Asignar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb asignar means to assign, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Asignar means to assign, and it is used for giving tasks, numbers, dates and seats: a teacher assigns homework, a boss assigns a project, a system assigns a number. It takes a for the person who receives the task, as in asignar la tarea a María. Like every Spanish verb, asignar 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 asigno la tarea a María, and in the preterite you say asigné el trabajo al equipo. 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: asignar
- English: to assign
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: asignando
- Past participle: asignado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + asignado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for asignar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Asignar is fully regular: asigné, asignaba, asignaré. The noun is asignación, assignment.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for asignar. 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 | asigno |
| tú | asignas |
| él/ella/Ud. | asigna |
| nosotros/as | asignamos |
| vosotros/as | asignáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | asignan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | asigné |
| tú | asignaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | asignó |
| nosotros/as | asignamos |
| vosotros/as | asignasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | asignaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | asignaba |
| tú | asignabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | asignaba |
| nosotros/as | asignábamos |
| vosotros/as | asignabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | asignaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | asignaré |
| tú | asignarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | asignará |
| nosotros/as | asignaremos |
| vosotros/as | asignaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | asignarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | asignaría |
| tú | asignarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | asignaría |
| nosotros/as | asignaríamos |
| vosotros/as | asignaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | asignarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he asignado |
| tú | has asignado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha asignado |
| nosotros/as | hemos asignado |
| vosotros/as | habéis asignado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han asignado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había asignado |
| tú | habías asignado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había asignado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos asignado |
| vosotros/as | habíais asignado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían asignado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré asignado |
| tú | habrás asignado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá asignado |
| nosotros/as | habremos asignado |
| vosotros/as | habréis asignado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán asignado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría asignado |
| tú | habrías asignado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría asignado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos asignado |
| vosotros/as | habríais asignado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían asignado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | asigne |
| tú | asignes |
| él/ella/Ud. | asigne |
| nosotros/as | asignemos |
| vosotros/as | asignéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | asignen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | asignara |
| tú | asignaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | asignara |
| nosotros/as | asignáramos |
| vosotros/as | asignarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | asignaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | asigna |
| él/ella/Ud. | asigne |
| nosotros/as | asignemos |
| vosotros/as | asignad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | asignen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | asignes |
| él/ella/Ud. | asigne |
| nosotros/as | asignemos |
| vosotros/as | asignéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | asignen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | asignando | with estar for the progressive: estoy asignando |
| Past participle | asignado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he asignado |
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 asignar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Asigno la tarea a María. 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 asignar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, asigné un número a cada alumno. 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 asignar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, asignaba el trabajo al equipo. 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 asignar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, asignaré una fecha al examen. 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 asignar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Asignaría la tarea a María 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 asignar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he asignado un número a cada alumno. 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 asignar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había asignado el trabajo al equipo 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 asignar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré asignado una fecha al examen. 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 asignar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría asignado la tarea a María 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 asignar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él asigne un número a cada alumno. 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 asignar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él asignara el trabajo al equipo, 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 asignar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡asigna una fecha al examen! 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 asignar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No asignes la tarea a María. 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 asignar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Asigno la tarea a María. — I assign the task to María.
- Asigna un número a cada alumno. — He/she assigns a number to each student.
- Ayer, asigné el trabajo al equipo. — Yesterday, I assigned the work to the team.
- Antes, nosotros asignábamos una fecha al examen. — Before, we used to assign a date to the exam.
- Mañana, tú asignarás la tarea a María. — Tomorrow, you will assign the task to María.
- Yo asignaría un número a cada alumno si tuviera más tiempo. — I would assign a number to each student if I had more time.
- Él ha asignado el trabajo al equipo. — He has assigned the work to the team.
- Espero que él asigne una fecha al examen. — I hope he assigns a date to the exam.
- Yo ya había asignado la tarea a María antes de salir. — I had already assigned the task to María before leaving.
- Ellos asignaban un número a cada alumno cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to assign a number to each student when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo asigna la tarea a María. — Right: Yo asigno la tarea a María. — The person matters: asigna is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is asigno. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Treating asignar and encargar as identical in every context. — Right: Asignar means to assign, while encargar means to put someone in charge of something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: asignar fits sentences such as Asigno la tarea a María, while encargar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy asignado un número a cada alumno. — Right: Yo he asignado un número a cada alumno. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he asignado, has asignado, ha asignado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo asigné el trabajo al equipo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo asignaba el trabajo al equipo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (asignaba), not the preterite. The preterite (asigné) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on asignar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la tarea a María. (present tense) A. asigno B. asignas C. asigna D. asignamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ un número a cada alumno. (preterite) A. asigné B. asignaste C. asignaron D. asignó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el trabajo al equipo. (imperfect) A. asignabas B. asignaban C. asignábamos D. asignaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ una fecha al examen. (future) A. asignaremos B. asignarás C. asignaré D. asignará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la tarea a María si pudiera. (conditional) A. asignaría B. asignarías C. asignarían D. asigno
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ un número a cada alumno. (present subjunctive) A. asignes B. asignemos C. asigno D. asigne
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el trabajo al equipo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. asignáramos B. asigno C. asignara D. asignaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ una fecha al examen. (present perfect) A. han asignado B. hemos asignado C. he asignado D. has asignado
Complete the command: ¡___ la tarea a María! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. asigna B. asigne C. asignemos D. asignad
Which is the gerund of asignar, used with estar for the progressive? A. asignado B. asigno C. asigné D. asignando
Answer key
- asigno — The first-person present of asignar is asigno. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- asignó — The third-person preterite of asignar is asignó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- asignábamos — The nosotros imperfect of asignar is asignábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- asignarás — The second-person future of asignar is asignarás.
- asignaría — The first-person conditional of asignar is asignaría, the form for what would happen.
- asigne — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of asignar is asigne.
- asignara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of asignar is asignara.
- hemos asignado — The nosotros present perfect of asignar is hemos asignado: hemos + asignado.
- asigna — The affirmative tú imperative of asignar is asigna.
- asignando — The gerund of asignar is asignando: estoy asignando. The participle asignado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does asignar mean in English?
Asignar means to assign. It is used in everyday situations such as Asigno la tarea a María. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is asignar regular or irregular?
Asignar 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 asigno in the present and asigné in the preterite.
What is the difference between asignar and encargar?
Asignar means to assign, while encargar means to put someone in charge of something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use asignar when you mean to assign, as in Asigno la tarea a María, and use encargar for to put someone in charge of something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I assign” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo asigné un número a cada alumno. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo asignaba el trabajo al equipo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he asignado un número a cada alumno.
How do I practise asignar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the asignar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Asignar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for asignar.
- Asignar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for asignar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Asegurar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with asignar.
- Asociar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with asignar.
- Asaltar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with asignar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.