorre without the accent. → Right: Yo ahorré dinero cada mes.. The preterite yo form is ahorré, with an accent on the final e. Ahorrar is regular, so the accent is the only spelling point.
- Wrong: *Espero que tú ahorras dinero cada mes. → Right: Espero que tú ahorres dinero cada mes.. After espero que, use the subjunctive ahorres, not the indicative ahorras.
- Wrong: *Ahorro dinero cada mes — some learners write ahorro as ahorro correctly but confuse ahorrar with guardar; both can mean to save, but ahorrar is for money. → Right: Yo ahorro dinero cada mes.. Ahorrar means to save money; guardar means to keep or put away in general. You save (ahorras) money in a bank, and you keep (guardas) a letter in a drawer.
- Wrong: *Yo he ahorrado dinero cada mes — learners sometimes write he ahorro instead of the participle. → Right: Yo he ahorrado dinero cada mes.. The perfect tenses use the participle ahorrado after haber: he ahorrado, not he ahorro.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on ahorrar. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of ahorrar in the present indicative?
- a) ahorro
- b) ahorras
- c) ahorra
- d) ahorramos
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of ahorrar in the preterite (past)?
- a) ahorré
- b) ahorramos
- c) ahorró
- d) ahorraste
What is the nosotros/as form of ahorrar in the imperfect (past)?
- a) ahorraba
- b) ahorraba
- c) ahorrábamos
- d) ahorrabas
What is the tú form of ahorrar in the future?
- a) ahorrarás
- b) ahorraremos
- c) ahorraré
- d) ahorrará
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ahorrar in the conditional?
- a) ahorrarías
- b) ahorraría
- c) ahorraría
- d) ahorrarían
What is the yo form of ahorrar in the present subjunctive?
- a) ahorre
- b) ahorremos
- c) ahorre
- d) ahorres
What is the gerund of ahorrar?
- a) ahorrar
- b) ahorrando
- c) ahorra
- d) ahorrado
What is the past participle of ahorrar?
- a) he ahorrado
- b) ahorrando
- c) ahorrado
- d) ahorro
What does ahorrar mean in English?
- a) to die
- b) to destroy
- c) to save (money)
- d) to decide
The form ahorré belongs to which tense?
- a) Present
- b) Preterite
- c) Future
- d) Imperfect
Answer key
- ahorro — The yo form in the present indicative is ahorro — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ahorró — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is ahorró — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ahorrábamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is ahorrábamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ahorrarás — The tú form in the future is ahorrarás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ahorrarían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is ahorrarían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ahorre — The yo form in the present subjunctive is ahorre — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ahorrando — The gerund is ahorrando — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy ahorrando). The past participle is ahorrado.
- ahorrado — The past participle is ahorrado — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he ahorrado).
- to save (money) — ahorrar means "to save (money)".
- Preterite — ahorré is the yo form of the preterite of ahorrar — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is ahorraba.
Frequently asked questions
Is ahorrar regular?
Yes, ahorrar is a completely regular -ar verb: ahorro, ahorras, ahorra, ahorramos, ahorráis, ahorran. The preterite is ahorré, ahorraste, ahorró, and the participle is ahorrado.
What is the difference between ahorrar and guardar?
Ahorrar means to save money (ahorro dinero cada mes), while guardar means to keep or store something (guardo las llaves en el cajón). You can also say guardar dinero, but ahorrar is the standard word for saving money.
How do you say "to save money" in Spanish?
Ahorrar dinero — for example: Ahorro dinero cada mes para viajar. To say what you are saving for, add para: Ahorro para una casa.
Does ahorrar take a preposition?
No, not for the money itself: ahorro dinero. To say what you save for, use para: Ahorro para las vacaciones. To say what you save on, use en: Ahorro en comida.
Related pages
- Ahorrar in the present tense — the present tense of ahorrar in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Ahorrar examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with ahorrar and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Gastar conjugation — another verb in the same family as ahorrar.
- Guardar conjugation — another verb in the same family as ahorrar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise ahorrar with this tool.
- Conjugation Practice — practise ahorrar with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.