Citar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb citar means to quote, to summon, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Citar means to quote or to summon, and the two senses share the idea of calling something up: you quote Shakespeare in an essay, you quote a poet's words, a doctor summons a patient for tomorrow, a court summons witnesses. It is a formal verb of writing and of law. Like every Spanish verb, citar 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 cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo, and in the preterite you say cité una frase famosa en el discurso. 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: citar
  • English: to quote, to summon
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: citando
  • Past participle: citado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + citado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for citar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Citar is fully regular: cité, citaba, citaré. To quote someone, use citar a: cito a Shakespeare.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for citar. 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 cito
tú citas
él/ella/Ud. cita
nosotros/as citamos
vosotros/as citáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. citan

Preterite

Person Form
yo cité
tú citaste
él/ella/Ud. citó
nosotros/as citamos
vosotros/as citasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. citaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo citaba
tú citabas
él/ella/Ud. citaba
nosotros/as citábamos
vosotros/as citabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. citaban

Future

Person Form
yo citaré
tú citarás
él/ella/Ud. citará
nosotros/as citaremos
vosotros/as citaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. citarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo citaría
tú citarías
él/ella/Ud. citaría
nosotros/as citaríamos
vosotros/as citaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. citarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo cite
tú cites
él/ella/Ud. cite
nosotros/as citemos
vosotros/as citéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. citen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo citara
tú citaras
él/ella/Ud. citara
nosotros/as citáramos
vosotros/as citarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. citaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú cita
él/ella/Ud. cite
nosotros/as citemos
vosotros/as citad
ellos/ellas/Uds. citen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú cites
él/ella/Ud. cite
nosotros/as citemos
vosotros/as citéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. citen

Gerund and past participle

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

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 citar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. 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 citar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, cité las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. 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 citar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, citaba una frase famosa en el discurso. 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 citar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, citaré las palabras del autor en el artículo. 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 citar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Citaría a Shakespeare en mi trabajo 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 citar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he citado las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. 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 citar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había citado una frase famosa en el discurso 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 citar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré citado las palabras del autor en el artículo. 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 citar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría citado a Shakespeare en mi trabajo 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 citar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él cite las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. 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 citar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él citara una frase famosa en el discurso, 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 citar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡cita las palabras del autor en el artículo! 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 citar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No cites a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. 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 citar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. — I quote Shakespeare in my essay.
  2. Cita las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. — He/she quotes the poet's words in my essay.
  3. Ayer, cité una frase famosa en el discurso. — Yesterday, I quoted a famous phrase in the speech.
  4. Antes, nosotros citábamos las palabras del autor en el artículo. — Before, we used to quote the author's words in the article.
  5. Mañana, tú citarás a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. — Tomorrow, you will quote Shakespeare in my essay.
  6. Yo citaría las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would quote the poet's words in my essay if I had more time.
  7. Él ha citado una frase famosa en el discurso. — He has quoted a famous phrase in the speech.
  8. Espero que él cite las palabras del autor en el artículo. — I hope he quotes the author's words in the article.
  9. Yo ya había citado a Shakespeare en mi trabajo antes de salir. — I had already quoted Shakespeare in my essay before leaving.
  10. Ellos citaban las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to quote the poet's words in my essay when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo cita a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. — Right: Yo cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. — The person matters: cita is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cito. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating citar and mencionar as identical in every context. — Right: Citar means to quote, to summon, while mencionar means to mention something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: citar fits sentences such as Cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo, while mencionar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy citado las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. — Right: Yo he citado las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he citado, has citado, ha citado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo cité una frase famosa en el discurso todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo citaba una frase famosa en el discurso todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (citaba), not the preterite. The preterite (cité) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. (present tense) A. cito B. citas C. cita D. citamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. (preterite) A. cité B. citaste C. citaron D. citó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ una frase famosa en el discurso. (imperfect) A. citabas B. citaban C. citábamos D. citaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ las palabras del autor en el artículo. (future) A. citaremos B. citarás C. citaré D. citará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a Shakespeare en mi trabajo si pudiera. (conditional) A. citaría B. citarías C. citarían D. cito

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. (present subjunctive) A. cites B. citemos C. cito D. cite

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ una frase famosa en el discurso, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. citáramos B. cito C. citara D. citaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las palabras del autor en el artículo. (present perfect) A. han citado B. hemos citado C. he citado D. has citado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a Shakespeare en mi trabajo! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. cita B. cite C. citemos D. citad

  10. Which is the gerund of citar, used with estar for the progressive? A. citado B. cito C. cité D. citando

Answer key

  1. cito — The first-person present of citar is cito. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. citó — The third-person preterite of citar is citó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. citábamos — The nosotros imperfect of citar is citábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. citarás — The second-person future of citar is citarás.
  5. citaría — The first-person conditional of citar is citaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. cite — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of citar is cite.
  7. citara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of citar is citara.
  8. hemos citado — The nosotros present perfect of citar is hemos citado: hemos + citado.
  9. cita — The affirmative tú imperative of citar is cita.
  10. citando — The gerund of citar is citando: estoy citando. The participle citado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does citar mean in English?

Citar means to quote, to summon. It is used in everyday situations such as Cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is citar regular or irregular?

Citar 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 cito in the present and cité in the preterite.

What is the difference between citar and mencionar?

Citar means to quote, to summon, while mencionar means to mention something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use citar when you mean to quote, to summon, as in Cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo, and use mencionar for to mention something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I quote” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo cité las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo citaba una frase famosa en el discurso. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he citado las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo.

How do I practise citar?

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

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