Cazar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb cazar means to hunt, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Cazar means to hunt, and it covers hunting rabbits in the fields, hunting with a bow and, figuratively, hunting for bargains in the sales. It is a spelling-change verb: the z becomes c before e, so the preterite is cacé. Like every Spanish verb, cazar 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 cazo conejos en el campo, and in the preterite you say cacé gangas en las rebajas. 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: cazar
  • English: to hunt
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: cazando
  • Past participle: cazado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + cazado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cazar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is cacé and the subjunctive is cace, never cazé.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for cazar. 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 cazo
tú cazas
él/ella/Ud. caza
nosotros/as cazamos
vosotros/as cazáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cazan

Preterite

Person Form
yo cacé
tú cazaste
él/ella/Ud. cazó
nosotros/as cazamos
vosotros/as cazasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cazaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo cazaba
tú cazabas
él/ella/Ud. cazaba
nosotros/as cazábamos
vosotros/as cazabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cazaban

Future

Person Form
yo cazaré
tú cazarás
él/ella/Ud. cazará
nosotros/as cazaremos
vosotros/as cazaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cazarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo cazaría
tú cazarías
él/ella/Ud. cazaría
nosotros/as cazaríamos
vosotros/as cazaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cazarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo cace
tú caces
él/ella/Ud. cace
nosotros/as cacemos
vosotros/as cacéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cacen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo cazara
tú cazaras
él/ella/Ud. cazara
nosotros/as cazáramos
vosotros/as cazarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cazaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú caza
él/ella/Ud. cace
nosotros/as cacemos
vosotros/as cazad
ellos/ellas/Uds. cacen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú caces
él/ella/Ud. cace
nosotros/as cacemos
vosotros/as cacéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cacen

Gerund and past participle

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

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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For cazar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Cazo conejos en el campo. 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: z becomes c before e, so the preterite first person is cacé. For cazar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, cacé con arco en el bosque. 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 cazar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, cazaba gangas en las rebajas. 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 cazar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, cazaré mariposas con una red. 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 cazar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Cazaría conejos en el campo 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 cazar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he cazado con arco en el bosque. 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 cazar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había cazado gangas en las rebajas 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 cazar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré cazado mariposas con una red. 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 cazar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría cazado conejos en el campo 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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For cazar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él cace con arco en el bosque. 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 cazar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él cazara gangas en las rebajas, 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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For cazar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Caza mariposas con una red! 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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For cazar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No caces conejos en el campo. 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 cazar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Cazo conejos en el campo. — I hunt rabbits in the fields.
  2. Caza con arco en el bosque. — He/she hunts with a bow in the forest.
  3. Ayer, cacé gangas en las rebajas. — Yesterday, I hunted bargains in the sales.
  4. Antes, nosotros cazábamos mariposas con una red. — Before, we used to hunt butterflies with a net.
  5. Mañana, tú cazarás conejos en el campo. — Tomorrow, you will hunt rabbits in the fields.
  6. Yo cazaría con arco en el bosque si tuviera más tiempo. — I would hunt with a bow in the forest if I had more time.
  7. Él ha cazado gangas en las rebajas. — He has hunted bargains in the sales.
  8. Espero que él cace mariposas con una red. — I hope he hunts butterflies with a net.
  9. Yo ya había cazado conejos en el campo antes de salir. — I had already hunted rabbits in the fields before leaving.
  10. Ellos cazaban con arco en el bosque cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to hunt with a bow in the forest when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo caza conejos en el campo. — Right: Yo cazo conejos en el campo. — The person matters: caza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cazo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo cazé con arco en el bosque. — Right: Yo cacé con arco en el bosque. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is cacé, not cazé. cazar is a spelling-change verb: z becomes c before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating cazar and pescar as identical in every context. — Right: Cazar means to hunt, while pescar means to fish, the water partner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: cazar fits sentences such as Cazo conejos en el campo, while pescar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy cazado con arco en el bosque. — Right: Yo he cazado con arco en el bosque. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he cazado, has cazado, ha cazado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo cacé gangas en las rebajas todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo cazaba gangas en las rebajas todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (cazaba), not the preterite. The preterite (cacé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ conejos en el campo. (present tense) A. cazo B. cazas C. caza D. cazamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ con arco en el bosque. (preterite) A. cacé B. cazaste C. cazaron D. cazó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ gangas en las rebajas. (imperfect) A. cazabas B. cazaban C. cazábamos D. cazaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ mariposas con una red. (future) A. cazaremos B. cazarás C. cazaré D. cazará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ conejos en el campo si pudiera. (conditional) A. cazaría B. cazarías C. cazarían D. cazo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con arco en el bosque. (present subjunctive) A. caces B. cacemos C. cazo D. cace

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ gangas en las rebajas, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. cazáramos B. cazo C. cazara D. cazaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ mariposas con una red. (present perfect) A. han cazado B. hemos cazado C. he cazado D. has cazado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ conejos en el campo! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. caza B. cace C. cacemos D. cazad

  10. Which is the gerund of cazar, used with estar for the progressive? A. cazado B. cazo C. cacé D. cazando

Answer key

  1. cazo — The first-person present of cazar is cazo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. cazó — The third-person preterite of cazar is cazó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. cazábamos — The nosotros imperfect of cazar is cazábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. cazarás — The second-person future of cazar is cazarás.
  5. cazaría — The first-person conditional of cazar is cazaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. cace — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of cazar is cace.
  7. cazara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of cazar is cazara.
  8. hemos cazado — The nosotros present perfect of cazar is hemos cazado: hemos + cazado.
  9. caza — The affirmative tú imperative of cazar is caza.
  10. cazando — The gerund of cazar is cazando: estoy cazando. The participle cazado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does cazar mean in English?

Cazar means to hunt. It is used in everyday situations such as Cazo conejos en el campo. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is cazar regular or irregular?

Cazar 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 cazo in the present and cacé in the preterite.

What is the difference between cazar and pescar?

Cazar means to hunt, while pescar means to fish, the water partner. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use cazar when you mean to hunt, as in Cazo conejos en el campo, and use pescar for to fish, the water partner. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I hunt” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo cacé con arco en el bosque. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo cazaba gangas en las rebajas. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he cazado con arco en el bosque.

How do I practise cazar?

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

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