Bostezar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb bostezar means to yawn, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Bostezar is a spelling-changing -ar (z → c before e) verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. It has a spelling change (z → c before e), which keeps the pronunciation of the stem the same when the ending changes. On this page you will find the full conjugation of bostezar 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 bostezo en clase — "I yawn in class" — and in the preterite you say Por la mañana, yo bostecé — "In the morning, I yawned". 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: bostezar
- English: to yawn
- Verb type: spelling-changing -ar (z → c before e) verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: bostezando
- Past participle: bostezado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + bostezado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for bostezar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for bostezar. 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: bostezando · Past participle: bostezado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bostezo |
| tú | bostezas |
| él/ella/Ud. | bosteza |
| nosotros/as | bostezamos |
| vosotros/as | bostezáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bostezan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bostecé |
| tú | bostezaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | bostezó |
| nosotros/as | bostezamos |
| vosotros/as | bostezasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bostezaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bostezaba |
| tú | bostezabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | bostezaba |
| nosotros/as | bostezábamos |
| vosotros/as | bostezabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bostezaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bostezaré |
| tú | bostezarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | bostezará |
| nosotros/as | bostezaremos |
| vosotros/as | bostezaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bostezarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bostezaría |
| tú | bostezarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | bostezaría |
| nosotros/as | bostezaríamos |
| vosotros/as | bostezaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bostezarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he bostezado |
| tú | has bostezado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha bostezado |
| nosotros/as | hemos bostezado |
| vosotros/as | habéis bostezado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han bostezado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había bostezado |
| tú | habías bostezado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había bostezado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos bostezado |
| vosotros/as | habíais bostezado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían bostezado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré bostezado |
| tú | habrás bostezado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá bostezado |
| nosotros/as | habremos bostezado |
| vosotros/as | habréis bostezado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán bostezado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría bostezado |
| tú | habrías bostezado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría bostezado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos bostezado |
| vosotros/as | habríais bostezado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían bostezado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bostece |
| tú | bosteces |
| él/ella/Ud. | bostece |
| nosotros/as | bostecemos |
| vosotros/as | bostecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bostecen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bostezara |
| tú | bostezaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | bostezara |
| nosotros/as | bostezáramos |
| vosotros/as | bostezarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bostezaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | bosteza |
| él/ella/Ud. | bostece |
| nosotros/as | bostecemos |
| vosotros/as | bostezad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bostecen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | bosteces |
| él/ella/Ud. | bostece |
| nosotros/as | bostecemos |
| vosotros/as | bostecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bostecen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | bostezando | with estar for the progressive: estoy bostezando |
| Past participle | bostezado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he bostezado |
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 bostezar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Por la mañana, yo bostezo — "In the morning, I yawn". 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 bostezar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo bostecé de cansancio — "I yawned from tiredness". 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. Spelling change in the preterite: the yo form is bostecé (z → c before e), so the sound of the stem stays the same.
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 bostezar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo bostezaba en clase — "I used to yawn in class". 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 bostezar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Por la mañana, yo bostezaré — "In the morning, I will yawn". 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 bostezar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo bostezaría de cansancio — "I would yawn from tiredness". 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 bostezar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he bostezado en clase — "I have yawned in class". 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 bostezar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Por la mañana, yo había bostezado — "In the morning, I had yawned". 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 bostezar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré bostezado de cansancio — "I will have yawned from tiredness". 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 bostezar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría bostezado en clase — "I would have yawned in class". 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 bostezar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él bostece por la mañana — "I hope he yawns in the morning". 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. The subjunctive keeps the spelling change: bostece, bosteces, bostece all show z → c before e, just like the preterite yo form.
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 bostezar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo bostezara de cansancio, todo cambiaría — "If I yawned from tiredness, 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 bostezar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Bostece en clase — "Let him yawn in class". 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 bostezar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No bosteces por la mañana — "Don't yawn in the morning". 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 bostezar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo bostezo de cansancio — "I yawn from tiredness"
- Él bosteza en clase — "He yawns in class"
- Por la mañana, yo bostecé — "In the morning, I yawned"
- Yo bostezaba de cansancio — "I used to yawn from tiredness"
- Tú bostezarás en clase — "You will yawn in class"
- Por la mañana, yo bostezaría — "In the morning, I would yawn"
- Él ha bostezado de cansancio — "He has yawned from tiredness"
- Espero que él bostece en clase — "I hope he yawns in class"
- Por la mañana, yo había bostezado — "In the morning, I had yawned"
- Ellos bostezaban de cansancio — "They used to yawn from tiredness"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos bosteza en clase — Right: Ellos bostezan en clase — Ellos needs the ellos form bostezan. The singular bosteza belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo bostezo — Right: Ayer, yo bostecé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to bostecé, with the spelling change z → c before e.
- Wrong: De niño, yo bostecé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo bostezaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (bostezaba), not the preterite. The preterite (bostecé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy bostezado por la mañana. — Right: Yo he bostezado por la mañana. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he bostezado, has bostezado, ha bostezado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él bosteza en clase. — Right: Espero que él bostece en clase. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: bostece. The indicative bosteza is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on bostezar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en clase. (present tense) A. habríamos bostezado B. bostezo C. bostecemos D. habíamos bostezado
Complete the sentence: Él ___ en clase. (preterite) A. habrá bostezado B. bostezó C. habré bostezado D. bostezara
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en clase. (imperfect) A. habría bostezado B. bostezábamos C. bostezarais D. habrás bostezado
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ en clase. (future) A. habíamos bostezado B. bostezabais C. bostezas D. bostezarás
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en clase. (conditional) A. bostezaría B. habrá bostezado C. habremos bostezado D. bostezaremos
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en clase. (present subjunctive) A. habrá bostezado B. bostece C. han bostezado D. hemos bostezado
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en clase, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. bostezara B. bostezaron C. bostezaríamos D. bosteces
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en clase. (present perfect) A. hemos bostezado B. bostezaba C. habéis bostezado D. bostezarán
Complete the command: No ___ en clase. (negative imperative, tú) A. bostecen B. bostecemos C. bosteces D. bostecéis
Which is the gerund of bostezar, used with estar for the progressive? A. bostecé B. bostezando C. bostezaré D. bostezo
Answer key
- bostezo — The yo present tense of bostezar is bostezo.
- bostezó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of bostezar is bostezó.
- bostezábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of bostezar is bostezábamos.
- bostezarás — The tú future of bostezar is bostezarás.
- bostezaría — The yo conditional of bostezar is bostezaría.
- bostece — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of bostezar is bostece.
- bostezara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of bostezar is bostezara.
- hemos bostezado — The nosotros/as present perfect of bostezar is hemos bostezado.
- bosteces — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: bosteces.
- bostezando — The gerund of bostezar is bostezando: estoy bostezando. The participle bostezado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does bostezar mean in English?
Bostezar means to yawn. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo bostezo en clase. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is bostezar regular?
Mostly. Bostezar follows the regular -ar endings, but it has a spelling change (z → c before e). The tables on this page show every form, so you can see exactly where the spelling changes.
What is the gerund and the past participle of bostezar?
The gerund is bostezando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy bostezando. The past participle is bostezado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he bostezado.
How do I say “I yawn” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Por la mañana, yo bostecé. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo bostezaba de cansancio. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he bostezado en clase.
How do I practise bostezar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the bostezar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Bostezar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for bostezar.
- Bostezar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for bostezar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Eructar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with bostezar.
- Vomitar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with bostezar.
- Marearse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with bostezar.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.