Beneficiar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb beneficiar means to benefit, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Beneficiar means to benefit, and it is the transitive verb for giving an advantage: a plan benefits the neighbours, a scholarship benefits students, a decision benefits the company. It takes a for the person who benefits, as in beneficiar a los estudiantes. Like every Spanish verb, beneficiar 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 beneficio a todos los vecinos, and in the preterite you say beneficié a los estudiantes con becas. 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: beneficiar
- English: to benefit
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: beneficiando
- Past participle: beneficiado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + beneficiado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for beneficiar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Beneficiar is fully regular: beneficié, beneficiaba, beneficiaré. Its reflexive partner beneficiarse means to benefit yourself.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for beneficiar. 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 | beneficio |
| tú | beneficias |
| él/ella/Ud. | beneficia |
| nosotros/as | beneficiamos |
| vosotros/as | beneficiáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | benefician |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | beneficié |
| tú | beneficiaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | benefició |
| nosotros/as | beneficiamos |
| vosotros/as | beneficiasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beneficiaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | beneficiaba |
| tú | beneficiabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | beneficiaba |
| nosotros/as | beneficiábamos |
| vosotros/as | beneficiabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beneficiaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | beneficiaré |
| tú | beneficiarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | beneficiará |
| nosotros/as | beneficiaremos |
| vosotros/as | beneficiaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beneficiarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | beneficiaría |
| tú | beneficiarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | beneficiaría |
| nosotros/as | beneficiaríamos |
| vosotros/as | beneficiaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beneficiarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he beneficiado |
| tú | has beneficiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha beneficiado |
| nosotros/as | hemos beneficiado |
| vosotros/as | habéis beneficiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han beneficiado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había beneficiado |
| tú | habías beneficiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había beneficiado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos beneficiado |
| vosotros/as | habíais beneficiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían beneficiado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré beneficiado |
| tú | habrás beneficiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá beneficiado |
| nosotros/as | habremos beneficiado |
| vosotros/as | habréis beneficiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán beneficiado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría beneficiado |
| tú | habrías beneficiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría beneficiado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos beneficiado |
| vosotros/as | habríais beneficiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían beneficiado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | beneficie |
| tú | beneficies |
| él/ella/Ud. | beneficie |
| nosotros/as | beneficiemos |
| vosotros/as | beneficiéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beneficien |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | beneficiara |
| tú | beneficiaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | beneficiara |
| nosotros/as | beneficiáramos |
| vosotros/as | beneficiarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beneficiaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | beneficia |
| él/ella/Ud. | beneficie |
| nosotros/as | beneficiemos |
| vosotros/as | beneficiad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beneficien |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | beneficies |
| él/ella/Ud. | beneficie |
| nosotros/as | beneficiemos |
| vosotros/as | beneficiéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | beneficien |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | beneficiando | with estar for the progressive: estoy beneficiando |
| Past participle | beneficiado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he beneficiado |
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 beneficiar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Beneficio a todos los vecinos. 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 beneficiar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, beneficié a la empresa este año. 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 beneficiar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, beneficiaba a los estudiantes con becas. 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 beneficiar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, beneficiaré a mi familia. 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 beneficiar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Beneficiaría a todos los vecinos 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 beneficiar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he beneficiado a la empresa este año. 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 beneficiar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había beneficiado a los estudiantes con becas 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 beneficiar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré beneficiado a mi familia. 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 beneficiar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría beneficiado a todos los vecinos 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 beneficiar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él beneficie a la empresa este año. 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 beneficiar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él beneficiara a los estudiantes con becas, 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 beneficiar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡beneficia a mi familia! 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 beneficiar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No beneficies a todos los vecinos. 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 beneficiar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Beneficio a todos los vecinos. — I benefit all the neighbours.
- Beneficia a la empresa este año. — He/she benefits the company this year.
- Ayer, beneficié a los estudiantes con becas. — Yesterday, I benefited the students with scholarships.
- Antes, nosotros beneficiábamos a mi familia. — Before, we used to benefit my family.
- Mañana, tú beneficiarás a todos los vecinos. — Tomorrow, you will benefit all the neighbours.
- Yo beneficiaría a la empresa este año si tuviera más tiempo. — I would benefit the company this year if I had more time.
- Él ha beneficiado a los estudiantes con becas. — He has benefited the students with scholarships.
- Espero que él beneficie a mi familia. — I hope he benefits my family.
- Yo ya había beneficiado a todos los vecinos antes de salir. — I had already benefited all the neighbours before leaving.
- Ellos beneficiaban a la empresa este año cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to benefit the company this year when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo beneficia a todos los vecinos. — Right: Yo beneficio a todos los vecinos. — The person matters: beneficia is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is beneficio. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Treating beneficiar and favorecer as identical in every context. — Right: Beneficiar means to benefit, while favorecer means to favour someone or something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: beneficiar fits sentences such as Beneficio a todos los vecinos, while favorecer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy beneficiado a la empresa este año. — Right: Yo he beneficiado a la empresa este año. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he beneficiado, has beneficiado, ha beneficiado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo beneficié a los estudiantes con becas todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo beneficiaba a los estudiantes con becas todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (beneficiaba), not the preterite. The preterite (beneficié) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on beneficiar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a todos los vecinos. (present tense) A. beneficio B. beneficias C. beneficia D. beneficiamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a la empresa este año. (preterite) A. beneficié B. beneficiaste C. beneficiaron D. benefició
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a los estudiantes con becas. (imperfect) A. beneficiabas B. beneficiaban C. beneficiábamos D. beneficiaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a mi familia. (future) A. beneficiaremos B. beneficiarás C. beneficiaré D. beneficiará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a todos los vecinos si pudiera. (conditional) A. beneficiaría B. beneficiarías C. beneficiarían D. beneficio
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a la empresa este año. (present subjunctive) A. beneficies B. beneficiemos C. beneficio D. beneficie
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a los estudiantes con becas, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. beneficiáramos B. beneficio C. beneficiara D. beneficiaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a mi familia. (present perfect) A. han beneficiado B. hemos beneficiado C. he beneficiado D. has beneficiado
Complete the command: ¡___ a todos los vecinos! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. beneficia B. beneficie C. beneficiemos D. beneficiad
Which is the gerund of beneficiar, used with estar for the progressive? A. beneficiado B. beneficio C. beneficié D. beneficiando
Answer key
- beneficio — The first-person present of beneficiar is beneficio. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- benefició — The third-person preterite of beneficiar is benefició, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- beneficiábamos — The nosotros imperfect of beneficiar is beneficiábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- beneficiarás — The second-person future of beneficiar is beneficiarás.
- beneficiaría — The first-person conditional of beneficiar is beneficiaría, the form for what would happen.
- beneficie — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of beneficiar is beneficie.
- beneficiara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of beneficiar is beneficiara.
- hemos beneficiado — The nosotros present perfect of beneficiar is hemos beneficiado: hemos + beneficiado.
- beneficia — The affirmative tú imperative of beneficiar is beneficia.
- beneficiando — The gerund of beneficiar is beneficiando: estoy beneficiando. The participle beneficiado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does beneficiar mean in English?
Beneficiar means to benefit. It is used in everyday situations such as Beneficio a todos los vecinos. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is beneficiar regular or irregular?
Beneficiar 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 beneficio in the present and beneficié in the preterite.
What is the difference between beneficiar and favorecer?
Beneficiar means to benefit, while favorecer means to favour someone or something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use beneficiar when you mean to benefit, as in Beneficio a todos los vecinos, and use favorecer for to favour someone or something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I benefit” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo beneficié a la empresa este año. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo beneficiaba a los estudiantes con becas. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he beneficiado a la empresa este año.
How do I practise beneficiar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the beneficiar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Beneficiar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for beneficiar.
- Beneficiar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for beneficiar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Bastar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with beneficiar.
- Bloquear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with beneficiar.
- Basar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with beneficiar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.