Archivar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb archivar means to file away, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Archivar means to file away, and it is used for putting documents in a file, storing papers in an archive and, in computing, archiving emails and files. It is a work and office verb, common in administration and in email language. Like every Spanish verb, archivar 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 archivo los documentos en la carpeta, and in the preterite you say archivé los correos en el ordenador. 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: archivar
- English: to file away
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: archivando
- Past participle: archivado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + archivado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for archivar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Archivar is fully regular: archivé, archivaba, archivaré. The noun is archivo, file or archive.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for archivar. 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 | archivo |
| tú | archivas |
| él/ella/Ud. | archiva |
| nosotros/as | archivamos |
| vosotros/as | archiváis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | archivan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | archivé |
| tú | archivaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | archivó |
| nosotros/as | archivamos |
| vosotros/as | archivasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | archivaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | archivaba |
| tú | archivabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | archivaba |
| nosotros/as | archivábamos |
| vosotros/as | archivabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | archivaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | archivaré |
| tú | archivarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | archivará |
| nosotros/as | archivaremos |
| vosotros/as | archivaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | archivarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | archivaría |
| tú | archivarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | archivaría |
| nosotros/as | archivaríamos |
| vosotros/as | archivaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | archivarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he archivado |
| tú | has archivado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha archivado |
| nosotros/as | hemos archivado |
| vosotros/as | habéis archivado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han archivado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había archivado |
| tú | habías archivado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había archivado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos archivado |
| vosotros/as | habíais archivado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían archivado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré archivado |
| tú | habrás archivado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá archivado |
| nosotros/as | habremos archivado |
| vosotros/as | habréis archivado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán archivado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría archivado |
| tú | habrías archivado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría archivado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos archivado |
| vosotros/as | habríais archivado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían archivado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | archive |
| tú | archives |
| él/ella/Ud. | archive |
| nosotros/as | archivemos |
| vosotros/as | archivéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | archiven |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | archivara |
| tú | archivaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | archivara |
| nosotros/as | archiváramos |
| vosotros/as | archivarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | archivaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | archiva |
| él/ella/Ud. | archive |
| nosotros/as | archivemos |
| vosotros/as | archivad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | archiven |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | archives |
| él/ella/Ud. | archive |
| nosotros/as | archivemos |
| vosotros/as | archivéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | archiven |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | archivando | with estar for the progressive: estoy archivando |
| Past participle | archivado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he archivado |
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 archivar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Archivo los documentos en la carpeta. 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 archivar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, archivé las cartas del año pasado. 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 archivar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, archivaba los correos en el ordenador. 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 archivar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, archivaré el expediente del cliente. 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 archivar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Archivaría los documentos en la carpeta 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 archivar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he archivado las cartas del año pasado. 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 archivar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había archivado los correos en el ordenador 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 archivar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré archivado el expediente del cliente. 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 archivar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría archivado los documentos en la carpeta 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 archivar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él archive las cartas del año pasado. 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 archivar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él archivara los correos en el ordenador, 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 archivar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡archiva el expediente del cliente! 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 archivar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No archives los documentos en la carpeta. 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 archivar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Archivo los documentos en la carpeta. — I file away the documents in the folder.
- Archiva las cartas del año pasado. — He/she files away last year's letters.
- Ayer, archivé los correos en el ordenador. — Yesterday, I filed away the emails on the computer.
- Antes, nosotros archivábamos el expediente del cliente. — Before, we used to file away the customer's file.
- Mañana, tú archivarás los documentos en la carpeta. — Tomorrow, you will file away the documents in the folder.
- Yo archivaría las cartas del año pasado si tuviera más tiempo. — I would file away last year's letters if I had more time.
- Él ha archivado los correos en el ordenador. — He has filed away the emails on the computer.
- Espero que él archive el expediente del cliente. — I hope he files away the customer's file.
- Yo ya había archivado los documentos en la carpeta antes de salir. — I had already filed away the documents in the folder before leaving.
- Ellos archivaban las cartas del año pasado cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to file away last year's letters when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo archiva los documentos en la carpeta. — Right: Yo archivo los documentos en la carpeta. — The person matters: archiva is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is archivo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Treating archivar and guardar as identical in every context. — Right: Archivar means to file away, while guardar means to keep or store something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: archivar fits sentences such as Archivo los documentos en la carpeta, while guardar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy archivado las cartas del año pasado. — Right: Yo he archivado las cartas del año pasado. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he archivado, has archivado, ha archivado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo archivé los correos en el ordenador todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo archivaba los correos en el ordenador todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (archivaba), not the preterite. The preterite (archivé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on archivar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los documentos en la carpeta. (present tense) A. archivo B. archivas C. archiva D. archivamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ las cartas del año pasado. (preterite) A. archivé B. archivaste C. archivaron D. archivó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ los correos en el ordenador. (imperfect) A. archivabas B. archivaban C. archivábamos D. archivaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el expediente del cliente. (future) A. archivaremos B. archivarás C. archivaré D. archivará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los documentos en la carpeta si pudiera. (conditional) A. archivaría B. archivarías C. archivarían D. archivo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ las cartas del año pasado. (present subjunctive) A. archives B. archivemos C. archivo D. archive
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los correos en el ordenador, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. archiváramos B. archivo C. archivara D. archivaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el expediente del cliente. (present perfect) A. han archivado B. hemos archivado C. he archivado D. has archivado
Complete the command: ¡___ los documentos en la carpeta! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. archiva B. archive C. archivemos D. archivad
Which is the gerund of archivar, used with estar for the progressive? A. archivado B. archivo C. archivé D. archivando
Answer key
- archivo — The first-person present of archivar is archivo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- archivó — The third-person preterite of archivar is archivó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- archivábamos — The nosotros imperfect of archivar is archivábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- archivarás — The second-person future of archivar is archivarás.
- archivaría — The first-person conditional of archivar is archivaría, the form for what would happen.
- archive — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of archivar is archive.
- archivara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of archivar is archivara.
- hemos archivado — The nosotros present perfect of archivar is hemos archivado: hemos + archivado.
- archiva — The affirmative tú imperative of archivar is archiva.
- archivando — The gerund of archivar is archivando: estoy archivando. The participle archivado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does archivar mean in English?
Archivar means to file away. It is used in everyday situations such as Archivo los documentos en la carpeta. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is archivar regular or irregular?
Archivar 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 archivo in the present and archivé in the preterite.
What is the difference between archivar and guardar?
Archivar means to file away, while guardar means to keep or store something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use archivar when you mean to file away, as in Archivo los documentos en la carpeta, and use guardar for to keep or store something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I file away” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo archivé las cartas del año pasado. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo archivaba los correos en el ordenador. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he archivado las cartas del año pasado.
How do I practise archivar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the archivar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Archivar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for archivar.
- Archivar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for archivar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Arañar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with archivar.
- Armar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with archivar.
- Apuntar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with archivar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.