Atar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb atar means to tie, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Atar means to tie, and it is used for tying your shoes, tying a parcel with string and tying a knot. It is fully regular, and it is the opposite of desatar. Like every Spanish verb, atar 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 ato los zapatos antes de salir, and in the preterite you say até el perro al árbol. 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: atar
  • English: to tie
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: atando
  • Past participle: atado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + atado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for atar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Atar is fully regular: até, ataba, ataré. Atar los zapatos is to tie your shoelaces.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for atar. 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 ato
tú atas
él/ella/Ud. ata
nosotros/as atamos
vosotros/as atáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. atan

Preterite

Person Form
yo até
tú ataste
él/ella/Ud. ató
nosotros/as atamos
vosotros/as atasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ataron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo ataba
tú atabas
él/ella/Ud. ataba
nosotros/as atábamos
vosotros/as atabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. ataban

Future

Person Form
yo ataré
tú atarás
él/ella/Ud. atará
nosotros/as ataremos
vosotros/as ataréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. atarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo ataría
tú atarías
él/ella/Ud. ataría
nosotros/as ataríamos
vosotros/as ataríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. atarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo ate
tú ates
él/ella/Ud. ate
nosotros/as atemos
vosotros/as atéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo atara
tú ataras
él/ella/Ud. atara
nosotros/as atáramos
vosotros/as atarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. ataran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú ata
él/ella/Ud. ate
nosotros/as atemos
vosotros/as atad
ellos/ellas/Uds. aten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú ates
él/ella/Ud. ate
nosotros/as atemos
vosotros/as atéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aten

Gerund and past participle

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

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 atar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Ato los zapatos antes de salir. 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 atar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, até el paquete con una cuerda. 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 atar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, ataba el perro al árbol. 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 atar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, ataré la cinta con un nudo. 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 atar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Ataría los zapatos antes de salir 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 atar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he atado el paquete con una cuerda. 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 atar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había atado el perro al árbol 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 atar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré atado la cinta con un nudo. 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 atar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría atado los zapatos antes de salir 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 atar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él ate el paquete con una cuerda. 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 atar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él atara el perro al árbol, 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 atar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Ata la cinta con un nudo! 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 atar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No ates los zapatos antes de salir. 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 atar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Ato los zapatos antes de salir. — I tie my shoes before going out.
  2. Ata el paquete con una cuerda. — He/she ties the parcel with a piece of string.
  3. Ayer, até el perro al árbol. — Yesterday, I tied the dog to the tree.
  4. Antes, nosotros atábamos la cinta con un nudo. — Before, we used to tie the ribbon with a knot.
  5. Mañana, tú atarás los zapatos antes de salir. — Tomorrow, you will tie my shoes before going out.
  6. Yo ataría el paquete con una cuerda si tuviera más tiempo. — I would tie the parcel with a piece of string if I had more time.
  7. Él ha atado el perro al árbol. — He has tied the dog to the tree.
  8. Espero que él ate la cinta con un nudo. — I hope he ties the ribbon with a knot.
  9. Yo ya había atado los zapatos antes de salir antes de salir. — I had already tied my shoes before going out before leaving.
  10. Ellos ataban el paquete con una cuerda cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to tie the parcel with a piece of string when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo ata los zapatos antes de salir. — Right: Yo ato los zapatos antes de salir. — The person matters: ata is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ato. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo ato el paquete con una cuerda. — Right: Ayer yo até el paquete con una cuerda. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: ato is happening now, while até is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating atar and desatar as identical in every context. — Right: Atar means to tie, while desatar means to untie. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: atar fits sentences such as Ato los zapatos antes de salir, while desatar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy atado el paquete con una cuerda. — Right: Yo he atado el paquete con una cuerda. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he atado, has atado, ha atado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo até el perro al árbol todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo ataba el perro al árbol todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (ataba), not the preterite. The preterite (até) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los zapatos antes de salir. (present tense) A. ato B. atas C. ata D. atamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el paquete con una cuerda. (preterite) A. até B. ataste C. ataron D. ató

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el perro al árbol. (imperfect) A. atabas B. ataban C. atábamos D. ataba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la cinta con un nudo. (future) A. ataremos B. atarás C. ataré D. atará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los zapatos antes de salir si pudiera. (conditional) A. ataría B. atarías C. atarían D. ato

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el paquete con una cuerda. (present subjunctive) A. ates B. atemos C. ato D. ate

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el perro al árbol, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. atáramos B. ato C. atara D. ataras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la cinta con un nudo. (present perfect) A. han atado B. hemos atado C. he atado D. has atado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ los zapatos antes de salir! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. ata B. ate C. atemos D. atad

  10. Which is the gerund of atar, used with estar for the progressive? A. atado B. ato C. até D. atando

Answer key

  1. ato — The first-person present of atar is ato. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. ató — The third-person preterite of atar is ató, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. atábamos — The nosotros imperfect of atar is atábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. atarás — The second-person future of atar is atarás.
  5. ataría — The first-person conditional of atar is ataría, the form for what would happen.
  6. ate — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of atar is ate.
  7. atara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of atar is atara.
  8. hemos atado — The nosotros present perfect of atar is hemos atado: hemos + atado.
  9. ata — The affirmative tú imperative of atar is ata.
  10. atando — The gerund of atar is atando: estoy atando. The participle atado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does atar mean in English?

Atar means to tie. It is used in everyday situations such as Ato los zapatos antes de salir. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is atar regular or irregular?

Atar 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 ato in the present and até in the preterite.

What is the difference between atar and desatar?

Atar means to tie, while desatar means to untie. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use atar when you mean to tie, as in Ato los zapatos antes de salir, and use desatar for to untie. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I tie” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo até el paquete con una cuerda. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo ataba el perro al árbol. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he atado el paquete con una cuerda.

How do I practise atar?

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

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