Arrestar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb arrestar means to arrest, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Arrestar means to arrest, and it is the verb of the police: officers arrest a thief, a suspect, a driver. It is a formal verb of law enforcement, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, arrestar 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 arresto al ladrón en la calle, and in the preterite you say arresté al conductor borracho. 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: arrestar
- English: to arrest
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: arrestando
- Past participle: arrestado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + arrestado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for arrestar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Arrestar is fully regular: arresté, arrestaba, arrestaré. Detener is the more common word for arresting in everyday speech.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for arrestar. 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 | arresto |
| tú | arrestas |
| él/ella/Ud. | arresta |
| nosotros/as | arrestamos |
| vosotros/as | arrestáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arrestan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arresté |
| tú | arrestaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | arrestó |
| nosotros/as | arrestamos |
| vosotros/as | arrestasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arrestaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arrestaba |
| tú | arrestabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | arrestaba |
| nosotros/as | arrestábamos |
| vosotros/as | arrestabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arrestaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arrestaré |
| tú | arrestarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | arrestará |
| nosotros/as | arrestaremos |
| vosotros/as | arrestaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arrestarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arrestaría |
| tú | arrestarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | arrestaría |
| nosotros/as | arrestaríamos |
| vosotros/as | arrestaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arrestarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he arrestado |
| tú | has arrestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha arrestado |
| nosotros/as | hemos arrestado |
| vosotros/as | habéis arrestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han arrestado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había arrestado |
| tú | habías arrestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había arrestado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos arrestado |
| vosotros/as | habíais arrestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían arrestado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré arrestado |
| tú | habrás arrestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá arrestado |
| nosotros/as | habremos arrestado |
| vosotros/as | habréis arrestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán arrestado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría arrestado |
| tú | habrías arrestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría arrestado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos arrestado |
| vosotros/as | habríais arrestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían arrestado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arreste |
| tú | arrestes |
| él/ella/Ud. | arreste |
| nosotros/as | arrestemos |
| vosotros/as | arrestéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arresten |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | arrestara |
| tú | arrestaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | arrestara |
| nosotros/as | arrestáramos |
| vosotros/as | arrestarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arrestaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | arresta |
| él/ella/Ud. | arreste |
| nosotros/as | arrestemos |
| vosotros/as | arrestad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arresten |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | arrestes |
| él/ella/Ud. | arreste |
| nosotros/as | arrestemos |
| vosotros/as | arrestéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arresten |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | arrestando | with estar for the progressive: estoy arrestando |
| Past participle | arrestado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he arrestado |
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 arrestar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Arresto al ladrón en la calle. 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 arrestar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, arresté al sospechoso del robo. 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 arrestar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, arrestaba al conductor borracho. 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 arrestar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, arrestaré a dos personas en la protesta. 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 arrestar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Arrestaría al ladrón en la calle 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 arrestar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he arrestado al sospechoso del robo. 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 arrestar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había arrestado al conductor borracho 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 arrestar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré arrestado a dos personas en la protesta. 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 arrestar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría arrestado al ladrón en la calle 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 arrestar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él arreste al sospechoso del robo. 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 arrestar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él arrestara al conductor borracho, 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 arrestar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡arresta a dos personas en la protesta! 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 arrestar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No arrestes al ladrón en la calle. 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 arrestar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Arresto al ladrón en la calle. — I arrest the thief in the street.
- Arresta al sospechoso del robo. — He/she arrests the robbery suspect.
- Ayer, arresté al conductor borracho. — Yesterday, I arrested the drunk driver.
- Antes, nosotros arrestábamos a dos personas en la protesta. — Before, we used to arrest two people at the protest.
- Mañana, tú arrestarás al ladrón en la calle. — Tomorrow, you will arrest the thief in the street.
- Yo arrestaría al sospechoso del robo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would arrest the robbery suspect if I had more time.
- Él ha arrestado al conductor borracho. — He has arrested the drunk driver.
- Espero que él arreste a dos personas en la protesta. — I hope he arrests two people at the protest.
- Yo ya había arrestado al ladrón en la calle antes de salir. — I had already arrested the thief in the street before leaving.
- Ellos arrestaban al sospechoso del robo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to arrest the robbery suspect when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo arresta al ladrón en la calle. — Right: Yo arresto al ladrón en la calle. — The person matters: arresta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is arresto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Treating arrestar and detener as identical in every context. — Right: Arrestar means to arrest, while detener means to detain someone, the more common synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arrestar fits sentences such as Arresto al ladrón en la calle, while detener belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy arrestado al sospechoso del robo. — Right: Yo he arrestado al sospechoso del robo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he arrestado, has arrestado, ha arrestado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo arresté al conductor borracho todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo arrestaba al conductor borracho todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (arrestaba), not the preterite. The preterite (arresté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on arrestar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al ladrón en la calle. (present tense) A. arresto B. arrestas C. arresta D. arrestamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al sospechoso del robo. (preterite) A. arresté B. arrestaste C. arrestaron D. arrestó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ al conductor borracho. (imperfect) A. arrestabas B. arrestaban C. arrestábamos D. arrestaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a dos personas en la protesta. (future) A. arrestaremos B. arrestarás C. arrestaré D. arrestará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al ladrón en la calle si pudiera. (conditional) A. arrestaría B. arrestarías C. arrestarían D. arresto
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al sospechoso del robo. (present subjunctive) A. arrestes B. arrestemos C. arresto D. arreste
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ al conductor borracho, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. arrestáramos B. arresto C. arrestara D. arrestaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a dos personas en la protesta. (present perfect) A. han arrestado B. hemos arrestado C. he arrestado D. has arrestado
Complete the command: ¡___ al ladrón en la calle! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. arresta B. arreste C. arrestemos D. arrestad
Which is the gerund of arrestar, used with estar for the progressive? A. arrestado B. arresto C. arresté D. arrestando
Answer key
- arresto — The first-person present of arrestar is arresto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- arrestó — The third-person preterite of arrestar is arrestó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- arrestábamos — The nosotros imperfect of arrestar is arrestábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- arrestarás — The second-person future of arrestar is arrestarás.
- arrestaría — The first-person conditional of arrestar is arrestaría, the form for what would happen.
- arreste — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of arrestar is arreste.
- arrestara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of arrestar is arrestara.
- hemos arrestado — The nosotros present perfect of arrestar is hemos arrestado: hemos + arrestado.
- arresta — The affirmative tú imperative of arrestar is arresta.
- arrestando — The gerund of arrestar is arrestando: estoy arrestando. The participle arrestado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does arrestar mean in English?
Arrestar means to arrest. It is used in everyday situations such as Arresto al ladrón en la calle. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is arrestar regular or irregular?
Arrestar 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 arresto in the present and arresté in the preterite.
What is the difference between arrestar and detener?
Arrestar means to arrest, while detener means to detain someone, the more common synonym. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use arrestar when you mean to arrest, as in Arresto al ladrón en la calle, and use detener for to detain someone, the more common synonym. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I arrest” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo arresté al sospechoso del robo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo arrestaba al conductor borracho. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he arrestado al sospechoso del robo.
How do I practise arrestar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the arrestar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Arrestar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for arrestar.
- Arrestar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for arrestar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Armar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with arrestar.
- Arruinar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with arrestar.
- Asaltar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with arrestar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.