Aumentar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb aumentar means to increase, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Aumentar means to increase, and it is used for prices going up, salaries rising, temperatures climbing and numbers growing: the price increases, the population increases, the boss increases your salary. It works for things that grow by themselves and for things someone increases. Like every Spanish verb, aumentar 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 aumento el precio del pan, and in the preterite you say aumenté la temperatura en verano. 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: aumentar
  • English: to increase
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: aumentando
  • Past participle: aumentado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + aumentado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for aumentar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Aumentar is fully regular: aumenté, aumentaba, aumentaré. Its opposite is disminuir, to decrease.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for aumentar. 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 aumento
tú aumentas
él/ella/Ud. aumenta
nosotros/as aumentamos
vosotros/as aumentáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aumentan

Preterite

Person Form
yo aumenté
tú aumentaste
él/ella/Ud. aumentó
nosotros/as aumentamos
vosotros/as aumentasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aumentaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo aumentaba
tú aumentabas
él/ella/Ud. aumentaba
nosotros/as aumentábamos
vosotros/as aumentabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. aumentaban

Future

Person Form
yo aumentaré
tú aumentarás
él/ella/Ud. aumentará
nosotros/as aumentaremos
vosotros/as aumentaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aumentarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo aumentaría
tú aumentarías
él/ella/Ud. aumentaría
nosotros/as aumentaríamos
vosotros/as aumentaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. aumentarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo aumente
tú aumentes
él/ella/Ud. aumente
nosotros/as aumentemos
vosotros/as aumentéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aumenten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo aumentara
tú aumentaras
él/ella/Ud. aumentara
nosotros/as aumentáramos
vosotros/as aumentarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. aumentaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú aumenta
él/ella/Ud. aumente
nosotros/as aumentemos
vosotros/as aumentad
ellos/ellas/Uds. aumenten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú aumentes
él/ella/Ud. aumente
nosotros/as aumentemos
vosotros/as aumentéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aumenten

Gerund and past participle

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

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 aumentar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Aumento el precio del pan. 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 aumentar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, aumenté los salarios en enero. 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 aumentar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, aumentaba la temperatura en verano. 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 aumentar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, aumentaré el número de alumnos. 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 aumentar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Aumentaría el precio del pan 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 aumentar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he aumentado los salarios en enero. 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 aumentar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había aumentado la temperatura en verano 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 aumentar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré aumentado el número de alumnos. 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 aumentar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría aumentado el precio del pan 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 aumentar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aumente los salarios en enero. 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 aumentar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él aumentara la temperatura en verano, 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 aumentar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡aumenta el número de alumnos! 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 aumentar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No aumentes el precio del pan. 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 aumentar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Aumento el precio del pan. — I increase the price of bread.
  2. Aumenta los salarios en enero. — He/she increases salaries in January.
  3. Ayer, aumenté la temperatura en verano. — Yesterday, I increased the temperature in summer.
  4. Antes, nosotros aumentábamos el número de alumnos. — Before, we used to increase the number of students.
  5. Mañana, tú aumentarás el precio del pan. — Tomorrow, you will increase the price of bread.
  6. Yo aumentaría los salarios en enero si tuviera más tiempo. — I would increase salaries in January if I had more time.
  7. Él ha aumentado la temperatura en verano. — He has increased the temperature in summer.
  8. Espero que él aumente el número de alumnos. — I hope he increases the number of students.
  9. Yo ya había aumentado el precio del pan antes de salir. — I had already increased the price of bread before leaving.
  10. Ellos aumentaban los salarios en enero cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to increase salaries in January when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aumenta el precio del pan. — Right: Yo aumento el precio del pan. — The person matters: aumenta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aumento. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating aumentar and subir as identical in every context. — Right: Aumentar means to increase, while subir means to go up, to raise something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aumentar fits sentences such as Aumento el precio del pan, while subir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy aumentado los salarios en enero. — Right: Yo he aumentado los salarios en enero. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aumentado, has aumentado, ha aumentado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo aumenté la temperatura en verano todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aumentaba la temperatura en verano todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aumentaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aumenté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el precio del pan. (present tense) A. aumento B. aumentas C. aumenta D. aumentamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ los salarios en enero. (preterite) A. aumenté B. aumentaste C. aumentaron D. aumentó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la temperatura en verano. (imperfect) A. aumentabas B. aumentaban C. aumentábamos D. aumentaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el número de alumnos. (future) A. aumentaremos B. aumentarás C. aumentaré D. aumentará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el precio del pan si pudiera. (conditional) A. aumentaría B. aumentarías C. aumentarían D. aumento

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ los salarios en enero. (present subjunctive) A. aumentes B. aumentemos C. aumento D. aumente

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la temperatura en verano, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. aumentáramos B. aumento C. aumentara D. aumentaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el número de alumnos. (present perfect) A. han aumentado B. hemos aumentado C. he aumentado D. has aumentado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ el precio del pan! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. aumenta B. aumente C. aumentemos D. aumentad

  10. Which is the gerund of aumentar, used with estar for the progressive? A. aumentado B. aumento C. aumenté D. aumentando

Answer key

  1. aumento — The first-person present of aumentar is aumento. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. aumentó — The third-person preterite of aumentar is aumentó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. aumentábamos — The nosotros imperfect of aumentar is aumentábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. aumentarás — The second-person future of aumentar is aumentarás.
  5. aumentaría — The first-person conditional of aumentar is aumentaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. aumente — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of aumentar is aumente.
  7. aumentara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of aumentar is aumentara.
  8. hemos aumentado — The nosotros present perfect of aumentar is hemos aumentado: hemos + aumentado.
  9. aumenta — The affirmative tú imperative of aumentar is aumenta.
  10. aumentando — The gerund of aumentar is aumentando: estoy aumentando. The participle aumentado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does aumentar mean in English?

Aumentar means to increase. It is used in everyday situations such as Aumento el precio del pan. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is aumentar regular or irregular?

Aumentar 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 aumento in the present and aumenté in the preterite.

What is the difference between aumentar and subir?

Aumentar means to increase, while subir means to go up, to raise something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use aumentar when you mean to increase, as in Aumento el precio del pan, and use subir for to go up, to raise something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I increase” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo aumenté los salarios en enero. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo aumentaba la temperatura en verano. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he aumentado los salarios en enero.

How do I practise aumentar?

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

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