Atardecer Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb atardecer means to get late (afternoon), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Atardecer means to get late in the afternoon, and it describes the evening coming on, usually in the third person: atardece a las siete, atardeció con nubes rosas. It is a -cer spelling-change verb, and it sits between the afternoon and anochecer. Like every Spanish verb, atardecer 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 atardezco a las siete en la playa, and in the preterite you say atardecí temprano en otoño. 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: atardecer
  • English: to get late (afternoon)
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: atardeciendo
  • Past participle: atardecido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + atardecido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for atardecer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Atardecer is mainly impersonal: atardece, atardeció. It names the late afternoon, between the afternoon and the night.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for atardecer. 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 atardezco
tú atardeces
él/ella/Ud. atardece
nosotros/as atardecemos
vosotros/as atardecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. atardecen

Preterite

Person Form
yo atardecí
tú atardeciste
él/ella/Ud. atardeció
nosotros/as atardecimos
vosotros/as atardecisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. atardecieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo atardecía
tú atardecías
él/ella/Ud. atardecía
nosotros/as atardecíamos
vosotros/as atardecíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. atardecían

Future

Person Form
yo atardeceré
tú atardecerás
él/ella/Ud. atardecerá
nosotros/as atardeceremos
vosotros/as atardeceréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. atardecerán

Conditional

Person Form
yo atardecería
tú atardecerías
él/ella/Ud. atardecería
nosotros/as atardeceríamos
vosotros/as atardeceríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. atardecerían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo atardezca
tú atardezcas
él/ella/Ud. atardezca
nosotros/as atardezcamos
vosotros/as atardecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. atardezcan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo atardeciera
tú atardecieras
él/ella/Ud. atardeciera
nosotros/as atardeciéramos
vosotros/as atardecierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. atardecieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú atardece
él/ella/Ud. atardezca
nosotros/as atardezcamos
vosotros/as atardeced
ellos/ellas/Uds. atardezcan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú atardezcas
él/ella/Ud. atardezca
nosotros/as atardezcamos
vosotros/as atardecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. atardezcan

Gerund and past participle

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

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: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For atardecer, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Atardezco a las siete en la playa. 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 atardecer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, atardecí con nubes rosas en el cielo. 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 atardecer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, atardecía temprano en otoño. 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 atardecer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, atardeceré sobre los tejados de la ciudad. 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 atardecer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Atardecería a las siete en la playa 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 atardecer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he atardecido con nubes rosas en el cielo. 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 atardecer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había atardecido temprano en otoño 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 atardecer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré atardecido sobre los tejados de la ciudad. 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 atardecer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría atardecido a las siete en la playa 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: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For atardecer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él atardezca con nubes rosas en el cielo. 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 atardecer, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él atardeciera temprano en otoño, 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: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For atardecer, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Atardece sobre los tejados de la ciudad! 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: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For atardecer, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No atardezcas a las siete en la playa. 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 atardecer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Atardezco a las siete en la playa. — I get late at seven on the beach.
  2. Atardece con nubes rosas en el cielo. — He/she gets late with pink clouds in the sky.
  3. Ayer, atardecí temprano en otoño. — Yesterday, I got late early in autumn.
  4. Antes, nosotros atardecíamos sobre los tejados de la ciudad. — Before, we used to get late over the city rooftops.
  5. Mañana, tú atardecerás a las siete en la playa. — Tomorrow, you will get late at seven on the beach.
  6. Yo atardecería con nubes rosas en el cielo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would get late with pink clouds in the sky if I had more time.
  7. Él ha atardecido temprano en otoño. — He has got late early in autumn.
  8. Espero que él atardezca sobre los tejados de la ciudad. — I hope he gets late over the city rooftops.
  9. Yo ya había atardecido a las siete en la playa antes de salir. — I had already got late at seven on the beach before leaving.
  10. Ellos atardecían con nubes rosas en el cielo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to get late with pink clouds in the sky when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo atardece a las siete en la playa. — Right: Yo atardezco a las siete en la playa. — The person matters: atardece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is atardezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo atardeco con nubes rosas en el cielo. — Right: Yo atardezco con nubes rosas en el cielo. — In the present, the correct first-person form is atardezco, not atardeco. atardecer is a spelling-change verb: c becomes zc before o and a, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating atardecer and anochecer as identical in every context. — Right: Atardecer means to get late (afternoon), while anochecer means to get dark, the next step. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: atardecer fits sentences such as Atardezco a las siete en la playa, while anochecer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy atardecido con nubes rosas en el cielo. — Right: Yo he atardecido con nubes rosas en el cielo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he atardecido, has atardecido, ha atardecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo atardecí temprano en otoño todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo atardecía temprano en otoño todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (atardecía), not the preterite. The preterite (atardecí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a las siete en la playa. (present tense) A. atardezco B. atardeces C. atardece D. atardecemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ con nubes rosas en el cielo. (preterite) A. atardecí B. atardeciste C. atardecieron D. atardeció

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ temprano en otoño. (imperfect) A. atardecías B. atardecían C. atardecíamos D. atardecía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ sobre los tejados de la ciudad. (future) A. atardeceremos B. atardecerás C. atardeceré D. atardecerá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a las siete en la playa si pudiera. (conditional) A. atardecería B. atardecerías C. atardecerían D. atardezco

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con nubes rosas en el cielo. (present subjunctive) A. atardezcas B. atardezcamos C. atardezco D. atardezca

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ temprano en otoño, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. atardeciéramos B. atardezco C. atardeciera D. atardecieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ sobre los tejados de la ciudad. (present perfect) A. han atardecido B. hemos atardecido C. he atardecido D. has atardecido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a las siete en la playa! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. atardece B. atardezca C. atardezcamos D. atardeced

  10. Which is the gerund of atardecer, used with estar for the progressive? A. atardecido B. atardezco C. atardecí D. atardeciendo

Answer key

  1. atardezco — The first-person present of atardecer is atardezco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. atardeció — The third-person preterite of atardecer is atardeció, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. atardecíamos — The nosotros imperfect of atardecer is atardecíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. atardecerás — The second-person future of atardecer is atardecerás.
  5. atardecería — The first-person conditional of atardecer is atardecería, the form for what would happen.
  6. atardezca — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of atardecer is atardezca.
  7. atardeciera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of atardecer is atardeciera.
  8. hemos atardecido — The nosotros present perfect of atardecer is hemos atardecido: hemos + atardecido.
  9. atardece — The affirmative tú imperative of atardecer is atardece.
  10. atardeciendo — The gerund of atardecer is atardeciendo: estoy atardeciendo. The participle atardecido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does atardecer mean in English?

Atardecer means to get late (afternoon). It is used in everyday situations such as Atardezco a las siete en la playa. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is atardecer regular or irregular?

Atardecer is a fully regular -er 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 atardezco in the present and atardecí in the preterite.

What is the difference between atardecer and anochecer?

Atardecer means to get late (afternoon), while anochecer means to get dark, the next step. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use atardecer when you mean to get late (afternoon), as in Atardezco a las siete en la playa, and use anochecer for to get dark, the next step. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I get late (afternoon)” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo atardecí con nubes rosas en el cielo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo atardecía temprano en otoño. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he atardecido con nubes rosas en el cielo.

How do I practise atardecer?

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

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