Ampliar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb ampliar means to expand, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Ampliar means to expand or enlarge something: ampliar la casa, ampliar el negocio, ampliar la foto. It is used for buildings, businesses, photos and deadlines. Like every Spanish verb, ampliar 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 Yo amplío la casa con una habitación — "I expand the house with a room". 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: ampliar
  • English: to expand
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: ampliando
  • Past participle: ampliado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + ampliado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ampliar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for ampliar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | amplío | | tú | amplías | | él/ella/Ud. | amplía | | nosotros/as | ampliamos | | vosotros/as | ampliáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amplían |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | amplié | | tú | ampliaste | | él/ella/Ud. | amplió | | nosotros/as | ampliamos | | vosotros/as | ampliasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ampliaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ampliaba | | tú | ampliabas | | él/ella/Ud. | ampliaba | | nosotros/as | ampliábamos | | vosotros/as | ampliabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ampliaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ampliaré | | tú | ampliarás | | él/ella/Ud. | ampliará | | nosotros/as | ampliaremos | | vosotros/as | ampliaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ampliarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ampliaría | | tú | ampliarías | | él/ella/Ud. | ampliaría | | nosotros/as | ampliaríamos | | vosotros/as | ampliaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ampliarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he ampliado | | tú | has ampliado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha ampliado | | nosotros/as | hemos ampliado | | vosotros/as | habéis ampliado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han ampliado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había ampliado | | tú | habías ampliado | | él/ella/Ud. | había ampliado | | nosotros/as | habíamos ampliado | | vosotros/as | habíais ampliado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían ampliado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré ampliado | | tú | habrás ampliado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá ampliado | | nosotros/as | habremos ampliado | | vosotros/as | habréis ampliado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán ampliado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría ampliado | | tú | habrías ampliado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría ampliado | | nosotros/as | habríamos ampliado | | vosotros/as | habríais ampliado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían ampliado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | amplíe | | tú | amplíes | | él/ella/Ud. | amplíe | | nosotros/as | ampliemos | | vosotros/as | ampliéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amplíen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ampliara | | tú | ampliaras | | él/ella/Ud. | ampliara | | nosotros/as | ampliáramos | | vosotros/as | ampliarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ampliaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | amplía | | él/ella/Ud. | amplíe | | nosotros/as | ampliemos | | vosotros/as | ampliad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amplíen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | amplíes | | él/ella/Ud. | amplíe | | nosotros/as | ampliemos | | vosotros/as | ampliéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amplíen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund ampliando with estar for the progressive: está ampliando
Past participle ampliado with haber for the perfect tenses: he ampliado

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 ampliar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo amplío la casa con una habitación — "I expand the house with a room".

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 ampliar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo amplié el negocio a otra ciudad — "Yesterday, I expanded the business to another city".

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 ampliar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo ampliaba la foto en el ordenador — "As a child, I used to expand the photo on the computer".

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 ampliar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo ampliaré su vocabulario cada día — "Tomorrow, I will expand his vocabulary every day".

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 ampliar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ampliaría la casa con una habitación si pudiera — "I would expand the house with a room if I could".

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 ampliar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he ampliado el negocio a otra ciudad — "Today, I have expanded the business to another city".

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 ampliar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había ampliado la foto en el ordenador antes de salir — "I already had expanded the photo on the computer before leaving".

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 ampliar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré ampliado su vocabulario cada día — "By tomorrow, I will have expanded his vocabulary every day".

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 ampliar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría ampliado la casa con una habitación con más tiempo — "I would have expanded the house with a room with more time".

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 ampliar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él amplíe el negocio a otra ciudad — "I hope he expands the business to another city".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 ampliar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo ampliara la foto en el ordenador, todo cambiaría — "If I expanded the photo on the computer, everything would change".

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 ampliar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Amplía su vocabulario cada día. — "Expand his vocabulary every day.".

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 ampliar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No amplíes la casa con una habitación. — "Do not expand the house with a room.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with ampliar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo amplío la casa con una habitación — "I expand the house with a room"
  2. Mi amigo amplía el negocio a otra ciudad — "My friend expands the business to another city"
  3. Ayer, yo amplié la foto en el ordenador — "Yesterday, I expanded the photo on the computer"
  4. Antes, nosotros ampliábamos su vocabulario cada día — "Before, we used to expand his vocabulary every day"
  5. Mañana, tú ampliarás el plazo de entrega — "Tomorrow, you will expand the delivery deadline"
  6. Yo ampliaría la casa con una habitación si tuviera más tiempo — "I would expand the house with a room if I had more time"
  7. Él ha ampliado el negocio a otra ciudad — "He has expanded the business to another city"
  8. Espero que él amplíe la foto en el ordenador — "I hope he expands the photo on the computer"
  9. Yo ya había ampliado su vocabulario cada día antes de salir — "I already had expanded his vocabulary every day before leaving"
  10. Ellos ampliaban el plazo de entrega cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to expand the delivery deadline when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él amplía el negocio a otra ciudad — Right: Espero que él amplíe el negocio a otra ciudad — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él amplíe el negocio a otra ciudad — not the indicative Espero que él amplía el negocio a otra ciudad.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo amplío la foto en el ordenador — Right: Ayer, yo amplié la foto en el ordenador — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo amplié la foto en el ordenador.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo amplié su vocabulario cada día todos los días — Right: De niño, yo ampliaba su vocabulario cada día todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo ampliaba su vocabulario cada día todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo amplío en la casa con una habitación. — Right: Yo amplío la casa con una habitación. — ampliar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo amplío la casa con una habitación.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros ampliais el plazo de entrega. — Right: Vosotros ampliáis el plazo de entrega. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: ampliáis, not ampliais.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on ampliar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la casa con una habitación — "I expand the house with a room" (present) A. amplío B. amplías C. amplía D. ampliamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el negocio a otra ciudad — "He expanded the business to another city" (preterite) A. ampliamos B. amplió C. amplié D. ampliaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la foto en el ordenador — "We used to expand the photo on the computer" (imperfect) A. ampliaba B. ampliabas C. ampliabais D. ampliábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ su vocabulario cada día — "You will expand his vocabulary every day" (future) A. ampliaré B. ampliará C. ampliaremos D. ampliarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el plazo de entrega — "I would expand the delivery deadline" (conditional) A. ampliarías B. ampliaríamos C. ampliaríais D. ampliaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la casa con una habitación — "I hope he expands the house with a room" (present subjunctive) A. amplíe B. amplíes C. ampliemos D. ampliéis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el negocio a otra ciudad, todo cambiaría — "If I expanded the business to another city, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. ampliarais B. ampliara C. ampliaras D. ampliáramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la foto en el ordenador — "We have expanded the photo on the computer" (present perfect) A. he ampliado B. has ampliado C. ha ampliado D. hemos ampliado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ su vocabulario cada día. — "Do not expand his vocabulary every day." (negative imperative) A. amplíe B. ampliemos C. ampliéis D. amplíes

  10. Which is the gerund of ampliar, used with estar for the progressive? A. ampliando B. ampliado C. amplío D. amplié

Answer key

  1. amplío — The present form for yo is amplío.
  2. amplió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is amplió.
  3. ampliábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is ampliábamos.
  4. ampliarás — The future form for tú is ampliarás.
  5. ampliaría — The conditional form for yo is ampliaría.
  6. amplíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is amplíe.
  7. ampliara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is ampliara.
  8. hemos ampliado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos ampliado.
  9. amplíes — The negative imperative form is amplíes.
  10. ampliando — The gerund of ampliar is ampliando: estoy ampliando. The participle ampliado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does ampliar mean in English?

ampliar means to expand. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo amplío la casa con una habitación — "I expand the house with a room". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is ampliar regular?

Yes. ampliar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as ampliáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of ampliar?

The gerund is ampliando and the past participle is ampliado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I expand" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo amplié el negocio a otra ciudad — "Yesterday, I expanded the business to another city". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo ampliaba la foto en el ordenador — "As a child, I used to expand the photo on the computer". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he ampliado el negocio a otra ciudad — "Today, I have expanded the business to another city".

What is the difference between ampliar and agrandar?

Agrandar is to make something physically bigger. Ampliar is wider — you amplías a business, a vocabulary or a deadline, not just a size. Ampliar means to expand or enlarge something: ampliar la casa, ampliar el negocio, ampliar la foto. It is used for buildings, businesses, photos and deadlines.

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