Cargar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb cargar means to load, to carry, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Cargar means to load or to carry, and it covers loading a van, carrying shopping bags, charging a phone and carrying a responsibility. It takes a direct object for the thing carried or loaded, and it is a spelling-change verb: the g becomes gu before e, so the preterite first person is cargué and the subjunctive is cargue. Like every Spanish verb, cargar 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 cargo las maletas en el coche, and in the preterite you say cargué el móvil toda la noche. 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: cargar
  • English: to load, to carry
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: cargando
  • Past participle: cargado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + cargado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cargar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is cargué and the subjunctive is cargue, never cargé or carge.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for cargar. 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 cargo
tú cargas
él/ella/Ud. carga
nosotros/as cargamos
vosotros/as cargáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cargan

Preterite

Person Form
yo cargué
tú cargaste
él/ella/Ud. cargó
nosotros/as cargamos
vosotros/as cargasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cargaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo cargaba
tú cargabas
él/ella/Ud. cargaba
nosotros/as cargábamos
vosotros/as cargabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cargaban

Future

Person Form
yo cargaré
tú cargarás
él/ella/Ud. cargará
nosotros/as cargaremos
vosotros/as cargaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cargarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo cargaría
tú cargarías
él/ella/Ud. cargaría
nosotros/as cargaríamos
vosotros/as cargaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cargarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo cargue
tú cargues
él/ella/Ud. cargue
nosotros/as carguemos
vosotros/as carguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. carguen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo cargara
tú cargaras
él/ella/Ud. cargara
nosotros/as cargáramos
vosotros/as cargarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cargaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú carga
él/ella/Ud. cargue
nosotros/as carguemos
vosotros/as cargad
ellos/ellas/Uds. carguen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú cargues
él/ella/Ud. cargue
nosotros/as carguemos
vosotros/as carguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. carguen

Gerund and past participle

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

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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For cargar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Cargo las maletas en el coche. 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: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite first person is cargué. For cargar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, cargué la compra hasta casa. 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 cargar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, cargaba el móvil toda la noche. 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 cargar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, cargaré las cajas en el camión. 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 cargar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Cargaría las maletas en el coche 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 cargar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he cargado la compra hasta casa. 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 cargar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había cargado el móvil toda la noche 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 cargar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré cargado las cajas en el camión. 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 cargar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría cargado las maletas en el coche 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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For cargar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él cargue la compra hasta casa. 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 cargar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él cargara el móvil toda la noche, 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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For cargar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Carga las cajas en el camión! 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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For cargar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No cargues las maletas en el coche. 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 cargar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Cargo las maletas en el coche. — I load the suitcases into the car.
  2. Carga la compra hasta casa. — He/she loads the shopping home.
  3. Ayer, cargué el móvil toda la noche. — Yesterday, I loaded the phone all night.
  4. Antes, nosotros cargábamos las cajas en el camión. — Before, we used to load the boxes onto the lorry.
  5. Mañana, tú cargarás las maletas en el coche. — Tomorrow, you will load the suitcases into the car.
  6. Yo cargaría la compra hasta casa si tuviera más tiempo. — I would load the shopping home if I had more time.
  7. Él ha cargado el móvil toda la noche. — He has loaded the phone all night.
  8. Espero que él cargue las cajas en el camión. — I hope he loads the boxes onto the lorry.
  9. Yo ya había cargado las maletas en el coche antes de salir. — I had already loaded the suitcases into the car before leaving.
  10. Ellos cargaban la compra hasta casa cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to load the shopping home when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo carga las maletas en el coche. — Right: Yo cargo las maletas en el coche. — The person matters: carga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cargo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo cargé la compra hasta casa. — Right: Yo cargué la compra hasta casa. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is cargué, not cargé. cargar is a spelling-change verb: g becomes gu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating cargar and llevar as identical in every context. — Right: Cargar means to load, to carry, while llevar means to carry or take something somewhere. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: cargar fits sentences such as Cargo las maletas en el coche, while llevar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy cargado la compra hasta casa. — Right: Yo he cargado la compra hasta casa. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he cargado, has cargado, ha cargado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo cargué el móvil toda la noche todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo cargaba el móvil toda la noche todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (cargaba), not the preterite. The preterite (cargué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las maletas en el coche. (present tense) A. cargo B. cargas C. carga D. cargamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la compra hasta casa. (preterite) A. cargué B. cargaste C. cargaron D. cargó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el móvil toda la noche. (imperfect) A. cargabas B. cargaban C. cargábamos D. cargaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ las cajas en el camión. (future) A. cargaremos B. cargarás C. cargaré D. cargará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las maletas en el coche si pudiera. (conditional) A. cargaría B. cargarías C. cargarían D. cargo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la compra hasta casa. (present subjunctive) A. cargues B. carguemos C. cargo D. cargue

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el móvil toda la noche, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. cargáramos B. cargo C. cargara D. cargaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las cajas en el camión. (present perfect) A. han cargado B. hemos cargado C. he cargado D. has cargado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ las maletas en el coche! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. carga B. cargue C. carguemos D. cargad

  10. Which is the gerund of cargar, used with estar for the progressive? A. cargado B. cargo C. cargué D. cargando

Answer key

  1. cargo — The first-person present of cargar is cargo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. cargó — The third-person preterite of cargar is cargó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. cargábamos — The nosotros imperfect of cargar is cargábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. cargarás — The second-person future of cargar is cargarás.
  5. cargaría — The first-person conditional of cargar is cargaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. cargue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of cargar is cargue.
  7. cargara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of cargar is cargara.
  8. hemos cargado — The nosotros present perfect of cargar is hemos cargado: hemos + cargado.
  9. carga — The affirmative tú imperative of cargar is carga.
  10. cargando — The gerund of cargar is cargando: estoy cargando. The participle cargado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does cargar mean in English?

Cargar means to load, to carry. It is used in everyday situations such as Cargo las maletas en el coche. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is cargar regular or irregular?

Cargar 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 cargo in the present and cargué in the preterite.

What is the difference between cargar and llevar?

Cargar means to load, to carry, while llevar means to carry or take something somewhere. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use cargar when you mean to load, to carry, as in Cargo las maletas en el coche, and use llevar for to carry or take something somewhere. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I load” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo cargué la compra hasta casa. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo cargaba el móvil toda la noche. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he cargado la compra hasta casa.

How do I practise cargar?

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

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