Chocar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb chocar means to crash, to collide, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Chocar means to crash or to collide, and it is used for cars crashing into walls, trees and each other, and for people bumping into doors and each other. It also means to clash in opinions, as in chocar con alguien, to clash with someone. Like every Spanish verb, chocar 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 choco contra la pared, and in the preterite you say choqué con otro coche en el cruce. 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: chocar
- English: to crash, to collide
- Verb type: spelling-changing verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: chocando
- Past participle: chocado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + chocado)
- Spelling change: the stem spelling changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same — see the notes under each tense.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for chocar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is choqué and the subjunctive is choque — never chocé.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for chocar. 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 | choco |
| tú | chocas |
| él/ella/Ud. | choca |
| nosotros/as | chocamos |
| vosotros/as | chocáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | chocan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | choqué |
| tú | chocaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | chocó |
| nosotros/as | chocamos |
| vosotros/as | chocasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | chocaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | chocaba |
| tú | chocabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | chocaba |
| nosotros/as | chocábamos |
| vosotros/as | chocabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | chocaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | chocaré |
| tú | chocarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | chocará |
| nosotros/as | chocaremos |
| vosotros/as | chocaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | chocarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | chocaría |
| tú | chocarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | chocaría |
| nosotros/as | chocaríamos |
| vosotros/as | chocaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | chocarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he chocado |
| tú | has chocado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha chocado |
| nosotros/as | hemos chocado |
| vosotros/as | habéis chocado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han chocado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había chocado |
| tú | habías chocado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había chocado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos chocado |
| vosotros/as | habíais chocado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían chocado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré chocado |
| tú | habrás chocado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá chocado |
| nosotros/as | habremos chocado |
| vosotros/as | habréis chocado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán chocado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría chocado |
| tú | habrías chocado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría chocado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos chocado |
| vosotros/as | habríais chocado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían chocado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | choque |
| tú | choques |
| él/ella/Ud. | choque |
| nosotros/as | choquemos |
| vosotros/as | choquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | choquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | chocara |
| tú | chocaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | chocara |
| nosotros/as | chocáramos |
| vosotros/as | chocarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | chocaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | choca |
| él/ella/Ud. | choque |
| nosotros/as | choquemos |
| vosotros/as | chocad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | choquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | choques |
| él/ella/Ud. | choque |
| nosotros/as | choquemos |
| vosotros/as | choquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | choquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | chocando | with estar for the progressive: estoy chocando |
| Past participle | chocado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he chocado |
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 chocar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Choco contra la pared. 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 here: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is choqué, never chocé. For chocar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, choqué con la puerta al entrar. 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 chocar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, chocaba con otro coche en el cruce. 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 chocar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, chocaré contra el árbol. 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 chocar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Chocaría contra la pared 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 chocar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he chocado con la puerta al entrar. 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 chocar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había chocado con otro coche en el cruce 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 chocar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré chocado contra el árbol. 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 chocar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría chocado contra la pared 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 chocar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él choque con la puerta al entrar. 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 chocar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él chocara con otro coche en el cruce, 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 chocar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡choca contra el árbol! 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 chocar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No choques contra la pared. 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 chocar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Choco contra la pared. — I crash into the wall.
- Choca con la puerta al entrar. — He/she crashes into the door on the way in.
- Ayer, choqué con otro coche en el cruce. — Yesterday, I crashed with another car at the crossroads.
- Antes, nosotros chocábamos contra el árbol. — Before, we used to crash into the tree.
- Mañana, tú chocarás contra la pared. — Tomorrow, you will crash into the wall.
- Yo chocaría con la puerta al entrar si tuviera más tiempo. — I would crash into the door on the way in if I had more time.
- Él ha chocado con otro coche en el cruce. — He has crashed with another car at the crossroads.
- Espero que él choque contra el árbol. — I hope he crashes into the tree.
- Yo ya había chocado contra la pared antes de salir. — I had already crashed into the wall before leaving.
- Ellos chocaban con la puerta al entrar cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to crash into the door on the way in when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo choca contra la pared. — Right: Yo choco contra la pared. — The person matters: choca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is choco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo chocé con otro coche en el cruce. — Right: Ayer, yo choqué con otro coche en el cruce. — Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is choqué, never chocé.
- Wrong: Treating chocar and colisionar as identical in every context. — Right: Chocar means to crash, to collide, while colisionar means to collide, the formal synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: chocar fits sentences such as Choco contra la pared, while colisionar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy chocado con la puerta al entrar. — Right: Yo he chocado con la puerta al entrar. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he chocado, has chocado, ha chocado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo choqué con otro coche en el cruce todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo chocaba con otro coche en el cruce todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (chocaba), not the preterite. The preterite (choqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on chocar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ contra la pared. (present tense) A. choco B. chocas C. choca D. chocamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ con la puerta al entrar. (preterite) A. choqué B. chocaste C. chocaron D. chocó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con otro coche en el cruce. (imperfect) A. chocabas B. chocaban C. chocábamos D. chocaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ contra el árbol. (future) A. chocaremos B. chocarás C. chocaré D. chocará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ contra la pared si pudiera. (conditional) A. chocaría B. chocarías C. chocarían D. choco
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con la puerta al entrar. (present subjunctive) A. choques B. choquemos C. choco D. choque
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con otro coche en el cruce, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. chocáramos B. choco C. chocara D. chocaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ contra el árbol. (present perfect) A. han chocado B. hemos chocado C. he chocado D. has chocado
Complete the command: ¡___ contra la pared! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. choca B. choque C. choquemos D. chocad
Which is the gerund of chocar, used with estar for the progressive? A. chocado B. choco C. choqué D. chocando
Answer key
- choco — The first-person present of chocar is choco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- chocó — The third-person preterite of chocar is chocó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- chocábamos — The nosotros imperfect of chocar is chocábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- chocarás — The second-person future of chocar is chocarás.
- chocaría — The first-person conditional of chocar is chocaría, the form for what would happen.
- choque — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of chocar is choque.
- chocara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of chocar is chocara.
- hemos chocado — The nosotros present perfect of chocar is hemos chocado: hemos + chocado.
- choca — The affirmative tú imperative of chocar is choca.
- chocando — The gerund of chocar is chocando: estoy chocando. The participle chocado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does chocar mean in English?
Chocar means to crash, to collide. It is used in everyday situations such as Choco contra la pared. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is chocar regular or irregular?
Chocar is a spelling-changing verb: the endings are regular, but the spelling of the stem changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same. For example, the preterite first person is choqué. The other tenses follow the regular pattern for -ar verbs.
What is the difference between chocar and colisionar?
Chocar means to crash, to collide, while colisionar means to collide, the formal synonym. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use chocar when you mean to crash, to collide, as in Choco contra la pared, and use colisionar for to collide, the formal synonym. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I crash” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo choqué con la puerta al entrar. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo chocaba con otro coche en el cruce. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he chocado con la puerta al entrar.
How do I practise chocar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the chocar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Chocar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for chocar.
- Chocar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for chocar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Charlar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with chocar.
- Circular conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with chocar.
- Cesar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with chocar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.