Charlar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb charlar means to chat, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Charlar means to chat, and it is the everyday verb for informal conversation: you chat with friends in a café, on the phone every night, with a neighbour in the doorway, about football in a bar. It is a regular -ar verb and a classic verb of social life. Like every Spanish verb, charlar 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 charlo con mis amigos en el café, and in the preterite you say charlé con la vecina en el portal. 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: charlar
- English: to chat
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: charlando
- Past participle: charlado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + charlado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for charlar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Charlar is fully regular: charlé, charlaba, charlaré. It is more informal than conversar.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for charlar. 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 | charlo |
| tú | charlas |
| él/ella/Ud. | charla |
| nosotros/as | charlamos |
| vosotros/as | charláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | charlan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | charlé |
| tú | charlaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | charló |
| nosotros/as | charlamos |
| vosotros/as | charlasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | charlaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | charlaba |
| tú | charlabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | charlaba |
| nosotros/as | charlábamos |
| vosotros/as | charlabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | charlaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | charlaré |
| tú | charlarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | charlará |
| nosotros/as | charlaremos |
| vosotros/as | charlaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | charlarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | charlaría |
| tú | charlarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | charlaría |
| nosotros/as | charlaríamos |
| vosotros/as | charlaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | charlarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he charlado |
| tú | has charlado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha charlado |
| nosotros/as | hemos charlado |
| vosotros/as | habéis charlado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han charlado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había charlado |
| tú | habías charlado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había charlado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos charlado |
| vosotros/as | habíais charlado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían charlado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré charlado |
| tú | habrás charlado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá charlado |
| nosotros/as | habremos charlado |
| vosotros/as | habréis charlado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán charlado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría charlado |
| tú | habrías charlado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría charlado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos charlado |
| vosotros/as | habríais charlado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían charlado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | charle |
| tú | charles |
| él/ella/Ud. | charle |
| nosotros/as | charlemos |
| vosotros/as | charléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | charlen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | charlara |
| tú | charlaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | charlara |
| nosotros/as | charláramos |
| vosotros/as | charlarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | charlaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | charla |
| él/ella/Ud. | charle |
| nosotros/as | charlemos |
| vosotros/as | charlad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | charlen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | charles |
| él/ella/Ud. | charle |
| nosotros/as | charlemos |
| vosotros/as | charléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | charlen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | charlando | with estar for the progressive: estoy charlando |
| Past participle | charlado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he charlado |
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 charlar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Charlo con mis amigos en el café. 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 charlar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, charlé por teléfono cada noche. 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 charlar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, charlaba con la vecina en el portal. 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 charlar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, charlaré de fútbol en el bar. 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 charlar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Charlaría con mis amigos en el café 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 charlar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he charlado por teléfono cada noche. 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 charlar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había charlado con la vecina en el portal 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 charlar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré charlado de fútbol en el bar. 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 charlar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría charlado con mis amigos en el café 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 charlar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él charle por teléfono cada noche. 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 charlar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él charlara con la vecina en el portal, 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 charlar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡charla de fútbol en el bar! 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 charlar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No charles con mis amigos en el café. 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 charlar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Charlo con mis amigos en el café. — I chat with my friends in the café.
- Charla por teléfono cada noche. — He/she chats on the phone every night.
- Ayer, charlé con la vecina en el portal. — Yesterday, I chatted with the neighbour in the doorway.
- Antes, nosotros charlábamos de fútbol en el bar. — Before, we used to chat about football in the bar.
- Mañana, tú charlarás con mis amigos en el café. — Tomorrow, you will chat with my friends in the café.
- Yo charlaría por teléfono cada noche si tuviera más tiempo. — I would chat on the phone every night if I had more time.
- Él ha charlado con la vecina en el portal. — He has chatted with the neighbour in the doorway.
- Espero que él charle de fútbol en el bar. — I hope he chats about football in the bar.
- Yo ya había charlado con mis amigos en el café antes de salir. — I had already chatted with my friends in the café before leaving.
- Ellos charlaban por teléfono cada noche cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to chat on the phone every night when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo charla con mis amigos en el café. — Right: Yo charlo con mis amigos en el café. — The person matters: charla is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is charlo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Treating charlar and conversar as identical in every context. — Right: Charlar means to chat, while conversar means to have a conversation. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: charlar fits sentences such as Charlo con mis amigos en el café, while conversar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy charlado por teléfono cada noche. — Right: Yo he charlado por teléfono cada noche. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he charlado, has charlado, ha charlado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo charlé con la vecina en el portal todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo charlaba con la vecina en el portal todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (charlaba), not the preterite. The preterite (charlé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on charlar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con mis amigos en el café. (present tense) A. charlo B. charlas C. charla D. charlamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ por teléfono cada noche. (preterite) A. charlé B. charlaste C. charlaron D. charló
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con la vecina en el portal. (imperfect) A. charlabas B. charlaban C. charlábamos D. charlaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ de fútbol en el bar. (future) A. charlaremos B. charlarás C. charlaré D. charlará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con mis amigos en el café si pudiera. (conditional) A. charlaría B. charlarías C. charlarían D. charlo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ por teléfono cada noche. (present subjunctive) A. charles B. charlemos C. charlo D. charle
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con la vecina en el portal, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. charláramos B. charlo C. charlara D. charlaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de fútbol en el bar. (present perfect) A. han charlado B. hemos charlado C. he charlado D. has charlado
Complete the command: ¡___ con mis amigos en el café! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. charla B. charle C. charlemos D. charlad
Which is the gerund of charlar, used with estar for the progressive? A. charlado B. charlo C. charlé D. charlando
Answer key
- charlo — The first-person present of charlar is charlo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- charló — The third-person preterite of charlar is charló, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- charlábamos — The nosotros imperfect of charlar is charlábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- charlarás — The second-person future of charlar is charlarás.
- charlaría — The first-person conditional of charlar is charlaría, the form for what would happen.
- charle — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of charlar is charle.
- charlara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of charlar is charlara.
- hemos charlado — The nosotros present perfect of charlar is hemos charlado: hemos + charlado.
- charla — The affirmative tú imperative of charlar is charla.
- charlando — The gerund of charlar is charlando: estoy charlando. The participle charlado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does charlar mean in English?
Charlar means to chat. It is used in everyday situations such as Charlo con mis amigos en el café. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is charlar regular or irregular?
Charlar 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 charlo in the present and charlé in the preterite.
What is the difference between charlar and conversar?
Charlar means to chat, while conversar means to have a conversation. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use charlar when you mean to chat, as in Charlo con mis amigos en el café, and use conversar for to have a conversation. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I chat” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo charlé por teléfono cada noche. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo charlaba con la vecina en el portal. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he charlado por teléfono cada noche.
How do I practise charlar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the charlar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Charlar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for charlar.
- Charlar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for charlar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Cesar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with charlar.
- Chocar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with charlar.
- Cepillar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with charlar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.