Almorzar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb almorzar means to have lunch, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Almorzar means to have lunch, and in Spain it names the big midday meal, usually eaten between two and three in the afternoon. It is also used in Latin America for the midday meal, though the hour is often earlier, and it is a stem-changing verb, which is its main learning point. Like every Spanish verb, almorzar 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 almuerzo a las dos en el restaurante, and in the preterite you say almorcé paella los domingos. 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: almorzar
- English: to have lunch
- Verb type: irregular verb, stem-changing (o → ue)
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: almorzando
- Past participle: almorzado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + almorzado)
- Stem change: o → ue in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for almorzar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. The stem changes o to ue in the present: yo almuerzo, tú almuerzas, but nosotros almorzamos keeps the o.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for almorzar. 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 | almuerzo |
| tú | almuerzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | almuerza |
| nosotros/as | almorzamos |
| vosotros/as | almorzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | almuerzan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | almorcé |
| tú | almorzaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | almorzó |
| nosotros/as | almorzamos |
| vosotros/as | almorzasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | almorzaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | almorzaba |
| tú | almorzabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | almorzaba |
| nosotros/as | almorzábamos |
| vosotros/as | almorzabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | almorzaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | almorzaré |
| tú | almorzarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | almorzará |
| nosotros/as | almorzaremos |
| vosotros/as | almorzaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | almorzarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | almorzaría |
| tú | almorzarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | almorzaría |
| nosotros/as | almorzaríamos |
| vosotros/as | almorzaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | almorzarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he almorzado |
| tú | has almorzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha almorzado |
| nosotros/as | hemos almorzado |
| vosotros/as | habéis almorzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han almorzado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había almorzado |
| tú | habías almorzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había almorzado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos almorzado |
| vosotros/as | habíais almorzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían almorzado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré almorzado |
| tú | habrás almorzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá almorzado |
| nosotros/as | habremos almorzado |
| vosotros/as | habréis almorzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán almorzado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría almorzado |
| tú | habrías almorzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría almorzado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos almorzado |
| vosotros/as | habríais almorzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían almorzado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | almuerce |
| tú | almuerces |
| él/ella/Ud. | almuerce |
| nosotros/as | almorcemos |
| vosotros/as | almorcéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | almuercen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | almorzara |
| tú | almorzaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | almorzara |
| nosotros/as | almorzáramos |
| vosotros/as | almorzarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | almorzaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | almuerza |
| él/ella/Ud. | almuerce |
| nosotros/as | almorcemos |
| vosotros/as | almorzad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | almuercen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | almuerces |
| él/ella/Ud. | almuerce |
| nosotros/as | almorcemos |
| vosotros/as | almorcéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | almuercen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | almorzando | with estar for the progressive: estoy almorzando |
| Past participle | almorzado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he almorzado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For almorzar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Almuerzo a las dos en el restaurante. 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 almorzar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, almorcé con los compañeros de trabajo. 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 almorzar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, almorzaba paella los domingos. 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 almorzar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, almorzaré en la oficina entre reuniones. 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 almorzar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Almorzaría a las dos en el restaurante 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 almorzar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he almorzado con los compañeros de trabajo. 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 almorzar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había almorzado paella los domingos 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 almorzar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré almorzado en la oficina entre reuniones. 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 almorzar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría almorzado a las dos en el restaurante 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For almorzar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él almuerce con los compañeros de trabajo. 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 almorzar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él almorzara paella los domingos, 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For almorzar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Almuerza en la oficina entre reuniones! 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For almorzar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No almuerces a las dos en el restaurante. 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 almorzar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Almuerzo a las dos en el restaurante. — I have lunch at two in the restaurant.
- Almuerza con los compañeros de trabajo. — He/she has lunch with work colleagues.
- Ayer, almorcé paella los domingos. — Yesterday, I had lunch paella on Sundays.
- Antes, nosotros almorzábamos en la oficina entre reuniones. — Before, we used to have lunch in the office between meetings.
- Mañana, tú almorzarás a las dos en el restaurante. — Tomorrow, you will have lunch at two in the restaurant.
- Yo almorzaría con los compañeros de trabajo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would have lunch with work colleagues if I had more time.
- Él ha almorzado paella los domingos. — He has had lunch paella on Sundays.
- Espero que él almuerce en la oficina entre reuniones. — I hope he has lunch in the office between meetings.
- Yo ya había almorzado a las dos en el restaurante antes de salir. — I had already had lunch at two in the restaurant before leaving.
- Ellos almorzaban con los compañeros de trabajo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to have lunch with work colleagues when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo almuerza a las dos en el restaurante. — Right: Yo almuerzo a las dos en el restaurante. — The person matters: almuerza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is almuerzo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo almorzo con los compañeros de trabajo. — Right: Yo almuerzo con los compañeros de trabajo. — Almorzar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
- Wrong: Treating almorzar and cenar as identical in every context. — Right: Almorzar means to have lunch, while cenar means to have dinner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: almorzar fits sentences such as Almuerzo a las dos en el restaurante, while cenar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy almorzado con los compañeros de trabajo. — Right: Yo he almorzado con los compañeros de trabajo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he almorzado, has almorzado, ha almorzado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo almorcé paella los domingos todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo almorzaba paella los domingos todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (almorzaba), not the preterite. The preterite (almorcé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on almorzar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a las dos en el restaurante. (present tense) A. almuerzo B. almuerzas C. almuerza D. almorzamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ con los compañeros de trabajo. (preterite) A. almorcé B. almorzaste C. almorzaron D. almorzó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ paella los domingos. (imperfect) A. almorzabas B. almorzaban C. almorzábamos D. almorzaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en la oficina entre reuniones. (future) A. almorzaremos B. almorzarás C. almorzaré D. almorzará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a las dos en el restaurante si pudiera. (conditional) A. almorzaría B. almorzarías C. almorzarían D. almuerzo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con los compañeros de trabajo. (present subjunctive) A. almuerces B. almorcemos C. almuerzo D. almuerce
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ paella los domingos, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. almorzáramos B. almuerzo C. almorzara D. almorzaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en la oficina entre reuniones. (present perfect) A. han almorzado B. hemos almorzado C. he almorzado D. has almorzado
Complete the command: ¡___ a las dos en el restaurante! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. almuerza B. almuerce C. almorcemos D. almorzad
Which is the gerund of almorzar, used with estar for the progressive? A. almorzado B. almuerzo C. almorcé D. almorzando
Answer key
- almuerzo — The first-person present of almorzar is almuerzo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- almorzó — The third-person preterite of almorzar is almorzó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- almorzábamos — The nosotros imperfect of almorzar is almorzábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- almorzarás — The second-person future of almorzar is almorzarás.
- almorzaría — The first-person conditional of almorzar is almorzaría, the form for what would happen.
- almuerce — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of almorzar is almuerce.
- almorzara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of almorzar is almorzara.
- hemos almorzado — The nosotros present perfect of almorzar is hemos almorzado: hemos + almorzado.
- almuerza — The affirmative tú imperative of almorzar is almuerza.
- almorzando — The gerund of almorzar is almorzando: estoy almorzando. The participle almorzado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does almorzar mean in English?
Almorzar means to have lunch. It is used in everyday situations such as Almuerzo a las dos en el restaurante. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is almorzar regular or irregular?
Almorzar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue), so it is not fully regular: the stem changes in the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The preterite and the imperfect are regular. Check the tables above for the exact forms in each tense.
What is the difference between almorzar and cenar?
Almorzar means to have lunch, while cenar means to have dinner. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use almorzar when you mean to have lunch, as in Almuerzo a las dos en el restaurante, and use cenar for to have dinner. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I have lunch” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo almorcé con los compañeros de trabajo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo almorzaba paella los domingos. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he almorzado con los compañeros de trabajo.
How do I practise almorzar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the almorzar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Almorzar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for almorzar.
- Almorzar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for almorzar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Cenar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with almorzar.
- Desayunar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with almorzar.
- Respirar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with almorzar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.