Balbucear Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb balbucear means to stammer, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Balbucear is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of balbucear in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example, in the present tense you say Yo balbuceo de nervios — "I stammer from nerves" — and in the preterite you say Yo balbuceé al hablar en público — "I stammered when speaking in public". 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: balbucear
- English: to stammer
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: balbuceando
- Past participle: balbuceado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + balbuceado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for balbucear, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for balbucear. 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.
Gerund: balbuceando · Past participle: balbuceado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | balbuceo |
| tú | balbuceas |
| él/ella/Ud. | balbucea |
| nosotros/as | balbuceamos |
| vosotros/as | balbuceáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | balbucean |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | balbuceé |
| tú | balbuceaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | balbuceó |
| nosotros/as | balbuceamos |
| vosotros/as | balbuceasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | balbucearon |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | balbuceaba |
| tú | balbuceabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | balbuceaba |
| nosotros/as | balbuceábamos |
| vosotros/as | balbuceabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | balbuceaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | balbucearé |
| tú | balbucearás |
| él/ella/Ud. | balbuceará |
| nosotros/as | balbucearemos |
| vosotros/as | balbucearéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | balbucearán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | balbucearía |
| tú | balbucearías |
| él/ella/Ud. | balbucearía |
| nosotros/as | balbucearíamos |
| vosotros/as | balbucearíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | balbucearían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he balbuceado |
| tú | has balbuceado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha balbuceado |
| nosotros/as | hemos balbuceado |
| vosotros/as | habéis balbuceado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han balbuceado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había balbuceado |
| tú | habías balbuceado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había balbuceado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos balbuceado |
| vosotros/as | habíais balbuceado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían balbuceado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré balbuceado |
| tú | habrás balbuceado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá balbuceado |
| nosotros/as | habremos balbuceado |
| vosotros/as | habréis balbuceado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán balbuceado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría balbuceado |
| tú | habrías balbuceado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría balbuceado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos balbuceado |
| vosotros/as | habríais balbuceado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían balbuceado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | balbucee |
| tú | balbucees |
| él/ella/Ud. | balbucee |
| nosotros/as | balbuceemos |
| vosotros/as | balbuceéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | balbuceen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | balbuceara |
| tú | balbucearas |
| él/ella/Ud. | balbuceara |
| nosotros/as | balbuceáramos |
| vosotros/as | balbucearais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | balbucearan |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | balbucea |
| él/ella/Ud. | balbucee |
| nosotros/as | balbuceemos |
| vosotros/as | balbucead |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | balbuceen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | balbucees |
| él/ella/Ud. | balbucee |
| nosotros/as | balbuceemos |
| vosotros/as | balbuceéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | balbuceen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | balbuceando | with estar for the progressive: estoy balbuceando |
| Past participle | balbuceado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he balbuceado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For balbucear, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo balbuceo al hablar en público — "I stammer when speaking in public". Learn the present indicative 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 in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For balbucear, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo balbuceé unas palabras — "I stammered a few words". 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 words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For balbucear, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo balbuceaba de nervios — "I used to stammer from nerves". 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. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For balbucear, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo balbucearé al hablar en público — "I will stammer when speaking in public". 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 in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For balbucear, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo balbucearía unas palabras — "I would stammer a few words". 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. It connects the past with the present moment. For balbucear, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he balbuceado de nervios — "I have stammered from nerves". 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. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For balbucear, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había balbuceado al hablar en público — "I had stammered when speaking in public". 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, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For balbucear, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré balbuceado unas palabras — "I will have stammered a few words". 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. It looks back at a past that never happened. For balbucear, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría balbuceado de nervios — "I would have stammered from nerves". 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. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For balbucear, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él balbucee al hablar en público — "I hope he stammers when speaking in public". 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 balbucear, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo balbuceara unas palabras, todo cambiaría — "If I stammered a few words, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) 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. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For balbucear, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Balbucee de nervios — "Let him stammer from nerves". Learn the imperative (affirmative) 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. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For balbucear, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No balbucees al hablar en público — "Don't stammer when speaking in public". Learn the imperative (negative) 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 balbucear, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo balbuceo unas palabras — "I stammer a few words"
- Él balbucea de nervios — "He stammers from nerves"
- Yo balbuceé al hablar en público — "I stammered when speaking in public"
- Yo balbuceaba unas palabras — "I used to stammer a few words"
- Tú balbucearás de nervios — "You will stammer from nerves"
- Yo balbucearía al hablar en público — "I would stammer when speaking in public"
- Él ha balbuceado unas palabras — "He has stammered a few words"
- Espero que él balbucee de nervios — "I hope he stammers from nerves"
- Yo había balbuceado al hablar en público — "I had stammered when speaking in public"
- Ellos balbuceaban unas palabras — "They used to stammer a few words"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos balbucea de nervios — Right: Ellos balbucean de nervios — Ellos needs the ellos form balbucean. The singular balbucea belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo balbuceo — Right: Ayer, yo balbuceé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to balbuceé.
- Wrong: De niño, yo balbuceé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo balbuceaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (balbuceaba), not the preterite. The preterite (balbuceé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy balbuceado al hablar en público. — Right: Yo he balbuceado al hablar en público. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he balbuceado, has balbuceado, ha balbuceado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él balbucea de nervios. — Right: Espero que él balbucee de nervios. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: balbucee. The indicative balbucea is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on balbucear. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de nervios. (present tense) A. balbucearás B. habías balbuceado C. balbuceo D. balbucearías
Complete the sentence: Él ___ de nervios. (preterite) A. balbuceó B. balbuceábamos C. balbuceen D. balbucearíais
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de nervios. (imperfect) A. balbuceamos B. balbuceara C. balbuceábamos D. balbucearíais
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ de nervios. (future) A. balbucearíamos B. balbucearás C. balbuceaste D. balbucearé
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de nervios. (conditional) A. balbucearía B. balbuceéis C. ha balbuceado D. había balbuceado
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de nervios. (present subjunctive) A. balbucee B. balbucearíais C. habrías balbuceado D. balbucearíamos
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ de nervios, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. balbucearas B. balbuceara C. balbucean D. habíais balbuceado
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de nervios. (present perfect) A. habrá balbuceado B. habéis balbuceado C. habíamos balbuceado D. hemos balbuceado
Complete the command: No ___ de nervios. (negative imperative, tú) A. balbucee B. balbucees C. balbuceen D. balbuceemos
Which is the gerund of balbucear, used with estar for the progressive? A. balbuceaba B. balbuceando C. balbucearé D. balbuceé
Answer key
- balbuceo — The yo present tense of balbucear is balbuceo.
- balbuceó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of balbucear is balbuceó.
- balbuceábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of balbucear is balbuceábamos.
- balbucearás — The tú future of balbucear is balbucearás.
- balbucearía — The yo conditional of balbucear is balbucearía.
- balbucee — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of balbucear is balbucee.
- balbuceara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of balbucear is balbuceara.
- hemos balbuceado — The nosotros/as present perfect of balbucear is hemos balbuceado.
- balbucees — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: balbucees.
- balbuceando — The gerund of balbucear is balbuceando: estoy balbuceando. The participle balbuceado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does balbucear mean in English?
Balbucear means to stammer. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo balbuceo de nervios. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is balbucear regular?
Yes. Balbucear is a regular -ar verb: balbuceo, balbuceas, balbucea. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ar verb.
What is the gerund and the past participle of balbucear?
The gerund is balbuceando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy balbuceando. The past participle is balbuceado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he balbuceado.
How do I say “I stammer” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo balbuceé al hablar en público. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo balbuceaba unas palabras. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he balbuceado de nervios.
How do I practise balbucear?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the balbucear examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Balbucear in the present tense — the full present-tense table for balbucear.
- Balbucear examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for balbucear.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Tartamudear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with balbucear.
- Cotillear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with balbucear.
- Chismorrear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with balbucear.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.