Introduction
Amar means «to love». Amar means to love, deeply and seriously: family, a partner, your country. It is a regular -ar verb. In everyday speech, querer is often used for liking things and loving people casually, while amar carries more weight. It is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of amar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo amo a mi familia todos los días.» — I love my family every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | amar |
| English | to love |
| Verb type | Regular -ar verb |
| Gerund | amando |
| Past participle | amado |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: amando · Past participle: amado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | amo |
| tú | amas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ama |
| nosotros/as | amamos |
| vosotros/as | amáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aman |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For amar, the yo form is amo, as in «Yo amo» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | amé |
| tú | amaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | amó |
| nosotros/as | amamos |
| vosotros/as | amasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amaron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo amé» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | amaba |
| tú | amabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | amaba |
| nosotros/as | amábamos |
| vosotros/as | amabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amaban |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo amaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | amaré |
| tú | amarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | amará |
| nosotros/as | amaremos |
| vosotros/as | amaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amarán |
The future tense states what will happen. For amar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo amaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | amaría |
| tú | amarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | amaría |
| nosotros/as | amaríamos |
| vosotros/as | amaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amarían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo amaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he amado |
| tú | has amado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha amado |
| nosotros/as | hemos amado |
| vosotros/as | habéis amado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han amado |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he amado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había amado |
| tú | habías amado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había amado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos amado |
| vosotros/as | habíais amado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían amado |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había amado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré amado |
| tú | habrás amado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá amado |
| nosotros/as | habremos amado |
| vosotros/as | habréis amado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán amado |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré amado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría amado |
| tú | habrías amado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría amado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos amado |
| vosotros/as | habríais amado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían amado |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría amado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ame |
| tú | ames |
| él/ella/Ud. | ame |
| nosotros/as | amemos |
| vosotros/as | améis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amen |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él ame». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | amara |
| tú | amaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | amara |
| nosotros/as | amáramos |
| vosotros/as | amarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amaran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él amara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | ama |
| él/ella/Ud. | ame |
| nosotros/as | amemos |
| vosotros/as | amad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Ama!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | ames |
| él/ella/Ud. | ame |
| nosotros/as | amemos |
| vosotros/as | améis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No ames!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo amo a mi familia todos los días. — I love my family every day.
- Mi hermana ama a mi familia mucho. — My sister loves my family a lot.
- Ayer yo amé a mi familia por la tarde. — Yesterday I loved my family in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo amaba a mi familia muchas veces. — As a child, I used to love my family often.
- Mañana yo amaré a mi familia sin falta. — Tomorrow I will love my family without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo amaría a mi familia ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would love my family right now.
- Hoy yo he amado la música dos veces. — Today I have loved music twice.
- Espero que él ame a mi familia pronto. — I hope he loves my family soon.
- ¡Ama a tu familia cada día! — Love your family every day!
- Ahora mismo estoy amando a mi familia. — Right now I am loving my family.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: ame
Right: amé
The yo preterite of amar carries a written accent: amé. Without it, ame is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo amaba a mi familia.
Right: Ayer yo amé a mi familia.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, amé. The imperfect amaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Amo el chocolate.
Right: Me encanta el chocolate.
Amar is for people and deep feelings, not food. For things you love, Spanish says me encanta el chocolate.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú amas a mi familia.
Right: Espero que tú ames a mi familia.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: ames, not the indicative amas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No ama a mi familia.
Right: No ames a mi familia.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no ames. The affirmative ama can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of amar in the present tense?
- (a) ama
- (b) amamos
- (c) amas
- (d) amo
2. What is the él/ella form of amar in the preterite?
- (a) amamos
- (b) amaste
- (c) amé
- (d) amó
3. What is the nosotros form of amar in the imperfect?
- (a) amaba
- (b) amabas
- (c) amábamos
4. What is the tú form of amar in the future tense?
- (a) amaremos
- (b) amará
- (c) amarás
- (d) amaré
5. What is the ellos form of amar in the conditional?
- (a) amaría
- (b) amarían
- (c) amarías
6. What is the yo form of amar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha amado
- (b) has amado
- (c) he amado
- (d) hemos amado
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of amar?
- (a) ame
- (b) amemos
- (c) ames
8. What is the nosotros form of amar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) amara
- (b) amáramos
- (c) amaras
9. What is the gerund of amar?
- (a) amado
- (b) amando
- (c) amar
- (d) amo
10. What is the past participle of amar?
- (a) amado
- (b) amando
- (c) amar
- (d) amé
Answer key
1. (d) amo — In the present, the yo form of amar is amo. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (d) amó — In the preterite, the el form of amar is amó. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (c) amábamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of amar is amábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) amarás — In the future, the tu form of amar is amarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) amarían — In the conditional, the ellos form of amar is amarían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he amado — In the present perfect, the yo form of amar is he amado. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) ames — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of amar is ames. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) amáramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of amar is amáramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (b) amando — The gerund of amar is amando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy amando».
10. (a) amado — The past participle of amar is amado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he amado».
Frequently asked questions
Is amar regular or irregular?
Yes, amar is a regular -ar verb. Every tense follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of amar?
The gerund is amando and the past participle is amado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy amando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he amado»).
What is the difference between amar and querer?
Amar and querer are often confused. Querer is the everyday verb for loving and wanting; amar is deeper and more serious.
How do I say «I love» in Spanish?
Say «Yo amo». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with amar?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (amé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (amaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: amar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: amar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: odiar
- Related verb: temer
- Related verb: cantar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz