Alimentar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb alimentar means to feed, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Alimentar means to feed, and it is used for feeding children, animals and plants, and for feeding a fire or a machine. It is the non-reflexive partner of alimentarse, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, alimentar 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 alimento a los niños con verdura, and in the preterite you say alimenté a las plantas con abono. 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: alimentar
- English: to feed
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: alimentando
- Past participle: alimentado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + alimentado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for alimentar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Alimentar is fully regular: alimenté, alimentaba, alimentaré. Alimentar a los niños is to feed the children.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for alimentar. 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 | alimento |
| tú | alimentas |
| él/ella/Ud. | alimenta |
| nosotros/as | alimentamos |
| vosotros/as | alimentáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alimentan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alimenté |
| tú | alimentaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | alimentó |
| nosotros/as | alimentamos |
| vosotros/as | alimentasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alimentaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alimentaba |
| tú | alimentabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | alimentaba |
| nosotros/as | alimentábamos |
| vosotros/as | alimentabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alimentaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alimentaré |
| tú | alimentarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | alimentará |
| nosotros/as | alimentaremos |
| vosotros/as | alimentaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alimentarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alimentaría |
| tú | alimentarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | alimentaría |
| nosotros/as | alimentaríamos |
| vosotros/as | alimentaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alimentarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he alimentado |
| tú | has alimentado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha alimentado |
| nosotros/as | hemos alimentado |
| vosotros/as | habéis alimentado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han alimentado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había alimentado |
| tú | habías alimentado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había alimentado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos alimentado |
| vosotros/as | habíais alimentado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían alimentado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré alimentado |
| tú | habrás alimentado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá alimentado |
| nosotros/as | habremos alimentado |
| vosotros/as | habréis alimentado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán alimentado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría alimentado |
| tú | habrías alimentado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría alimentado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos alimentado |
| vosotros/as | habríais alimentado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían alimentado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alimente |
| tú | alimentes |
| él/ella/Ud. | alimente |
| nosotros/as | alimentemos |
| vosotros/as | alimentéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alimenten |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alimentara |
| tú | alimentaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | alimentara |
| nosotros/as | alimentáramos |
| vosotros/as | alimentarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alimentaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | alimenta |
| él/ella/Ud. | alimente |
| nosotros/as | alimentemos |
| vosotros/as | alimentad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alimenten |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | alimentes |
| él/ella/Ud. | alimente |
| nosotros/as | alimentemos |
| vosotros/as | alimentéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alimenten |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | alimentando | with estar for the progressive: estoy alimentando |
| Past participle | alimentado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he alimentado |
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 alimentar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Alimento a los niños con verdura. 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 alimentar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, alimenté al perro dos veces al día. 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 alimentar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, alimentaba a las plantas con abono. 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 alimentar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, alimentaré al bebé con leche. 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 alimentar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Alimentaría a los niños con verdura 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 alimentar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he alimentado al perro dos veces al día. 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 alimentar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había alimentado a las plantas con abono 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 alimentar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré alimentado al bebé con leche. 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 alimentar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría alimentado a los niños con verdura 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 alimentar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él alimente al perro dos veces al día. 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 alimentar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él alimentara a las plantas con abono, 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 alimentar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Alimenta al bebé con leche! 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 alimentar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No alimentes a los niños con verdura. 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 alimentar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Alimento a los niños con verdura. — I feed the children with vegetables.
- Alimenta al perro dos veces al día. — He/she feeds the dog twice a day.
- Ayer, alimenté a las plantas con abono. — Yesterday, I fed the plants with fertiliser.
- Antes, nosotros alimentábamos al bebé con leche. — Before, we used to feed the baby with milk.
- Mañana, tú alimentarás a los niños con verdura. — Tomorrow, you will feed the children with vegetables.
- Yo alimentaría al perro dos veces al día si tuviera más tiempo. — I would feed the dog twice a day if I had more time.
- Él ha alimentado a las plantas con abono. — He has fed the plants with fertiliser.
- Espero que él alimente al bebé con leche. — I hope he feeds the baby with milk.
- Yo ya había alimentado a los niños con verdura antes de salir. — I had already fed the children with vegetables before leaving.
- Ellos alimentaban al perro dos veces al día cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to feed the dog twice a day when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo alimenta a los niños con verdura. — Right: Yo alimento a los niños con verdura. — The person matters: alimenta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is alimento. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo alimento al perro dos veces al día. — Right: Ayer yo alimenté al perro dos veces al día. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: alimento is happening now, while alimenté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating alimentar and alimentarse as identical in every context. — Right: Alimentar means to feed, while alimentarse means to feed oneself. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alimentar fits sentences such as Alimento a los niños con verdura, while alimentarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy alimentado al perro dos veces al día. — Right: Yo he alimentado al perro dos veces al día. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he alimentado, has alimentado, ha alimentado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo alimenté a las plantas con abono todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo alimentaba a las plantas con abono todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (alimentaba), not the preterite. The preterite (alimenté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on alimentar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los niños con verdura. (present tense) A. alimento B. alimentas C. alimenta D. alimentamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al perro dos veces al día. (preterite) A. alimenté B. alimentaste C. alimentaron D. alimentó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a las plantas con abono. (imperfect) A. alimentabas B. alimentaban C. alimentábamos D. alimentaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ al bebé con leche. (future) A. alimentaremos B. alimentarás C. alimentaré D. alimentará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los niños con verdura si pudiera. (conditional) A. alimentaría B. alimentarías C. alimentarían D. alimento
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al perro dos veces al día. (present subjunctive) A. alimentes B. alimentemos C. alimento D. alimente
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a las plantas con abono, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. alimentáramos B. alimento C. alimentara D. alimentaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ al bebé con leche. (present perfect) A. han alimentado B. hemos alimentado C. he alimentado D. has alimentado
Complete the command: ¡___ a los niños con verdura! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. alimenta B. alimente C. alimentemos D. alimentad
Which is the gerund of alimentar, used with estar for the progressive? A. alimentado B. alimento C. alimenté D. alimentando
Answer key
- alimento — The first-person present of alimentar is alimento. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- alimentó — The third-person preterite of alimentar is alimentó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- alimentábamos — The nosotros imperfect of alimentar is alimentábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- alimentarás — The second-person future of alimentar is alimentarás.
- alimentaría — The first-person conditional of alimentar is alimentaría, the form for what would happen.
- alimente — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of alimentar is alimente.
- alimentara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of alimentar is alimentara.
- hemos alimentado — The nosotros present perfect of alimentar is hemos alimentado: hemos + alimentado.
- alimenta — The affirmative tú imperative of alimentar is alimenta.
- alimentando — The gerund of alimentar is alimentando: estoy alimentando. The participle alimentado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does alimentar mean in English?
Alimentar means to feed. It is used in everyday situations such as Alimento a los niños con verdura. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is alimentar regular or irregular?
Alimentar 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 alimento in the present and alimenté in the preterite.
What is the difference between alimentar and alimentarse?
Alimentar means to feed, while alimentarse means to feed oneself. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use alimentar when you mean to feed, as in Alimento a los niños con verdura, and use alimentarse for to feed oneself. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I feed” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo alimenté al perro dos veces al día. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo alimentaba a las plantas con abono. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he alimentado al perro dos veces al día.
How do I practise alimentar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the alimentar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Alimentar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for alimentar.
- Alimentar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for alimentar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Mamar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alimentar.
- Ayunar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alimentar.
- Chupar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alimentar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.