Arañar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb arañar means to scratch, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Arañar means to scratch, and it is used for a cat scratching a sofa, a nail scratching skin, a branch scratching a car and a person scratching an itch. It also means to scrape by in a figurative sense, as in arañar unos votos, to scrape together a few votes. Like every Spanish verb, arañar 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 araño el sofá con las uñas, and in the preterite you say arañé la piel con la rama. 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: arañar
- English: to scratch
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: arañando
- Past participle: arañado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + arañado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for arañar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Arañar is a regular -ar verb: arañé, arañaba, arañaré. Remember the ñ: araño, arañas, araña.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for arañar. 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 | araño |
| tú | arañas |
| él/ella/Ud. | araña |
| nosotros/as | arañamos |
| vosotros/as | arañáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arañan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arañé |
| tú | arañaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | arañó |
| nosotros/as | arañamos |
| vosotros/as | arañasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arañaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arañaba |
| tú | arañabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | arañaba |
| nosotros/as | arañábamos |
| vosotros/as | arañabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arañaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arañaré |
| tú | arañarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | arañará |
| nosotros/as | arañaremos |
| vosotros/as | arañaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arañarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arañaría |
| tú | arañarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | arañaría |
| nosotros/as | arañaríamos |
| vosotros/as | arañaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arañarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he arañado |
| tú | has arañado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha arañado |
| nosotros/as | hemos arañado |
| vosotros/as | habéis arañado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han arañado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había arañado |
| tú | habías arañado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había arañado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos arañado |
| vosotros/as | habíais arañado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían arañado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré arañado |
| tú | habrás arañado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá arañado |
| nosotros/as | habremos arañado |
| vosotros/as | habréis arañado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán arañado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría arañado |
| tú | habrías arañado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría arañado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos arañado |
| vosotros/as | habríais arañado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían arañado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arañe |
| tú | arañes |
| él/ella/Ud. | arañe |
| nosotros/as | arañemos |
| vosotros/as | arañéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arañen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arañara |
| tú | arañaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | arañara |
| nosotros/as | arañáramos |
| vosotros/as | arañarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arañaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | araña |
| él/ella/Ud. | arañe |
| nosotros/as | arañemos |
| vosotros/as | arañad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arañen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | arañes |
| él/ella/Ud. | arañe |
| nosotros/as | arañemos |
| vosotros/as | arañéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arañen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | arañando | with estar for the progressive: estoy arañando |
| Past participle | arañado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he arañado |
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 arañar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Araño el sofá con las uñas. 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 arañar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, arañé la puerta para entrar. 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 arañar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, arañaba la piel con la rama. 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 arañar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, arañaré el coche al aparcar. 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 arañar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Arañaría el sofá con las uñas 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 arañar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he arañado la puerta para entrar. 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 arañar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había arañado la piel con la rama 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 arañar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré arañado el coche al aparcar. 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 arañar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría arañado el sofá con las uñas 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 arañar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él arañe la puerta para entrar. 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 arañar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él arañara la piel con la rama, 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 arañar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡araña el coche al aparcar! 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 arañar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No arañes el sofá con las uñas. 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 arañar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Araño el sofá con las uñas. — I scratch the sofa with my nails.
- Araña la puerta para entrar. — He/she scratches the door to get in.
- Ayer, arañé la piel con la rama. — Yesterday, I scratched my skin with the branch.
- Antes, nosotros arañábamos el coche al aparcar. — Before, we used to scratch the car while parking.
- Mañana, tú arañarás el sofá con las uñas. — Tomorrow, you will scratch the sofa with my nails.
- Yo arañaría la puerta para entrar si tuviera más tiempo. — I would scratch the door to get in if I had more time.
- Él ha arañado la piel con la rama. — He has scratched my skin with the branch.
- Espero que él arañe el coche al aparcar. — I hope he scratches the car while parking.
- Yo ya había arañado el sofá con las uñas antes de salir. — I had already scratched the sofa with my nails before leaving.
- Ellos arañaban la puerta para entrar cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to scratch the door to get in when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo araña el sofá con las uñas. — Right: Yo araño el sofá con las uñas. — The person matters: araña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is araño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Treating arañar and rascar as identical in every context. — Right: Arañar means to scratch, while rascar means to scratch an itch. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arañar fits sentences such as Araño el sofá con las uñas, while rascar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy arañado la puerta para entrar. — Right: Yo he arañado la puerta para entrar. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he arañado, has arañado, ha arañado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo arañé la piel con la rama todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo arañaba la piel con la rama todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (arañaba), not the preterite. The preterite (arañé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on arañar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el sofá con las uñas. (present tense) A. araño B. arañas C. araña D. arañamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la puerta para entrar. (preterite) A. arañé B. arañaste C. arañaron D. arañó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la piel con la rama. (imperfect) A. arañabas B. arañaban C. arañábamos D. arañaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el coche al aparcar. (future) A. arañaremos B. arañarás C. arañaré D. arañará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el sofá con las uñas si pudiera. (conditional) A. arañaría B. arañarías C. arañarían D. araño
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la puerta para entrar. (present subjunctive) A. arañes B. arañemos C. araño D. arañe
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la piel con la rama, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. arañáramos B. araño C. arañara D. arañaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el coche al aparcar. (present perfect) A. han arañado B. hemos arañado C. he arañado D. has arañado
Complete the command: ¡___ el sofá con las uñas! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. araña B. arañe C. arañemos D. arañad
Which is the gerund of arañar, used with estar for the progressive? A. arañado B. araño C. arañé D. arañando
Answer key
- araño — The first-person present of arañar is araño. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- arañó — The third-person preterite of arañar is arañó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- arañábamos — The nosotros imperfect of arañar is arañábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- arañarás — The second-person future of arañar is arañarás.
- arañaría — The first-person conditional of arañar is arañaría, the form for what would happen.
- arañe — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of arañar is arañe.
- arañara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of arañar is arañara.
- hemos arañado — The nosotros present perfect of arañar is hemos arañado: hemos + arañado.
- araña — The affirmative tú imperative of arañar is araña.
- arañando — The gerund of arañar is arañando: estoy arañando. The participle arañado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does arañar mean in English?
Arañar means to scratch. It is used in everyday situations such as Araño el sofá con las uñas. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is arañar regular or irregular?
Arañar 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 araño in the present and arañé in the preterite.
What is the difference between arañar and rascar?
Arañar means to scratch, while rascar means to scratch an itch. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use arañar when you mean to scratch, as in Araño el sofá con las uñas, and use rascar for to scratch an itch. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I scratch” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo arañé la puerta para entrar. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo arañaba la piel con la rama. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he arañado la puerta para entrar.
How do I practise arañar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the arañar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Arañar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for arañar.
- Arañar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for arañar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Archivar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with arañar.
- Apuntar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with arañar.
- Aprovechar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with arañar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.