Arrastrar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb arrastrar means to drag, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Arrastrar means to drag, and it is used for dragging a suitcase, a chair or a heavy box, and for dragging your feet when you are tired. It is fully regular, and it appears in moving, travel and tiredness contexts. Like every Spanish verb, arrastrar 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 arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto, and in the preterite you say arrastré los pies de cansancio. 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: arrastrar
  • English: to drag
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: arrastrando
  • Past participle: arrastrado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + arrastrado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for arrastrar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Arrastrar is fully regular: arrastré, arrastraba, arrastraré. Arrastrar los pies means to drag your feet.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for arrastrar. 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 arrastro
tú arrastras
él/ella/Ud. arrastra
nosotros/as arrastramos
vosotros/as arrastráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arrastran

Preterite

Person Form
yo arrastré
tú arrastraste
él/ella/Ud. arrastró
nosotros/as arrastramos
vosotros/as arrastrasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arrastraron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo arrastraba
tú arrastrabas
él/ella/Ud. arrastraba
nosotros/as arrastrábamos
vosotros/as arrastrabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. arrastraban

Future

Person Form
yo arrastraré
tú arrastrarás
él/ella/Ud. arrastrará
nosotros/as arrastraremos
vosotros/as arrastraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arrastrarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo arrastraría
tú arrastrarías
él/ella/Ud. arrastraría
nosotros/as arrastraríamos
vosotros/as arrastraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. arrastrarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo arrastre
tú arrastres
él/ella/Ud. arrastre
nosotros/as arrastremos
vosotros/as arrastréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arrastren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo arrastrara
tú arrastraras
él/ella/Ud. arrastrara
nosotros/as arrastráramos
vosotros/as arrastrarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. arrastraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú arrastra
él/ella/Ud. arrastre
nosotros/as arrastremos
vosotros/as arrastrad
ellos/ellas/Uds. arrastren

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú arrastres
él/ella/Ud. arrastre
nosotros/as arrastremos
vosotros/as arrastréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arrastren

Gerund and past participle

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

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 arrastrar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto. 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 arrastrar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, arrastré la silla hasta la ventana. 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 arrastrar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, arrastraba los pies de cansancio. 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 arrastrar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, arrastraré el sofá a la otra habitación. 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 arrastrar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Arrastraría la maleta por el aeropuerto 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 arrastrar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he arrastrado la silla hasta la ventana. 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 arrastrar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había arrastrado los pies de cansancio 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 arrastrar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré arrastrado el sofá a la otra habitación. 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 arrastrar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría arrastrado la maleta por el aeropuerto 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 arrastrar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él arrastre la silla hasta la ventana. 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 arrastrar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él arrastrara los pies de cansancio, 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 arrastrar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Arrastra el sofá a la otra habitación! 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 arrastrar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No arrastres la maleta por el aeropuerto. 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 arrastrar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto. — I drag the suitcase through the airport.
  2. Arrastra la silla hasta la ventana. — He/she drags the chair to the window.
  3. Ayer, arrastré los pies de cansancio. — Yesterday, I dragged my feet with tiredness.
  4. Antes, nosotros arrastrábamos el sofá a la otra habitación. — Before, we used to drag the sofa to the other room.
  5. Mañana, tú arrastrarás la maleta por el aeropuerto. — Tomorrow, you will drag the suitcase through the airport.
  6. Yo arrastraría la silla hasta la ventana si tuviera más tiempo. — I would drag the chair to the window if I had more time.
  7. Él ha arrastrado los pies de cansancio. — He has dragged my feet with tiredness.
  8. Espero que él arrastre el sofá a la otra habitación. — I hope he drags the sofa to the other room.
  9. Yo ya había arrastrado la maleta por el aeropuerto antes de salir. — I had already dragged the suitcase through the airport before leaving.
  10. Ellos arrastraban la silla hasta la ventana cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to drag the chair to the window when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo arrastra la maleta por el aeropuerto. — Right: Yo arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto. — The person matters: arrastra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is arrastro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo arrastro la silla hasta la ventana. — Right: Ayer yo arrastré la silla hasta la ventana. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: arrastro is happening now, while arrastré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating arrastrar and empujar as identical in every context. — Right: Arrastrar means to drag, while empujar means to push. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arrastrar fits sentences such as Arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto, while empujar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy arrastrado la silla hasta la ventana. — Right: Yo he arrastrado la silla hasta la ventana. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he arrastrado, has arrastrado, ha arrastrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo arrastré los pies de cansancio todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo arrastraba los pies de cansancio todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (arrastraba), not the preterite. The preterite (arrastré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la maleta por el aeropuerto. (present tense) A. arrastro B. arrastras C. arrastra D. arrastramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la silla hasta la ventana. (preterite) A. arrastré B. arrastraste C. arrastraron D. arrastró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ los pies de cansancio. (imperfect) A. arrastrabas B. arrastraban C. arrastrábamos D. arrastraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el sofá a la otra habitación. (future) A. arrastraremos B. arrastrarás C. arrastraré D. arrastrará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la maleta por el aeropuerto si pudiera. (conditional) A. arrastraría B. arrastrarías C. arrastrarían D. arrastro

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la silla hasta la ventana. (present subjunctive) A. arrastres B. arrastremos C. arrastro D. arrastre

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los pies de cansancio, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. arrastráramos B. arrastro C. arrastrara D. arrastraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el sofá a la otra habitación. (present perfect) A. han arrastrado B. hemos arrastrado C. he arrastrado D. has arrastrado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ la maleta por el aeropuerto! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. arrastra B. arrastre C. arrastremos D. arrastrad

  10. Which is the gerund of arrastrar, used with estar for the progressive? A. arrastrado B. arrastro C. arrastré D. arrastrando

Answer key

  1. arrastro — The first-person present of arrastrar is arrastro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. arrastró — The third-person preterite of arrastrar is arrastró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. arrastrábamos — The nosotros imperfect of arrastrar is arrastrábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. arrastrarás — The second-person future of arrastrar is arrastrarás.
  5. arrastraría — The first-person conditional of arrastrar is arrastraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. arrastre — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of arrastrar is arrastre.
  7. arrastrara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of arrastrar is arrastrara.
  8. hemos arrastrado — The nosotros present perfect of arrastrar is hemos arrastrado: hemos + arrastrado.
  9. arrastra — The affirmative tú imperative of arrastrar is arrastra.
  10. arrastrando — The gerund of arrastrar is arrastrando: estoy arrastrando. The participle arrastrado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does arrastrar mean in English?

Arrastrar means to drag. It is used in everyday situations such as Arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is arrastrar regular or irregular?

Arrastrar 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 arrastro in the present and arrastré in the preterite.

What is the difference between arrastrar and empujar?

Arrastrar means to drag, while empujar means to push. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use arrastrar when you mean to drag, as in Arrastro la maleta por el aeropuerto, and use empujar for to push. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I drag” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo arrastré la silla hasta la ventana. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo arrastraba los pies de cansancio. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he arrastrado la silla hasta la ventana.

How do I practise arrastrar?

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

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