Atribuir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb atribuir means to attribute, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Atribuir means to attribute or to ascribe, and it is used for giving credit or blame: atribuir el éxito al equipo, atribuir el error a la lluvia. It takes a for the person or cause. It is a -uir verb: yo atribuyo, with y before the vowel endings. Like every Spanish verb, atribuir 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 atribuyo el éxito al equipo, and in the preterite you say atribuí la cita al autor. 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: atribuir
- English: to attribute
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: atribuyendo
- Past participle: atribuido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + atribuido)
- Pattern to learn: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is atribuyo and atribuye, and the gerund is atribuyendo.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for atribuir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Atribuir is a -uir verb: yo atribuyo, él atribuye, with y before the vowel endings.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for atribuir. 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 | atribuyo |
| tú | atribuyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | atribuye |
| nosotros/as | atribuimos |
| vosotros/as | atribuís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atribuyen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atribuí |
| tú | atribuiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | atribuyó |
| nosotros/as | atribuimos |
| vosotros/as | atribuisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atribuyeron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atribuía |
| tú | atribuías |
| él/ella/Ud. | atribuía |
| nosotros/as | atribuíamos |
| vosotros/as | atribuíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atribuían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atribuiré |
| tú | atribuirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | atribuirá |
| nosotros/as | atribuiremos |
| vosotros/as | atribuiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atribuirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atribuiría |
| tú | atribuirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | atribuiría |
| nosotros/as | atribuiríamos |
| vosotros/as | atribuiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atribuirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he atribuido |
| tú | has atribuido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha atribuido |
| nosotros/as | hemos atribuido |
| vosotros/as | habéis atribuido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han atribuido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había atribuido |
| tú | habías atribuido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había atribuido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos atribuido |
| vosotros/as | habíais atribuido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían atribuido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré atribuido |
| tú | habrás atribuido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá atribuido |
| nosotros/as | habremos atribuido |
| vosotros/as | habréis atribuido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán atribuido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría atribuido |
| tú | habrías atribuido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría atribuido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos atribuido |
| vosotros/as | habríais atribuido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían atribuido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atribuya |
| tú | atribuyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | atribuya |
| nosotros/as | atribuyamos |
| vosotros/as | atribuyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atribuyan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | atribuyera |
| tú | atribuyeras |
| él/ella/Ud. | atribuyera |
| nosotros/as | atribuyéramos |
| vosotros/as | atribuyerais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atribuyeran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | atribuye |
| él/ella/Ud. | atribuya |
| nosotros/as | atribuyamos |
| vosotros/as | atribuid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atribuyan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | atribuyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | atribuya |
| nosotros/as | atribuyamos |
| vosotros/as | atribuyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | atribuyan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | atribuyendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy atribuyendo |
| Past participle | atribuido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he atribuido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the pattern here: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is atribuyo and atribuye, and the gerund is atribuyendo. For atribuir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Atribuyo el éxito al equipo. 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 here: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is atribuyo and atribuye, and the gerund is atribuyendo. For atribuir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, atribuí el error a la lluvia. 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 atribuir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, atribuía la cita al autor. 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 atribuir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, atribuiré el incendio a un rayo. 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 atribuir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Atribuiría el éxito al equipo 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 atribuir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he atribuido el error a la lluvia. 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 atribuir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había atribuido la cita al autor 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 atribuir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré atribuido el incendio a un rayo. 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 atribuir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría atribuido el éxito al equipo 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: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is atribuyo and atribuye, and the gerund is atribuyendo. For atribuir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él atribuya el error a la lluvia. 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 atribuir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él atribuyera la cita al autor, 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: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is atribuyo and atribuye, and the gerund is atribuyendo. For atribuir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Atribuye el incendio a un rayo! 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: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is atribuyo and atribuye, and the gerund is atribuyendo. For atribuir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No atribuyas el éxito al equipo. 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 atribuir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Atribuyo el éxito al equipo. — I attribute success to the team.
- Atribuye el error a la lluvia. — He/she attributes the mistake to the rain.
- Ayer, atribuí la cita al autor. — Yesterday, I attributed the quote to the author.
- Antes, nosotros atribuíamos el incendio a un rayo. — Before, we used to attribute the fire to lightning.
- Mañana, tú atribuirás el éxito al equipo. — Tomorrow, you will attribute success to the team.
- Yo atribuiría el error a la lluvia si tuviera más tiempo. — I would attribute the mistake to the rain if I had more time.
- Él ha atribuido la cita al autor. — He has attributed the quote to the author.
- Espero que él atribuya el incendio a un rayo. — I hope he attributes the fire to lightning.
- Yo ya había atribuido el éxito al equipo antes de salir. — I had already attributed success to the team before leaving.
- Ellos atribuían el error a la lluvia cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to attribute the mistake to the rain when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo atribuye el éxito al equipo. — Right: Yo atribuyo el éxito al equipo. — The person matters: atribuye is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is atribuyo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo atribuo el error a la lluvia. — Right: Yo atribuyo el error a la lluvia. — Atribuir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is atribuyo and atribuye, and the gerund is atribuyendo. The form atribuyo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.
- Wrong: Treating atribuir and achacar as identical in every context. — Right: Atribuir means to attribute, while achacar means to blame. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: atribuir fits sentences such as Atribuyo el éxito al equipo, while achacar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy atribuido el error a la lluvia. — Right: Yo he atribuido el error a la lluvia. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he atribuido, has atribuido, ha atribuido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo atribuí la cita al autor todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo atribuía la cita al autor todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (atribuía), not the preterite. The preterite (atribuí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on atribuir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el éxito al equipo. (present tense) A. atribuyo B. atribuyes C. atribuye D. atribuimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el error a la lluvia. (preterite) A. atribuí B. atribuiste C. atribuimos D. atribuyó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la cita al autor. (imperfect) A. atribuías B. atribuyo C. atribuíamos D. atribuía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el incendio a un rayo. (future) A. atribuiremos B. atribuirás C. atribuiré D. atribuirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el éxito al equipo si pudiera. (conditional) A. atribuiría B. atribuirías C. atribuiríamos D. atribuyo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el error a la lluvia. (present subjunctive) A. atribuyas B. atribuyamos C. atribuyo D. atribuya
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la cita al autor, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. atribuyéramos B. atribuyo C. atribuyera D. atribuyeras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el incendio a un rayo. (present perfect) A. ha atribuido B. hemos atribuido C. he atribuido D. has atribuido
Complete the command: ¡___ el éxito al equipo! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. atribuye B. atribuya C. atribuyamos D. atribuid
Which is the gerund of atribuir, used with estar for the progressive? A. atribuido B. atribuyo C. atribuí D. atribuyendo
Answer key
- atribuyo — The yo present tense of atribuir is atribuyo.
- atribuyó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of atribuir is atribuyó.
- atribuíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of atribuir is atribuíamos.
- atribuirás — The tú future of atribuir is atribuirás.
- atribuiría — The yo conditional of atribuir is atribuiría.
- atribuya — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of atribuir is atribuya.
- atribuyera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of atribuir is atribuyera.
- hemos atribuido — The nosotros/as present perfect of atribuir is hemos atribuido.
- atribuye — The affirmative tú imperative of atribuir is atribuye.
- atribuyendo — The gerund of atribuir is atribuyendo: estoy atribuyendo. The participle atribuido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does atribuir mean in English?
Atribuir means to attribute. It is used in everyday situations such as Atribuyo el éxito al equipo. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is atribuir regular or irregular?
Atribuir is a spelling-change verb: it is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is atribuyo and atribuye, and the gerund is atribuyendo. The endings are regular, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page, including atribuyo in the present and atribuí in the preterite.
What is the difference between atribuir and achacar?
Atribuir means to attribute, while achacar means to blame. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use atribuir when you mean to attribute, as in Atribuyo el éxito al equipo, and use achacar for to blame. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I attribute” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo atribuí el error a la lluvia. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo atribuía la cita al autor. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he atribuido el error a la lluvia.
How do I practise atribuir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the atribuir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Atribuir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for atribuir.
- Atribuir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for atribuir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Asistir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with atribuir.
- Coexistir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with atribuir.
- Afligir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with atribuir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.