Averiguar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb averiguar means to find out, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Averiguar means to find out, and it is the verb of investigation: you find out the truth, the time of a train, who called, where someone lives. It takes que or a question word for the thing found out, as in averiguar quién llamó, and it is common in detective stories and in everyday curiosity. Like every Spanish verb, averiguar 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 averiguo la verdad del asunto, and in the preterite you say averigüé quién llamó ayer. 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: averiguar
- English: to find out
- Verb type: spelling-changing -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: averiguando
- Past participle: averiguado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + averiguado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for averiguar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Averiguar is fully regular, but note the gu before e and i: averigüé in the preterite keeps the u sound with a diaeresis.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for averiguar. 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 | averiguo |
| tú | averiguas |
| él/ella/Ud. | averigua |
| nosotros/as | averiguamos |
| vosotros/as | averiguáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | averiguan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | averigüé |
| tú | averiguaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | averiguó |
| nosotros/as | averiguamos |
| vosotros/as | averiguasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | averiguaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | averiguaba |
| tú | averiguabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | averiguaba |
| nosotros/as | averiguábamos |
| vosotros/as | averiguabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | averiguaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | averiguaré |
| tú | averiguarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | averiguará |
| nosotros/as | averiguaremos |
| vosotros/as | averiguaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | averiguarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | averiguaría |
| tú | averiguarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | averiguaría |
| nosotros/as | averiguaríamos |
| vosotros/as | averiguaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | averiguarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he averiguado |
| tú | has averiguado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha averiguado |
| nosotros/as | hemos averiguado |
| vosotros/as | habéis averiguado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han averiguado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había averiguado |
| tú | habías averiguado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había averiguado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos averiguado |
| vosotros/as | habíais averiguado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían averiguado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré averiguado |
| tú | habrás averiguado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá averiguado |
| nosotros/as | habremos averiguado |
| vosotros/as | habréis averiguado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán averiguado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría averiguado |
| tú | habrías averiguado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría averiguado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos averiguado |
| vosotros/as | habríais averiguado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían averiguado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | averigüe |
| tú | averigües |
| él/ella/Ud. | averigüe |
| nosotros/as | averigüemos |
| vosotros/as | averigüéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | averigüen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | averiguara |
| tú | averiguaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | averiguara |
| nosotros/as | averiguáramos |
| vosotros/as | averiguarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | averiguaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | averigua |
| él/ella/Ud. | averigüe |
| nosotros/as | averigüemos |
| vosotros/as | averiguad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | averigüen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | averigües |
| él/ella/Ud. | averigüe |
| nosotros/as | averigüemos |
| vosotros/as | averigüéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | averigüen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | averiguando | with estar for the progressive: estoy averiguando |
| Past participle | averiguado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he averiguado |
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 averiguar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Averiguo la verdad del asunto. 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 averiguar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, averigüé la hora del tren. 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 averiguar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, averiguaba quién llamó ayer. 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 averiguar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, averiguaré dónde vive ahora. 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 averiguar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Averiguaría la verdad del asunto 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 averiguar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he averiguado la hora del tren. 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 averiguar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había averiguado quién llamó ayer 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 averiguar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré averiguado dónde vive ahora. 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 averiguar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría averiguado la verdad del asunto 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 present subjunctive is spelling-changing (gu → gü before e in every person), so the forms follow the standard endings on the changed stem. For averiguar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él averigüe la hora del tren. 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 averiguar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él averiguara quién llamó ayer, 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 imperative is spelling-changing (gu → gü before e in the formal forms), so the forms follow the standard endings on the changed stem. For averiguar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡averigua dónde vive ahora! 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 imperative is spelling-changing (gu → gü before e in the formal forms), so the forms follow the standard endings on the changed stem. For averiguar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No averigües la verdad del asunto. 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 averiguar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Averiguo la verdad del asunto. — I find out the truth of the matter.
- Averigua la hora del tren. — He/she finds out the time of the train.
- Ayer, averigüé quién llamó ayer. — Yesterday, I found out who called yesterday.
- Antes, nosotros averiguábamos dónde vive ahora. — Before, we used to find out where he lives now.
- Mañana, tú averiguarás la verdad del asunto. — Tomorrow, you will find out the truth of the matter.
- Yo averiguaría la hora del tren si tuviera más tiempo. — I would find out the time of the train if I had more time.
- Él ha averiguado quién llamó ayer. — He has found out who called yesterday.
- Espero que él averigüe dónde vive ahora. — I hope he finds out where he lives now.
- Yo ya había averiguado la verdad del asunto antes de salir. — I had already found out the truth of the matter before leaving.
- Ellos averiguaban la hora del tren cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to find out the time of the train when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo averigua la verdad del asunto. — Right: Yo averiguo la verdad del asunto. — The person matters: averigua is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is averiguo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Treating averiguar and descubrir as identical in every context. — Right: Averiguar means to find out, while descubrir means to discover something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: averiguar fits sentences such as Averiguo la verdad del asunto, while descubrir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy averiguado la hora del tren. — Right: Yo he averiguado la hora del tren. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he averiguado, has averiguado, ha averiguado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo averigüé quién llamó ayer todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo averiguaba quién llamó ayer todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (averiguaba), not the preterite. The preterite (averigüé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on averiguar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la verdad del asunto. (present tense) A. averiguo B. averiguas C. averigua D. averiguamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la hora del tren. (preterite) A. averigüé B. averiguaste C. averiguaron D. averiguó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ quién llamó ayer. (imperfect) A. averiguabas B. averiguaban C. averiguábamos D. averiguaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ dónde vive ahora. (future) A. averiguaremos B. averiguarás C. averiguaré D. averiguará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la verdad del asunto si pudiera. (conditional) A. averiguaría B. averiguarías C. averiguarían D. averiguo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la hora del tren. (present subjunctive) A. averigües B. averigüemos C. averiguo D. averigüe
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ quién llamó ayer, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. averiguáramos B. averiguo C. averiguara D. averiguaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ dónde vive ahora. (present perfect) A. han averiguado B. hemos averiguado C. he averiguado D. has averiguado
Complete the command: ¡___ la verdad del asunto! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. averigua B. averigüe C. averigüemos D. averiguad
Which is the gerund of averiguar, used with estar for the progressive? A. averiguado B. averiguo C. averigüé D. averiguando
Answer key
- averiguo — The first-person present of averiguar is averiguo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- averiguó — The third-person preterite of averiguar is averiguó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- averiguábamos — The nosotros imperfect of averiguar is averiguábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- averiguarás — The second-person future of averiguar is averiguarás.
- averiguaría — The first-person conditional of averiguar is averiguaría, the form for what would happen.
- averigüe — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of averiguar is averigüe.
- averiguara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of averiguar is averiguara.
- hemos averiguado — The nosotros present perfect of averiguar is hemos averiguado: hemos + averiguado.
- averigua — The affirmative tú imperative of averiguar is averigua.
- averiguando — The gerund of averiguar is averiguando: estoy averiguando. The participle averiguado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does averiguar mean in English?
Averiguar means to find out. It is used in everyday situations such as Averiguo la verdad del asunto. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is averiguar regular or irregular?
Averiguar is a spelling-changing -ar verb: the endings are regular, but the stem-final u takes a diaeresis (ü) before e — averigüé in the preterite and averigüe in the present subjunctive. Once you know that pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including averiguo in the present and averigüé in the preterite.
What is the difference between averiguar and descubrir?
Averiguar means to find out, while descubrir means to discover something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use averiguar when you mean to find out, as in Averiguo la verdad del asunto, and use descubrir for to discover something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I find out” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo averigüé la hora del tren. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo averiguaba quién llamó ayer. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he averiguado la hora del tren.
How do I practise averiguar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the averiguar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Averiguar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for averiguar.
- Averiguar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for averiguar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Avergonzar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with averiguar.
- Aventurar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with averiguar.
- Basar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with averiguar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.