Introduction
Beber means «to drink». Beber means to drink: water, coffee, wine, juice. It is a regular -er verb and pairs with comer in almost every meal conversation. In many countries tomar is also used for drinking, especially alcohol or coffee. It is a regular -er verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of beber 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: «Yo bebo agua todos los días.» — I drink water every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | beber |
| English | to drink |
| Verb type | Regular -er verb |
| Gerund | bebiendo |
| Past participle | bebido |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: bebiendo · Past participle: bebido
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bebo |
| tú | bebes |
| él/ella/Ud. | bebe |
| nosotros/as | bebemos |
| vosotros/as | bebéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beben |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For beber, the yo form is bebo, as in «Yo bebo» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bebí |
| tú | bebiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | bebió |
| nosotros/as | bebimos |
| vosotros/as | bebisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bebieron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo bebí» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bebía |
| tú | bebías |
| él/ella/Ud. | bebía |
| nosotros/as | bebíamos |
| vosotros/as | bebíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bebían |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo bebía» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | beberé |
| tú | beberás |
| él/ella/Ud. | beberá |
| nosotros/as | beberemos |
| vosotros/as | beberéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beberán |
The future tense states what will happen. For beber the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo beberé». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bebería |
| tú | beberías |
| él/ella/Ud. | bebería |
| nosotros/as | beberíamos |
| vosotros/as | beberíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beberían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo bebería» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he bebido |
| tú | has bebido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha bebido |
| nosotros/as | hemos bebido |
| vosotros/as | habéis bebido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han bebido |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he bebido». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había bebido |
| tú | habías bebido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había bebido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos bebido |
| vosotros/as | habíais bebido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían bebido |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había bebido». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré bebido |
| tú | habrás bebido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá bebido |
| nosotros/as | habremos bebido |
| vosotros/as | habréis bebido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán bebido |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré bebido» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría bebido |
| tú | habrías bebido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría bebido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos bebido |
| vosotros/as | habríais bebido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían bebido |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría bebido si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | beba |
| tú | bebas |
| él/ella/Ud. | beba |
| nosotros/as | bebamos |
| vosotros/as | bebáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beban |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él beba». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bebiera |
| tú | bebieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | bebiera |
| nosotros/as | bebiéramos |
| vosotros/as | bebierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bebieran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él bebiera, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | bebe |
| él/ella/Ud. | beba |
| nosotros/as | bebamos |
| vosotros/as | bebed |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beban |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Bebe!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | bebas |
| él/ella/Ud. | beba |
| nosotros/as | bebamos |
| vosotros/as | bebáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beban |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No bebas!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo bebo agua todos los días. — I drink water every day.
- Mi hermana bebe agua mucho. — My sister drinks water a lot.
- Ayer yo bebí agua por la tarde. — Yesterday I drank water in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo bebía agua muchas veces. — As a child, I used to drink water often.
- Mañana yo beberé agua sin falta. — Tomorrow I will drink water without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo bebería agua ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would drink water right now.
- Hoy yo he bebido café dos veces. — Today I have drunk coffee twice.
- Espero que él beba agua pronto. — I hope he drinks water soon.
- ¡Bebe más agua hoy! — Drink more water today!
- Ahora mismo estoy bebiendo agua. — Right now I am drinking water.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: bebi
Right: bebí
The yo preterite of beber carries a written accent: bebí. Without it, bebi is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo bebía agua.
Right: Ayer yo bebí agua.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, bebí. The imperfect bebía describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Bebo a agua.
Right: Bebo agua.
Beber takes a direct object with no preposition: beber agua, beber café.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú bebes agua.
Right: Espero que tú bebas agua.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: bebas, not the indicative bebes. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No bebe agua.
Right: No bebas agua.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no bebas. The affirmative bebe can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of beber in the present tense?
- (a) bebe
- (b) bebemos
- (c) bebes
- (d) bebo
2. What is the él/ella form of beber in the preterite?
- (a) bebimos
- (b) bebiste
- (c) bebió
- (d) bebí
3. What is the nosotros form of beber in the imperfect?
- (a) bebía
- (b) bebíamos
- (c) bebías
4. What is the tú form of beber in the future tense?
- (a) beberemos
- (b) beberá
- (c) beberás
- (d) beberé
5. What is the ellos form of beber in the conditional?
- (a) bebería
- (b) beberían
- (c) beberías
6. What is the yo form of beber in the present perfect?
- (a) ha bebido
- (b) has bebido
- (c) he bebido
- (d) hemos bebido
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of beber?
- (a) beba
- (b) bebamos
- (c) bebas
8. What is the nosotros form of beber in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) bebiera
- (b) bebiéramos
- (c) bebieras
9. What is the gerund of beber?
- (a) beber
- (b) bebido
- (c) bebiendo
- (d) bebo
10. What is the past participle of beber?
- (a) beber
- (b) bebido
- (c) bebiendo
- (d) bebí
Answer key
1. (d) bebo — In the present, the yo form of beber is bebo. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (c) bebió — In the preterite, the el form of beber is bebió. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (b) bebíamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of beber is bebíamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) beberás — In the future, the tu form of beber is beberás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) beberían — In the conditional, the ellos form of beber is beberían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he bebido — In the present perfect, the yo form of beber is he bebido. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) bebas — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of beber is bebas. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) bebiéramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of beber is bebiéramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (c) bebiendo — The gerund of beber is bebiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy bebiendo».
10. (b) bebido — The past participle of beber is bebido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he bebido».
Frequently asked questions
Is beber regular or irregular?
Yes, beber is a regular -er verb. Every tense follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of beber?
The gerund is bebiendo and the past participle is bebido. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy bebiendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he bebido»).
What is the difference between beber and tomar?
Beber and tomar are often confused. Tomar is also used for drinking, especially coffee or a drink with friends; beber is the plain verb.
How do I say «I drink» in Spanish?
Say «Yo bebo». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with beber?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (bebí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (bebía) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: beber-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: beber-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: comer
- Related verb: cocinar
- Related verb: servir
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz