Bajar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb bajar means to go down, to lower, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Bajar means to go down or to lower, and it is used for going downstairs, lowering the volume, bringing down prices and downloading a file. It is the opposite of subir in most of its uses, and it is a fully regular -ar verb. Like every Spanish verb, bajar 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 bajo las escaleras despacio, and in the preterite you say bajé la maleta del armario. 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: bajar
  • English: to go down, to lower
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: bajando
  • Past participle: bajado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + bajado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for bajar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Bajar is fully regular: bajé, bajaba, bajaré. Pair it with subir to learn the up-down contrast in one go.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for bajar. 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 bajo
tú bajas
él/ella/Ud. baja
nosotros/as bajamos
vosotros/as bajáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. bajan

Preterite

Person Form
yo bajé
tú bajaste
él/ella/Ud. bajó
nosotros/as bajamos
vosotros/as bajasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. bajaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo bajaba
tú bajabas
él/ella/Ud. bajaba
nosotros/as bajábamos
vosotros/as bajabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. bajaban

Future

Person Form
yo bajaré
tú bajarás
él/ella/Ud. bajará
nosotros/as bajaremos
vosotros/as bajaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. bajarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo bajaría
tú bajarías
él/ella/Ud. bajaría
nosotros/as bajaríamos
vosotros/as bajaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. bajarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo baje
tú bajes
él/ella/Ud. baje
nosotros/as bajemos
vosotros/as bajéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. bajen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo bajara
tú bajaras
él/ella/Ud. bajara
nosotros/as bajáramos
vosotros/as bajarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. bajaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú baja
él/ella/Ud. baje
nosotros/as bajemos
vosotros/as bajad
ellos/ellas/Uds. bajen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú bajes
él/ella/Ud. baje
nosotros/as bajemos
vosotros/as bajéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. bajen

Gerund and past participle

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

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 bajar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Bajo las escaleras despacio. 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 bajar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, bajé el volumen de la música. 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 bajar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, bajaba la maleta del armario. 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 bajar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, bajaré por la calle hasta la plaza. 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 bajar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Bajaría las escaleras despacio 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 bajar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he bajado el volumen de la música. 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 bajar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había bajado la maleta del armario 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 bajar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré bajado por la calle hasta la plaza. 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 bajar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría bajado las escaleras despacio 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 bajar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él baje el volumen de la música. 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 bajar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él bajara la maleta del armario, 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 bajar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Baja por la calle hasta la plaza! 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 bajar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No bajes las escaleras despacio. 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 bajar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Bajo las escaleras despacio. — I go down the stairs slowly.
  2. Baja el volumen de la música. — He/she goes down the volume of the music.
  3. Ayer, bajé la maleta del armario. — Yesterday, I went down the suitcase from the wardrobe.
  4. Antes, nosotros bajábamos por la calle hasta la plaza. — Before, we used to go down down the street to the square.
  5. Mañana, tú bajarás las escaleras despacio. — Tomorrow, you will go down the stairs slowly.
  6. Yo bajaría el volumen de la música si tuviera más tiempo. — I would go down the volume of the music if I had more time.
  7. Él ha bajado la maleta del armario. — He has gone down the suitcase from the wardrobe.
  8. Espero que él baje por la calle hasta la plaza. — I hope he goes down down the street to the square.
  9. Yo ya había bajado las escaleras despacio antes de salir. — I had already gone down the stairs slowly before leaving.
  10. Ellos bajaban el volumen de la música cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to go down the volume of the music when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo baja las escaleras despacio. — Right: Yo bajo las escaleras despacio. — The person matters: baja is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is bajo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros bajais el volumen de la música. — Right: Vosotros bajáis el volumen de la música. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: bajáis, not bajais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating bajar and subir as identical in every context. — Right: Bajar means to go down, to lower, while subir means to go up, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: bajar fits sentences such as Bajo las escaleras despacio, while subir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy bajado el volumen de la música. — Right: Yo he bajado el volumen de la música. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he bajado, has bajado, ha bajado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo bajé la maleta del armario todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo bajaba la maleta del armario todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (bajaba), not the preterite. The preterite (bajé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las escaleras despacio. (present tense) A. bajo B. bajas C. baja D. bajamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el volumen de la música. (preterite) A. bajé B. bajaste C. bajaron D. bajó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la maleta del armario. (imperfect) A. bajabas B. bajaban C. bajábamos D. bajaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ por la calle hasta la plaza. (future) A. bajaremos B. bajarás C. bajaré D. bajará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las escaleras despacio si pudiera. (conditional) A. bajaría B. bajarías C. bajarían D. bajo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el volumen de la música. (present subjunctive) A. bajes B. bajemos C. bajo D. baje

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la maleta del armario, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. bajáramos B. bajo C. bajara D. bajaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ por la calle hasta la plaza. (present perfect) A. han bajado B. hemos bajado C. he bajado D. has bajado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ las escaleras despacio! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. baja B. baje C. bajemos D. bajad

  10. Which is the gerund of bajar, used with estar for the progressive? A. bajado B. bajo C. bajé D. bajando

Answer key

  1. bajo — The first-person present of bajar is bajo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. bajó — The third-person preterite of bajar is bajó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. bajábamos — The nosotros imperfect of bajar is bajábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. bajarás — The second-person future of bajar is bajarás.
  5. bajaría — The first-person conditional of bajar is bajaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. baje — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of bajar is baje.
  7. bajara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of bajar is bajara.
  8. hemos bajado — The nosotros present perfect of bajar is hemos bajado: hemos + bajado.
  9. baja — The affirmative tú imperative of bajar is baja.
  10. bajando — The gerund of bajar is bajando: estoy bajando. The participle bajado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does bajar mean in English?

Bajar means to go down, to lower. It is used in everyday situations such as Bajo las escaleras despacio. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is bajar regular or irregular?

Bajar 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 bajo in the present and bajé in the preterite.

What is the difference between bajar and subir?

Bajar means to go down, to lower, while subir means to go up, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use bajar when you mean to go down, to lower, as in Bajo las escaleras despacio, and use subir for to go up, its opposite. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I go down” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo bajé el volumen de la música. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo bajaba la maleta del armario. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he bajado el volumen de la música.

How do I practise bajar?

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

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