Cabalgar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb cabalgar means to ride a horse, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Cabalgar means to ride a horse, to travel on horseback. It is used in riding schools, the countryside and historical stories, and it is a spelling-change verb: g becomes gu before e. Like every Spanish verb, cabalgar 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 cabalgo por el campo al atardecer, and in the preterite you say cabalgué hasta el pueblo vecino. 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: cabalgar
- English: to ride a horse
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: cabalgando
- Past participle: cabalgado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + cabalgado)
- Spelling change: Spelling change: the stem gains u before e and a, so the present subjunctive is cabalgue and the preterite first person is cabalgué.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cabalgar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite first person is cabalgué. In the present tense it is regular: cabalgo.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for cabalgar. 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 | cabalgo |
| tú | cabalgas |
| él/ella/Ud. | cabalga |
| nosotros/as | cabalgamos |
| vosotros/as | cabalgáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cabalgan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cabalgué |
| tú | cabalgaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | cabalgó |
| nosotros/as | cabalgamos |
| vosotros/as | cabalgasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cabalgaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cabalgaba |
| tú | cabalgabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | cabalgaba |
| nosotros/as | cabalgábamos |
| vosotros/as | cabalgabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cabalgaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cabalgaré |
| tú | cabalgarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | cabalgará |
| nosotros/as | cabalgaremos |
| vosotros/as | cabalgaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cabalgarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cabalgaría |
| tú | cabalgarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | cabalgaría |
| nosotros/as | cabalgaríamos |
| vosotros/as | cabalgaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cabalgarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he cabalgado |
| tú | has cabalgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha cabalgado |
| nosotros/as | hemos cabalgado |
| vosotros/as | habéis cabalgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han cabalgado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había cabalgado |
| tú | habías cabalgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había cabalgado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos cabalgado |
| vosotros/as | habíais cabalgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían cabalgado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré cabalgado |
| tú | habrás cabalgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá cabalgado |
| nosotros/as | habremos cabalgado |
| vosotros/as | habréis cabalgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán cabalgado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría cabalgado |
| tú | habrías cabalgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría cabalgado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos cabalgado |
| vosotros/as | habríais cabalgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían cabalgado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cabalgue |
| tú | cabalgues |
| él/ella/Ud. | cabalgue |
| nosotros/as | cabalguemos |
| vosotros/as | cabalguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cabalguen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cabalgara |
| tú | cabalgaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | cabalgara |
| nosotros/as | cabalgáramos |
| vosotros/as | cabalgarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cabalgaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | cabalga |
| él/ella/Ud. | cabalgue |
| nosotros/as | cabalguemos |
| vosotros/as | cabalgad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cabalguen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | cabalgues |
| él/ella/Ud. | cabalgue |
| nosotros/as | cabalguemos |
| vosotros/as | cabalguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cabalguen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | cabalgando | with estar for the progressive: estoy cabalgando |
| Past participle | cabalgado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he cabalgado |
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 cabalgar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Cabalgo por el campo al atardecer. 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: the stem gains u before e and a, so the present subjunctive is cabalgue and the preterite first person is cabalgué. For cabalgar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, cabalgué en la playa con el grupo. 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 cabalgar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, cabalgaba hasta el pueblo vecino. 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 cabalgar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, cabalgaré con cuidado por el sendero. 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 cabalgar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Cabalgaría por el campo al atardecer 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 cabalgar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he cabalgado en la playa con el grupo. 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 cabalgar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había cabalgado hasta el pueblo vecino 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 cabalgar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré cabalgado con cuidado por el sendero. 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 cabalgar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría cabalgado por el campo al atardecer 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: the stem gains u before e and a, so the present subjunctive is cabalgue and the preterite first person is cabalgué. For cabalgar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él cabalgue en la playa con el grupo. 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 cabalgar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él cabalgara hasta el pueblo vecino, 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: the stem gains u before e and a, so the present subjunctive is cabalgue and the preterite first person is cabalgué. For cabalgar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Cabalga con cuidado por el sendero! 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: the stem gains u before e and a, so the present subjunctive is cabalgue and the preterite first person is cabalgué. For cabalgar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No cabalgues por el campo al atardecer. 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 cabalgar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Cabalgo por el campo al atardecer. — I ride a horse through the countryside at sunset.
- Cabalga en la playa con el grupo. — He/she rides a horse on the beach with the group.
- Ayer, cabalgué hasta el pueblo vecino. — Yesterday, I rode a horse to the neighbouring village.
- Antes, nosotros cabalgábamos con cuidado por el sendero. — Before, we used to ride a horse carefully along the path.
- Mañana, tú cabalgarás por el campo al atardecer. — Tomorrow, you will ride a horse through the countryside at sunset.
- Yo cabalgaría en la playa con el grupo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would ride a horse on the beach with the group if I had more time.
- Él ha cabalgado hasta el pueblo vecino. — He has ridden a horse to the neighbouring village.
- Espero que él cabalgue con cuidado por el sendero. — I hope he rides a horse carefully along the path.
- Yo ya había cabalgado por el campo al atardecer antes de salir. — I had already ridden a horse through the countryside at sunset before leaving.
- Ellos cabalgaban en la playa con el grupo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to ride a horse on the beach with the group when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo cabalga por el campo al atardecer. — Right: Yo cabalgo por el campo al atardecer. — The person matters: cabalga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cabalgo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Espero que yo cabalge en la playa con el grupo. — Right: Espero que yo cabalgue en la playa con el grupo. — Spelling change: becomes u before e, so the present subjunctive is cabalgue, never cabalge.
- Wrong: Treating cabalgar and montar as identical in every context. — Right: Cabalgar means to ride a horse, while montar means to ride, in general. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: cabalgar fits sentences such as Cabalgo por el campo al atardecer, while montar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy cabalgado en la playa con el grupo. — Right: Yo he cabalgado en la playa con el grupo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he cabalgado, has cabalgado, ha cabalgado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo cabalgué hasta el pueblo vecino todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo cabalgaba hasta el pueblo vecino todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (cabalgaba), not the preterite. The preterite (cabalgué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on cabalgar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ por el campo al atardecer. (present tense) A. cabalgo B. cabalgas C. cabalga D. cabalgamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en la playa con el grupo. (preterite) A. cabalgué B. cabalgaste C. cabalgaron D. cabalgó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ hasta el pueblo vecino. (imperfect) A. cabalgabas B. cabalgaban C. cabalgábamos D. cabalgaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ con cuidado por el sendero. (future) A. cabalgaremos B. cabalgarás C. cabalgaré D. cabalgará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ por el campo al atardecer si pudiera. (conditional) A. cabalgaría B. cabalgarías C. cabalgarían D. cabalgo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en la playa con el grupo. (present subjunctive) A. cabalgues B. cabalguemos C. cabalgo D. cabalgue
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ hasta el pueblo vecino, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. cabalgáramos B. cabalgo C. cabalgara D. cabalgaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con cuidado por el sendero. (present perfect) A. han cabalgado B. hemos cabalgado C. he cabalgado D. has cabalgado
Complete the command: ¡___ por el campo al atardecer! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. cabalga B. cabalgue C. cabalguemos D. cabalgad
Which is the gerund of cabalgar, used with estar for the progressive? A. cabalgado B. cabalgo C. cabalgué D. cabalgando
Answer key
- cabalgo — The first-person present of cabalgar is cabalgo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- cabalgó — The third-person preterite of cabalgar is cabalgó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- cabalgábamos — The nosotros imperfect of cabalgar is cabalgábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- cabalgarás — The second-person future of cabalgar is cabalgarás.
- cabalgaría — The first-person conditional of cabalgar is cabalgaría, the form for what would happen.
- cabalgue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of cabalgar is cabalgue.
- cabalgara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of cabalgar is cabalgara.
- hemos cabalgado — The nosotros present perfect of cabalgar is hemos cabalgado: hemos + cabalgado.
- cabalga — The affirmative tú imperative of cabalgar is cabalga.
- cabalgando — The gerund of cabalgar is cabalgando: estoy cabalgando. The participle cabalgado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does cabalgar mean in English?
Cabalgar means to ride a horse. It is used in everyday situations such as Cabalgo por el campo al atardecer. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is cabalgar regular or irregular?
Cabalgar is a spelling-change verb, so it is not fully regular. Spelling change: the stem gains u before e and a, so the present subjunctive is cabalgue and the preterite first person is cabalgué. The other tenses follow the regular -ar endings. Learn the changed forms from the tables above rather than applying the regular spelling.
What is the difference between cabalgar and montar?
Cabalgar means to ride a horse, while montar means to ride, in general. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use cabalgar when you mean to ride a horse, as in Cabalgo por el campo al atardecer, and use montar for to ride, in general. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I ride a horse” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo cabalgué en la playa con el grupo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo cabalgaba hasta el pueblo vecino. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he cabalgado en la playa con el grupo.
How do I practise cabalgar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the cabalgar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Cabalgar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for cabalgar.
- Cabalgar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for cabalgar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Encerar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with cabalgar.
- Pedalear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with cabalgar.
- Atracar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with cabalgar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.