Bautizar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb bautizar means to baptise, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Bautizar means to baptise, and it is used for baptising a child in church, naming a child after a grandfather and, figuratively, naming a boat in the harbour. It is a spelling-change verb: the z becomes c before e, so the preterite is bauticé. Like every Spanish verb, bautizar 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 bautizo al niño en la iglesia, and in the preterite you say bauticé el barco en el puerto. 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: bautizar
  • English: to baptise
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: bautizando
  • Past participle: bautizado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + bautizado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for bautizar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is bauticé and the subjunctive is bautice.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for bautizar. 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 bautizo
tú bautizas
él/ella/Ud. bautiza
nosotros/as bautizamos
vosotros/as bautizáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. bautizan

Preterite

Person Form
yo bauticé
tú bautizaste
él/ella/Ud. bautizó
nosotros/as bautizamos
vosotros/as bautizasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. bautizaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo bautizaba
tú bautizabas
él/ella/Ud. bautizaba
nosotros/as bautizábamos
vosotros/as bautizabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. bautizaban

Future

Person Form
yo bautizaré
tú bautizarás
él/ella/Ud. bautizará
nosotros/as bautizaremos
vosotros/as bautizaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. bautizarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo bautizaría
tú bautizarías
él/ella/Ud. bautizaría
nosotros/as bautizaríamos
vosotros/as bautizaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. bautizarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo bautice
tú bautices
él/ella/Ud. bautice
nosotros/as bauticemos
vosotros/as bauticéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. bauticen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo bautizara
tú bautizaras
él/ella/Ud. bautizara
nosotros/as bautizáramos
vosotros/as bautizarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. bautizaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú bautiza
él/ella/Ud. bautice
nosotros/as bauticemos
vosotros/as bautizad
ellos/ellas/Uds. bauticen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú bautices
él/ella/Ud. bautice
nosotros/as bauticemos
vosotros/as bauticéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. bauticen

Gerund and past participle

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

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For bautizar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Bautizo al niño en la iglesia. 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 in the first person: z becomes c before e, so the preterite first person is bauticé. For bautizar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, bauticé con el nombre de su abuelo. 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 bautizar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, bautizaba el barco en el puerto. 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 bautizar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, bautizaré a su hija en primavera. 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 bautizar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Bautizaría al niño en la iglesia 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 bautizar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he bautizado con el nombre de su abuelo. 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 bautizar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había bautizado el barco en el puerto 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 bautizar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré bautizado a su hija en primavera. 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 bautizar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría bautizado al niño en la iglesia 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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For bautizar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él bautice con el nombre de su abuelo. 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 bautizar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él bautizara el barco en el puerto, 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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For bautizar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Bautiza a su hija en primavera! 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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For bautizar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No bautices al niño en la iglesia. 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 bautizar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Bautizo al niño en la iglesia. — I baptise the child in church.
  2. Bautiza con el nombre de su abuelo. — He/she baptises with his grandfather's name.
  3. Ayer, bauticé el barco en el puerto. — Yesterday, I baptised the boat in the harbour.
  4. Antes, nosotros bautizábamos a su hija en primavera. — Before, we used to baptise his daughter in spring.
  5. Mañana, tú bautizarás al niño en la iglesia. — Tomorrow, you will baptise the child in church.
  6. Yo bautizaría con el nombre de su abuelo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would baptise with his grandfather's name if I had more time.
  7. Él ha bautizado el barco en el puerto. — He has baptised the boat in the harbour.
  8. Espero que él bautice a su hija en primavera. — I hope he baptises his daughter in spring.
  9. Yo ya había bautizado al niño en la iglesia antes de salir. — I had already baptised the child in church before leaving.
  10. Ellos bautizaban con el nombre de su abuelo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to baptise with his grandfather's name when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo bautiza al niño en la iglesia. — Right: Yo bautizo al niño en la iglesia. — The person matters: bautiza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is bautizo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo bautizé con el nombre de su abuelo. — Right: Yo bauticé con el nombre de su abuelo. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is bauticé, not bautizé. bautizar is a spelling-change verb: z becomes c before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating bautizar and nombrar as identical in every context. — Right: Bautizar means to baptise, while nombrar means to name, for the naming sense. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: bautizar fits sentences such as Bautizo al niño en la iglesia, while nombrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy bautizado con el nombre de su abuelo. — Right: Yo he bautizado con el nombre de su abuelo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he bautizado, has bautizado, ha bautizado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo bauticé el barco en el puerto todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo bautizaba el barco en el puerto todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (bautizaba), not the preterite. The preterite (bauticé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al niño en la iglesia. (present tense) A. bautizo B. bautizas C. bautiza D. bautizamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ con el nombre de su abuelo. (preterite) A. bauticé B. bautizaste C. bautizaron D. bautizó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el barco en el puerto. (imperfect) A. bautizabas B. bautizaban C. bautizábamos D. bautizaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a su hija en primavera. (future) A. bautizaremos B. bautizarás C. bautizaré D. bautizará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al niño en la iglesia si pudiera. (conditional) A. bautizaría B. bautizarías C. bautizarían D. bautizo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con el nombre de su abuelo. (present subjunctive) A. bautices B. bauticemos C. bautizo D. bautice

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el barco en el puerto, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. bautizáramos B. bautizo C. bautizara D. bautizaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a su hija en primavera. (present perfect) A. han bautizado B. hemos bautizado C. he bautizado D. has bautizado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ al niño en la iglesia! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. bautiza B. bautice C. bauticemos D. bautizad

  10. Which is the gerund of bautizar, used with estar for the progressive? A. bautizado B. bautizo C. bauticé D. bautizando

Answer key

  1. bautizo — The first-person present of bautizar is bautizo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. bautizó — The third-person preterite of bautizar is bautizó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. bautizábamos — The nosotros imperfect of bautizar is bautizábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. bautizarás — The second-person future of bautizar is bautizarás.
  5. bautizaría — The first-person conditional of bautizar is bautizaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. bautice — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of bautizar is bautice.
  7. bautizara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of bautizar is bautizara.
  8. hemos bautizado — The nosotros present perfect of bautizar is hemos bautizado: hemos + bautizado.
  9. bautiza — The affirmative tú imperative of bautizar is bautiza.
  10. bautizando — The gerund of bautizar is bautizando: estoy bautizando. The participle bautizado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does bautizar mean in English?

Bautizar means to baptise. It is used in everyday situations such as Bautizo al niño en la iglesia. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is bautizar regular or irregular?

Bautizar 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 bautizo in the present and bauticé in the preterite.

What is the difference between bautizar and nombrar?

Bautizar means to baptise, while nombrar means to name, for the naming sense. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use bautizar when you mean to baptise, as in Bautizo al niño en la iglesia, and use nombrar for to name, for the naming sense. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I baptise” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo bauticé con el nombre de su abuelo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo bautizaba el barco en el puerto. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he bautizado con el nombre de su abuelo.

How do I practise bautizar?

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

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