Arriesgar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb arriesgar means to risk, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Arriesgar means to risk, and it is used for risking money on the stock market, risking your life for friends, risking too much on a business and risking your reputation. It is a spelling-change verb: the g becomes gu before e. Like every Spanish verb, arriesgar 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 arriesgo su dinero en la bolsa, and in the preterite you say arriesgué demasiado en el negocio. 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: arriesgar
  • English: to risk
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: arriesgando
  • Past participle: arriesgado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + arriesgado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for arriesgar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is arriesgué and the subjunctive is arriesgue. Arriesgarse, with the pronoun, means to take a risk yourself.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for arriesgar. 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 arriesgo
tú arriesgas
él/ella/Ud. arriesga
nosotros/as arriesgamos
vosotros/as arriesgáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arriesgan

Preterite

Person Form
yo arriesgué
tú arriesgaste
él/ella/Ud. arriesgó
nosotros/as arriesgamos
vosotros/as arriesgasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arriesgaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo arriesgaba
tú arriesgabas
él/ella/Ud. arriesgaba
nosotros/as arriesgábamos
vosotros/as arriesgabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. arriesgaban

Future

Person Form
yo arriesgaré
tú arriesgarás
él/ella/Ud. arriesgará
nosotros/as arriesgaremos
vosotros/as arriesgaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arriesgarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo arriesgaría
tú arriesgarías
él/ella/Ud. arriesgaría
nosotros/as arriesgaríamos
vosotros/as arriesgaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. arriesgarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo arriesgue
tú arriesgues
él/ella/Ud. arriesgue
nosotros/as arriesguemos
vosotros/as arriesguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arriesguen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo arriesgara
tú arriesgaras
él/ella/Ud. arriesgara
nosotros/as arriesgáramos
vosotros/as arriesgarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. arriesgaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú arriesga
él/ella/Ud. arriesgue
nosotros/as arriesguemos
vosotros/as arriesgad
ellos/ellas/Uds. arriesguen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú arriesgues
él/ella/Ud. arriesgue
nosotros/as arriesguemos
vosotros/as arriesguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arriesguen

Gerund and past participle

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

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For arriesgar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Arriesgo su dinero en la bolsa. 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. Note the spelling change in the first person: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite first person is arriesgué. For arriesgar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, arriesgué la vida por sus amigos. 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 arriesgar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, arriesgaba demasiado en el negocio. 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 arriesgar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, arriesgaré su reputación con esa decisión. 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 arriesgar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Arriesgaría su dinero en la bolsa 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 arriesgar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he arriesgado la vida por sus amigos. 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 arriesgar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había arriesgado demasiado en el negocio 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 arriesgar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré arriesgado su reputación con esa decisión. 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 arriesgar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría arriesgado su dinero en la bolsa 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. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For arriesgar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él arriesgue la vida por sus amigos. 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 arriesgar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él arriesgara demasiado en el negocio, 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. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For arriesgar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Arriesga su reputación con esa decisión! 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. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For arriesgar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No arriesgues su dinero en la bolsa. 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 arriesgar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Arriesgo su dinero en la bolsa. — I risk his money on the stock market.
  2. Arriesga la vida por sus amigos. — He/she risks his life for his friends.
  3. Ayer, arriesgué demasiado en el negocio. — Yesterday, I risked too much on the business.
  4. Antes, nosotros arriesgábamos su reputación con esa decisión. — Before, we used to risk his reputation with that decision.
  5. Mañana, tú arriesgarás su dinero en la bolsa. — Tomorrow, you will risk his money on the stock market.
  6. Yo arriesgaría la vida por sus amigos si tuviera más tiempo. — I would risk his life for his friends if I had more time.
  7. Él ha arriesgado demasiado en el negocio. — He has risked too much on the business.
  8. Espero que él arriesgue su reputación con esa decisión. — I hope he risks his reputation with that decision.
  9. Yo ya había arriesgado su dinero en la bolsa antes de salir. — I had already risked his money on the stock market before leaving.
  10. Ellos arriesgaban la vida por sus amigos cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to risk his life for his friends when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo arriesga su dinero en la bolsa. — Right: Yo arriesgo su dinero en la bolsa. — The person matters: arriesga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is arriesgo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo arriesgé la vida por sus amigos. — Right: Yo arriesgué la vida por sus amigos. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is arriesgué, not arriesgé. arriesgar is a spelling-change verb: g becomes gu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating arriesgar and apostar as identical in every context. — Right: Arriesgar means to risk, while apostar means to bet, the close verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arriesgar fits sentences such as Arriesgo su dinero en la bolsa, while apostar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy arriesgado la vida por sus amigos. — Right: Yo he arriesgado la vida por sus amigos. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he arriesgado, has arriesgado, ha arriesgado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo arriesgué demasiado en el negocio todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo arriesgaba demasiado en el negocio todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (arriesgaba), not the preterite. The preterite (arriesgué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ su dinero en la bolsa. (present tense) A. arriesgo B. arriesgas C. arriesga D. arriesgamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la vida por sus amigos. (preterite) A. arriesgué B. arriesgaste C. arriesgaron D. arriesgó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ demasiado en el negocio. (imperfect) A. arriesgabas B. arriesgaban C. arriesgábamos D. arriesgaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ su reputación con esa decisión. (future) A. arriesgaremos B. arriesgarás C. arriesgaré D. arriesgará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ su dinero en la bolsa si pudiera. (conditional) A. arriesgaría B. arriesgarías C. arriesgarían D. arriesgo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la vida por sus amigos. (present subjunctive) A. arriesgues B. arriesguemos C. arriesgo D. arriesgue

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ demasiado en el negocio, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. arriesgáramos B. arriesgo C. arriesgara D. arriesgaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ su reputación con esa decisión. (present perfect) A. han arriesgado B. hemos arriesgado C. he arriesgado D. has arriesgado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ su dinero en la bolsa! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. arriesga B. arriesgue C. arriesguemos D. arriesgad

  10. Which is the gerund of arriesgar, used with estar for the progressive? A. arriesgado B. arriesgo C. arriesgué D. arriesgando

Answer key

  1. arriesgo — The first-person present of arriesgar is arriesgo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. arriesgó — The third-person preterite of arriesgar is arriesgó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. arriesgábamos — The nosotros imperfect of arriesgar is arriesgábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. arriesgarás — The second-person future of arriesgar is arriesgarás.
  5. arriesgaría — The first-person conditional of arriesgar is arriesgaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. arriesgue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of arriesgar is arriesgue.
  7. arriesgara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of arriesgar is arriesgara.
  8. hemos arriesgado — The nosotros present perfect of arriesgar is hemos arriesgado: hemos + arriesgado.
  9. arriesga — The affirmative tú imperative of arriesgar is arriesga.
  10. arriesgando — The gerund of arriesgar is arriesgando: estoy arriesgando. The participle arriesgado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does arriesgar mean in English?

Arriesgar means to risk. It is used in everyday situations such as Arriesgo su dinero en la bolsa. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is arriesgar regular or irregular?

Arriesgar 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 arriesgo in the present and arriesgué in the preterite.

What is the difference between arriesgar and apostar?

Arriesgar means to risk, while apostar means to bet, the close verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use arriesgar when you mean to risk, as in Arriesgo su dinero en la bolsa, and use apostar for to bet, the close verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I risk” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo arriesgué la vida por sus amigos. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo arriesgaba demasiado en el negocio. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he arriesgado la vida por sus amigos.

How do I practise arriesgar?

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

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