Aplaudir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb aplaudir means to applaud, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Aplaudir means to applaud, and it is used for clapping at a concert, a theatre performance, a speech or a goal. It is a regular -ir verb and a classic verb of audiences and celebrations. Like every Spanish verb, aplaudir 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 aplaudo al cantante en el concierto, and in the preterite you say aplaudí el gol del equipo. 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: aplaudir
- English: to applaud
- Verb type: regular -ir verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: aplaudiendo
- Past participle: aplaudido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + aplaudido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for aplaudir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Aplaudir is a regular -ir verb: aplaudí, aplaudía, aplaudiré. The noun is aplauso, applause.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for aplaudir. 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 | aplaudo |
| tú | aplaudes |
| él/ella/Ud. | aplaude |
| nosotros/as | aplaudimos |
| vosotros/as | aplaudís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aplauden |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aplaudí |
| tú | aplaudiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | aplaudió |
| nosotros/as | aplaudimos |
| vosotros/as | aplaudisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aplaudieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aplaudía |
| tú | aplaudías |
| él/ella/Ud. | aplaudía |
| nosotros/as | aplaudíamos |
| vosotros/as | aplaudíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aplaudían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aplaudiré |
| tú | aplaudirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | aplaudirá |
| nosotros/as | aplaudiremos |
| vosotros/as | aplaudiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aplaudirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aplaudiría |
| tú | aplaudirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | aplaudiría |
| nosotros/as | aplaudiríamos |
| vosotros/as | aplaudiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aplaudirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he aplaudido |
| tú | has aplaudido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha aplaudido |
| nosotros/as | hemos aplaudido |
| vosotros/as | habéis aplaudido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han aplaudido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había aplaudido |
| tú | habías aplaudido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había aplaudido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos aplaudido |
| vosotros/as | habíais aplaudido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían aplaudido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré aplaudido |
| tú | habrás aplaudido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá aplaudido |
| nosotros/as | habremos aplaudido |
| vosotros/as | habréis aplaudido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán aplaudido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría aplaudido |
| tú | habrías aplaudido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría aplaudido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos aplaudido |
| vosotros/as | habríais aplaudido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían aplaudido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aplauda |
| tú | aplaudas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aplauda |
| nosotros/as | aplaudamos |
| vosotros/as | aplaudáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aplaudan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aplaudiera |
| tú | aplaudieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | aplaudiera |
| nosotros/as | aplaudiéramos |
| vosotros/as | aplaudierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aplaudieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aplaude |
| él/ella/Ud. | aplauda |
| nosotros/as | aplaudamos |
| vosotros/as | aplaudid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aplaudan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aplaudas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aplauda |
| nosotros/as | aplaudamos |
| vosotros/as | aplaudáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aplaudan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | aplaudiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy aplaudiendo |
| Past participle | aplaudido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he aplaudido |
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 aplaudir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Aplaudo al cantante en el concierto. 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 aplaudir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, aplaudí al actor al final de la obra. 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 aplaudir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, aplaudía el gol del equipo. 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 aplaudir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, aplaudiré al orador después del discurso. 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 aplaudir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Aplaudiría al cantante en el concierto 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 aplaudir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he aplaudido al actor al final de la obra. 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 aplaudir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había aplaudido el gol del equipo 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 aplaudir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré aplaudido al orador después del discurso. 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 aplaudir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría aplaudido al cantante en el concierto 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 aplaudir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aplauda al actor al final de la obra. 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 aplaudir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él aplaudiera el gol del equipo, 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 aplaudir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡aplaude al orador después del discurso! 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 aplaudir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No aplaudas al cantante en el concierto. 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 aplaudir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Aplaudo al cantante en el concierto. — I applaud the singer at the concert.
- Aplaude al actor al final de la obra. — He/she applauds the actor at the end of the play.
- Ayer, aplaudí el gol del equipo. — Yesterday, I applauded the team's goal.
- Antes, nosotros aplaudíamos al orador después del discurso. — Before, we used to applaud the speaker after the speech.
- Mañana, tú aplaudirás al cantante en el concierto. — Tomorrow, you will applaud the singer at the concert.
- Yo aplaudiría al actor al final de la obra si tuviera más tiempo. — I would applaud the actor at the end of the play if I had more time.
- Él ha aplaudido el gol del equipo. — He has applauded the team's goal.
- Espero que él aplauda al orador después del discurso. — I hope he applauds the speaker after the speech.
- Yo ya había aplaudido al cantante en el concierto antes de salir. — I had already applauded the singer at the concert before leaving.
- Ellos aplaudían al actor al final de la obra cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to applaud the actor at the end of the play when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo aplaude al cantante en el concierto. — Right: Yo aplaudo al cantante en el concierto. — The person matters: aplaude is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aplaudo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Treating aplaudir and ovacionar as identical in every context. — Right: Aplaudir means to applaud, while ovacionar means to give someone a standing ovation. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aplaudir fits sentences such as Aplaudo al cantante en el concierto, while ovacionar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy aplaudido al actor al final de la obra. — Right: Yo he aplaudido al actor al final de la obra. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aplaudido, has aplaudido, ha aplaudido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo aplaudí el gol del equipo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aplaudía el gol del equipo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aplaudía), not the preterite. The preterite (aplaudí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on aplaudir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al cantante en el concierto. (present tense) A. aplaudo B. aplaudes C. aplaude D. aplaudimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al actor al final de la obra. (preterite) A. aplaudí B. aplaudiste C. aplaudieron D. aplaudió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el gol del equipo. (imperfect) A. aplaudías B. aplaudían C. aplaudíamos D. aplaudía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ al orador después del discurso. (future) A. aplaudiremos B. aplaudirás C. aplaudiré D. aplaudirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al cantante en el concierto si pudiera. (conditional) A. aplaudiría B. aplaudirías C. aplaudirían D. aplaudo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al actor al final de la obra. (present subjunctive) A. aplaudas B. aplaudamos C. aplaudo D. aplauda
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el gol del equipo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. aplaudiéramos B. aplaudo C. aplaudiera D. aplaudieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ al orador después del discurso. (present perfect) A. han aplaudido B. hemos aplaudido C. he aplaudido D. has aplaudido
Complete the command: ¡___ al cantante en el concierto! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. aplaude B. aplauda C. aplaudamos D. aplaudid
Which is the gerund of aplaudir, used with estar for the progressive? A. aplaudido B. aplaudo C. aplaudí D. aplaudiendo
Answer key
- aplaudo — The first-person present of aplaudir is aplaudo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- aplaudió — The third-person preterite of aplaudir is aplaudió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- aplaudíamos — The nosotros imperfect of aplaudir is aplaudíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- aplaudirás — The second-person future of aplaudir is aplaudirás.
- aplaudiría — The first-person conditional of aplaudir is aplaudiría, the form for what would happen.
- aplauda — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of aplaudir is aplauda.
- aplaudiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of aplaudir is aplaudiera.
- hemos aplaudido — The nosotros present perfect of aplaudir is hemos aplaudido: hemos + aplaudido.
- aplaude — The affirmative tú imperative of aplaudir is aplaude.
- aplaudiendo — The gerund of aplaudir is aplaudiendo: estoy aplaudiendo. The participle aplaudido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does aplaudir mean in English?
Aplaudir means to applaud. It is used in everyday situations such as Aplaudo al cantante en el concierto. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is aplaudir regular or irregular?
Aplaudir is a fully regular -ir 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 aplaudo in the present and aplaudí in the preterite.
What is the difference between aplaudir and ovacionar?
Aplaudir means to applaud, while ovacionar means to give someone a standing ovation. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use aplaudir when you mean to applaud, as in Aplaudo al cantante en el concierto, and use ovacionar for to give someone a standing ovation. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I applaud” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo aplaudí al actor al final de la obra. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo aplaudía el gol del equipo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he aplaudido al actor al final de la obra.
How do I practise aplaudir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the aplaudir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Aplaudir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for aplaudir.
- Aplaudir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for aplaudir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Añadir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with aplaudir.
- Asumir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with aplaudir.
- Acudir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with aplaudir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.