Atracar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb atracar means to dock, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Atracar means to dock, for a ship coming alongside the quay, and it also means to rob someone in the street. The docking sense is the nautical one, and it is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e. Like every Spanish verb, atracar 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 atraco en el puerto al mediodía, and in the preterite you say atraqué el barco en el puerto pequeño. 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: atracar
- English: to dock
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: atracando
- Past participle: atracado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + atracado)
- Spelling change: Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is atraque and the preterite first person is atraqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for atracar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is atraqué. In the present tense it is regular: atraco.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for atracar. 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 | atraco |
| tú | atracas |
| él/ella/Ud. | atraca |
| nosotros/as | atracamos |
| vosotros/as | atracáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atracan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atraqué |
| tú | atracaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | atracó |
| nosotros/as | atracamos |
| vosotros/as | atracasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atracaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atracaba |
| tú | atracabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | atracaba |
| nosotros/as | atracábamos |
| vosotros/as | atracabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atracaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atracaré |
| tú | atracarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | atracará |
| nosotros/as | atracaremos |
| vosotros/as | atracaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atracarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atracaría |
| tú | atracarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | atracaría |
| nosotros/as | atracaríamos |
| vosotros/as | atracaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atracarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he atracado |
| tú | has atracado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha atracado |
| nosotros/as | hemos atracado |
| vosotros/as | habéis atracado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han atracado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había atracado |
| tú | habías atracado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había atracado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos atracado |
| vosotros/as | habíais atracado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían atracado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré atracado |
| tú | habrás atracado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá atracado |
| nosotros/as | habremos atracado |
| vosotros/as | habréis atracado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán atracado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría atracado |
| tú | habrías atracado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría atracado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos atracado |
| vosotros/as | habríais atracado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían atracado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atraque |
| tú | atraques |
| él/ella/Ud. | atraque |
| nosotros/as | atraquemos |
| vosotros/as | atraquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atraquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atracara |
| tú | atracaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | atracara |
| nosotros/as | atracáramos |
| vosotros/as | atracarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atracaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | atraca |
| él/ella/Ud. | atraque |
| nosotros/as | atraquemos |
| vosotros/as | atracad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atraquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | atraques |
| él/ella/Ud. | atraque |
| nosotros/as | atraquemos |
| vosotros/as | atraquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atraquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | atracando | with estar for the progressive: estoy atracando |
| Past participle | atracado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he atracado |
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 atracar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Atraco en el puerto al mediodía. 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is atraque and the preterite first person is atraqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For atracar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, atraqué junto al muelle con cuidado. 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 atracar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, atracaba el barco en el puerto pequeño. 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 atracar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, atracaré tras una travesía larga. 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 atracar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Atracaría en el puerto al mediodía 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 atracar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he atracado junto al muelle con cuidado. 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 atracar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había atracado el barco en el puerto pequeño 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 atracar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré atracado tras una travesía larga. 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 atracar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría atracado en el puerto al mediodía 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is atraque and the preterite first person is atraqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For atracar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él atraque junto al muelle con cuidado. 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 atracar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él atracara el barco en el puerto pequeño, 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is atraque and the preterite first person is atraqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For atracar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Atraca tras una travesía larga! 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is atraque and the preterite first person is atraqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For atracar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No atraques en el puerto al mediodía. 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 atracar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Atraco en el puerto al mediodía. — I dock in the port at midday.
- Atraca junto al muelle con cuidado. — He/she docks alongside the quay carefully.
- Ayer, atraqué el barco en el puerto pequeño. — Yesterday, I docked the boat in the small port.
- Antes, nosotros atracábamos tras una travesía larga. — Before, we used to dock after a long crossing.
- Mañana, tú atracarás en el puerto al mediodía. — Tomorrow, you will dock in the port at midday.
- Yo atracaría junto al muelle con cuidado si tuviera más tiempo. — I would dock alongside the quay carefully if I had more time.
- Él ha atracado el barco en el puerto pequeño. — He has docked the boat in the small port.
- Espero que él atraque tras una travesía larga. — I hope he docks after a long crossing.
- Yo ya había atracado en el puerto al mediodía antes de salir. — I had already docked in the port at midday before leaving.
- Ellos atracaban junto al muelle con cuidado cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to dock alongside the quay carefully when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo atraca en el puerto al mediodía. — Right: Yo atraco en el puerto al mediodía. — The person matters: atraca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is atraco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Espero que yo atrace junto al muelle con cuidado. — Right: Espero que yo atraque junto al muelle con cuidado. — Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is atraque, never atrace.
- Wrong: Treating atracar and amarrar as identical in every context. — Right: Atracar means to dock, while amarrar means to moor a boat. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: atracar fits sentences such as Atraco en el puerto al mediodía, while amarrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy atracado junto al muelle con cuidado. — Right: Yo he atracado junto al muelle con cuidado. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he atracado, has atracado, ha atracado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo atraqué el barco en el puerto pequeño todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo atracaba el barco en el puerto pequeño todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (atracaba), not the preterite. The preterite (atraqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on atracar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el puerto al mediodía. (present tense) A. atraco B. atracas C. atraca D. atracamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ junto al muelle con cuidado. (preterite) A. atraqué B. atracaste C. atracaron D. atracó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el barco en el puerto pequeño. (imperfect) A. atracabas B. atracaban C. atracábamos D. atracaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ tras una travesía larga. (future) A. atracaremos B. atracarás C. atracaré D. atracará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el puerto al mediodía si pudiera. (conditional) A. atracaría B. atracarías C. atracarían D. atraco
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ junto al muelle con cuidado. (present subjunctive) A. atraques B. atraquemos C. atraco D. atraque
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el barco en el puerto pequeño, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. atracáramos B. atraco C. atracara D. atracaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ tras una travesía larga. (present perfect) A. han atracado B. hemos atracado C. he atracado D. has atracado
Complete the command: ¡___ en el puerto al mediodía! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. atraca B. atraque C. atraquemos D. atracad
Which is the gerund of atracar, used with estar for the progressive? A. atracado B. atraco C. atraqué D. atracando
Answer key
- atraco — The first-person present of atracar is atraco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- atracó — The third-person preterite of atracar is atracó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- atracábamos — The nosotros imperfect of atracar is atracábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- atracarás — The second-person future of atracar is atracarás.
- atracaría — The first-person conditional of atracar is atracaría, the form for what would happen.
- atraque — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of atracar is atraque.
- atracara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of atracar is atracara.
- hemos atracado — The nosotros present perfect of atracar is hemos atracado: hemos + atracado.
- atraca — The affirmative tú imperative of atracar is atraca.
- atracando — The gerund of atracar is atracando: estoy atracando. The participle atracado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does atracar mean in English?
Atracar means to dock. It is used in everyday situations such as Atraco en el puerto al mediodía. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is atracar regular or irregular?
Atracar is a spelling-change verb, so it is not fully regular. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is atraque and the preterite first person is atraqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. The other tenses follow the regular -ar endings. Learn the changed forms from the tables above rather than applying the regular spelling.
What is the difference between atracar and amarrar?
Atracar means to dock, while amarrar means to moor a boat. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use atracar when you mean to dock, as in Atraco en el puerto al mediodía, and use amarrar for to moor a boat. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I dock” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo atraqué junto al muelle con cuidado. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo atracaba el barco en el puerto pequeño. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he atracado junto al muelle con cuidado.
How do I practise atracar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the atracar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Atracar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for atracar.
- Atracar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for atracar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Pedalear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with atracar.
- Zarpar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with atracar.
- Cabalgar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with atracar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.