Apresurar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb apresurar means to hurry, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Apresurar means to hurry, and it is the transitive verb for hurrying someone or something else: you hurry a child, you hurry a decision, you hurry the work. To hurry yourself, Spanish uses the reflexive apresurarse, and the two are easy to confuse. Like every Spanish verb, apresurar 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 apresuro a mi hijo para salir, and in the preterite you say apresuré el trabajo antes de la entrega. 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: apresurar
  • English: to hurry
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: apresurando
  • Past participle: apresurado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + apresurado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for apresurar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Apresurar hurries someone else; apresurarse hurries yourself. Say me apresuro for your own hurry.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for apresurar. 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 apresuro
tú apresuras
él/ella/Ud. apresura
nosotros/as apresuramos
vosotros/as apresuráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apresuran

Preterite

Person Form
yo apresuré
tú apresuraste
él/ella/Ud. apresuró
nosotros/as apresuramos
vosotros/as apresurasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apresuraron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo apresuraba
tú apresurabas
él/ella/Ud. apresuraba
nosotros/as apresurábamos
vosotros/as apresurabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. apresuraban

Future

Person Form
yo apresuraré
tú apresurarás
él/ella/Ud. apresurará
nosotros/as apresuraremos
vosotros/as apresuraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apresurarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo apresuraría
tú apresurarías
él/ella/Ud. apresuraría
nosotros/as apresuraríamos
vosotros/as apresuraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. apresurarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo apresure
tú apresures
él/ella/Ud. apresure
nosotros/as apresuremos
vosotros/as apresuréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apresuren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo apresurara
tú apresuraras
él/ella/Ud. apresurara
nosotros/as apresuráramos
vosotros/as apresurarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. apresuraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú apresura
él/ella/Ud. apresure
nosotros/as apresuremos
vosotros/as apresurad
ellos/ellas/Uds. apresuren

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú apresures
él/ella/Ud. apresure
nosotros/as apresuremos
vosotros/as apresuréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apresuren

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund apresurando with estar for the progressive: estoy apresurando
Past participle apresurado with haber for the perfect tenses: he apresurado

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 apresurar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Apresuro a mi hijo para salir. 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 apresurar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, apresuré la decisión del comité. 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 apresurar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, apresuraba el trabajo antes de la entrega. 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 apresurar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, apresuraré a los alumnos al final de clase. 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 apresurar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Apresuraría a mi hijo para salir 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 apresurar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he apresurado la decisión del comité. 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 apresurar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había apresurado el trabajo antes de la entrega 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 apresurar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré apresurado a los alumnos al final de clase. 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 apresurar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría apresurado a mi hijo para salir 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 apresurar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él apresure la decisión del comité. 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 apresurar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él apresurara el trabajo antes de la entrega, 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 apresurar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡apresura a los alumnos al final de clase! 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 apresurar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No apresures a mi hijo para salir. 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 apresurar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Apresuro a mi hijo para salir. — I hurry my son to get out.
  2. Apresura la decisión del comité. — He/she hurries the committee's decision.
  3. Ayer, apresuré el trabajo antes de la entrega. — Yesterday, I hurried the work before the deadline.
  4. Antes, nosotros apresurábamos a los alumnos al final de clase. — Before, we used to hurry the students at the end of class.
  5. Mañana, tú apresurarás a mi hijo para salir. — Tomorrow, you will hurry my son to get out.
  6. Yo apresuraría la decisión del comité si tuviera más tiempo. — I would hurry the committee's decision if I had more time.
  7. Él ha apresurado el trabajo antes de la entrega. — He has hurried the work before the deadline.
  8. Espero que él apresure a los alumnos al final de clase. — I hope he hurries the students at the end of class.
  9. Yo ya había apresurado a mi hijo para salir antes de salir. — I had already hurried my son to get out before leaving.
  10. Ellos apresuraban la decisión del comité cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to hurry the committee's decision when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo apresura a mi hijo para salir. — Right: Yo apresuro a mi hijo para salir. — The person matters: apresura is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is apresuro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating apresurar and apresurarse as identical in every context. — Right: Apresurar means to hurry, while apresurarse means to hurry yourself up. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apresurar fits sentences such as Apresuro a mi hijo para salir, while apresurarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy apresurado la decisión del comité. — Right: Yo he apresurado la decisión del comité. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he apresurado, has apresurado, ha apresurado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo apresuré el trabajo antes de la entrega todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo apresuraba el trabajo antes de la entrega todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (apresuraba), not the preterite. The preterite (apresuré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mi hijo para salir. (present tense) A. apresuro B. apresuras C. apresura D. apresuramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la decisión del comité. (preterite) A. apresuré B. apresuraste C. apresuraron D. apresuró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el trabajo antes de la entrega. (imperfect) A. apresurabas B. apresuraban C. apresurábamos D. apresuraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a los alumnos al final de clase. (future) A. apresuraremos B. apresurarás C. apresuraré D. apresurará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mi hijo para salir si pudiera. (conditional) A. apresuraría B. apresurarías C. apresurarían D. apresuro

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la decisión del comité. (present subjunctive) A. apresures B. apresuremos C. apresuro D. apresure

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el trabajo antes de la entrega, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. apresuráramos B. apresuro C. apresurara D. apresuraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a los alumnos al final de clase. (present perfect) A. han apresurado B. hemos apresurado C. he apresurado D. has apresurado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a mi hijo para salir! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. apresura B. apresure C. apresuremos D. apresurad

  10. Which is the gerund of apresurar, used with estar for the progressive? A. apresurado B. apresuro C. apresuré D. apresurando

Answer key

  1. apresuro — The first-person present of apresurar is apresuro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. apresuró — The third-person preterite of apresurar is apresuró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. apresurábamos — The nosotros imperfect of apresurar is apresurábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. apresurarás — The second-person future of apresurar is apresurarás.
  5. apresuraría — The first-person conditional of apresurar is apresuraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. apresure — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of apresurar is apresure.
  7. apresurara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of apresurar is apresurara.
  8. hemos apresurado — The nosotros present perfect of apresurar is hemos apresurado: hemos + apresurado.
  9. apresura — The affirmative tú imperative of apresurar is apresura.
  10. apresurando — The gerund of apresurar is apresurando: estoy apresurando. The participle apresurado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does apresurar mean in English?

Apresurar means to hurry. It is used in everyday situations such as Apresuro a mi hijo para salir. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is apresurar regular or irregular?

Apresurar 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 apresuro in the present and apresuré in the preterite.

What is the difference between apresurar and apresurarse?

Apresurar means to hurry, while apresurarse means to hurry yourself up. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use apresurar when you mean to hurry, as in Apresuro a mi hijo para salir, and use apresurarse for to hurry yourself up. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I hurry” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo apresuré la decisión del comité. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo apresuraba el trabajo antes de la entrega. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he apresurado la decisión del comité.

How do I practise apresurar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the apresurar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

Related links