Clasificar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb clasificar means to classify, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Clasificar means to classify, and it is used for classifying books by subject, documents in folders, students by level and waste for recycling. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is clasifiqué. Like every Spanish verb, clasificar 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 clasifico los libros por tema, and in the preterite you say clasifiqué a los alumnos por niveles. 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: clasificar
- English: to classify
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: clasificando
- Past participle: clasificado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + clasificado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for clasificar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is clasifiqué and the subjunctive is clasifique.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for clasificar. 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 | clasifico |
| tú | clasificas |
| él/ella/Ud. | clasifica |
| nosotros/as | clasificamos |
| vosotros/as | clasificáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | clasifican |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | clasifiqué |
| tú | clasificaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | clasificó |
| nosotros/as | clasificamos |
| vosotros/as | clasificasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | clasificaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | clasificaba |
| tú | clasificabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | clasificaba |
| nosotros/as | clasificábamos |
| vosotros/as | clasificabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | clasificaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | clasificaré |
| tú | clasificarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | clasificará |
| nosotros/as | clasificaremos |
| vosotros/as | clasificaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | clasificarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | clasificaría |
| tú | clasificarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | clasificaría |
| nosotros/as | clasificaríamos |
| vosotros/as | clasificaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | clasificarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he clasificado |
| tú | has clasificado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha clasificado |
| nosotros/as | hemos clasificado |
| vosotros/as | habéis clasificado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han clasificado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había clasificado |
| tú | habías clasificado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había clasificado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos clasificado |
| vosotros/as | habíais clasificado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían clasificado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré clasificado |
| tú | habrás clasificado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá clasificado |
| nosotros/as | habremos clasificado |
| vosotros/as | habréis clasificado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán clasificado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría clasificado |
| tú | habrías clasificado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría clasificado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos clasificado |
| vosotros/as | habríais clasificado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían clasificado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | clasifique |
| tú | clasifiques |
| él/ella/Ud. | clasifique |
| nosotros/as | clasifiquemos |
| vosotros/as | clasifiquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | clasifiquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | clasificara |
| tú | clasificaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | clasificara |
| nosotros/as | clasificáramos |
| vosotros/as | clasificarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | clasificaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | clasifica |
| él/ella/Ud. | clasifique |
| nosotros/as | clasifiquemos |
| vosotros/as | clasificad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | clasifiquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | clasifiques |
| él/ella/Ud. | clasifique |
| nosotros/as | clasifiquemos |
| vosotros/as | clasifiquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | clasifiquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | clasificando | with estar for the progressive: estoy clasificando |
| Past participle | clasificado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he clasificado |
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: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For clasificar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Clasifico los libros por tema. 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: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is clasifiqué. For clasificar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, clasifiqué los documentos en carpetas. 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 clasificar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, clasificaba a los alumnos por niveles. 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 clasificar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, clasificaré los residuos para reciclar. 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 clasificar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Clasificaría los libros por tema 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 clasificar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he clasificado los documentos en carpetas. 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 clasificar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había clasificado a los alumnos por niveles 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 clasificar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré clasificado los residuos para reciclar. 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 clasificar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría clasificado los libros por tema 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: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For clasificar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él clasifique los documentos en carpetas. 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 clasificar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él clasificara a los alumnos por niveles, 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: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For clasificar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Clasifica los residuos para reciclar! 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: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For clasificar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No clasifiques los libros por tema. 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 clasificar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Clasifico los libros por tema. — I classify the books by subject.
- Clasifica los documentos en carpetas. — He/she classifies the documents in folders.
- Ayer, clasifiqué a los alumnos por niveles. — Yesterday, I classified the students by level.
- Antes, nosotros clasificábamos los residuos para reciclar. — Before, we used to classify the waste for recycling.
- Mañana, tú clasificarás los libros por tema. — Tomorrow, you will classify the books by subject.
- Yo clasificaría los documentos en carpetas si tuviera más tiempo. — I would classify the documents in folders if I had more time.
- Él ha clasificado a los alumnos por niveles. — He has classified the students by level.
- Espero que él clasifique los residuos para reciclar. — I hope he classifies the waste for recycling.
- Yo ya había clasificado los libros por tema antes de salir. — I had already classified the books by subject before leaving.
- Ellos clasificaban los documentos en carpetas cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to classify the documents in folders when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo clasifica los libros por tema. — Right: Yo clasifico los libros por tema. — The person matters: clasifica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is clasifico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo clasificé los documentos en carpetas. — Right: Yo clasifiqué los documentos en carpetas. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is clasifiqué, not clasificé. clasificar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
- Wrong: Treating clasificar and identificar as identical in every context. — Right: Clasificar means to classify, while identificar means to identify, the close verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: clasificar fits sentences such as Clasifico los libros por tema, while identificar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy clasificado los documentos en carpetas. — Right: Yo he clasificado los documentos en carpetas. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he clasificado, has clasificado, ha clasificado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo clasifiqué a los alumnos por niveles todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo clasificaba a los alumnos por niveles todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (clasificaba), not the preterite. The preterite (clasifiqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on clasificar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los libros por tema. (present tense) A. clasifico B. clasificas C. clasifica D. clasificamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ los documentos en carpetas. (preterite) A. clasifiqué B. clasificaste C. clasificaron D. clasificó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a los alumnos por niveles. (imperfect) A. clasificabas B. clasificaban C. clasificábamos D. clasificaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ los residuos para reciclar. (future) A. clasificaremos B. clasificarás C. clasificaré D. clasificará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los libros por tema si pudiera. (conditional) A. clasificaría B. clasificarías C. clasificarían D. clasifico
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ los documentos en carpetas. (present subjunctive) A. clasifiques B. clasifiquemos C. clasifico D. clasifique
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a los alumnos por niveles, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. clasificáramos B. clasifico C. clasificara D. clasificaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los residuos para reciclar. (present perfect) A. han clasificado B. hemos clasificado C. he clasificado D. has clasificado
Complete the command: ¡___ los libros por tema! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. clasifica B. clasifique C. clasifiquemos D. clasificad
Which is the gerund of clasificar, used with estar for the progressive? A. clasificado B. clasifico C. clasifiqué D. clasificando
Answer key
- clasifico — The first-person present of clasificar is clasifico. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- clasificó — The third-person preterite of clasificar is clasificó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- clasificábamos — The nosotros imperfect of clasificar is clasificábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- clasificarás — The second-person future of clasificar is clasificarás.
- clasificaría — The first-person conditional of clasificar is clasificaría, the form for what would happen.
- clasifique — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of clasificar is clasifique.
- clasificara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of clasificar is clasificara.
- hemos clasificado — The nosotros present perfect of clasificar is hemos clasificado: hemos + clasificado.
- clasifica — The affirmative tú imperative of clasificar is clasifica.
- clasificando — The gerund of clasificar is clasificando: estoy clasificando. The participle clasificado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does clasificar mean in English?
Clasificar means to classify. It is used in everyday situations such as Clasifico los libros por tema. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is clasificar regular or irregular?
Clasificar 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 clasifico in the present and clasifiqué in the preterite.
What is the difference between clasificar and identificar?
Clasificar means to classify, while identificar means to identify, the close verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use clasificar when you mean to classify, as in Clasifico los libros por tema, and use identificar for to identify, the close verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I classify” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo clasifiqué los documentos en carpetas. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo clasificaba a los alumnos por niveles. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he clasificado los documentos en carpetas.
How do I practise clasificar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the clasificar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Clasificar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for clasificar.
- Clasificar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for clasificar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Identificar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with clasificar.
- Simplificar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with clasificar.
- Dificultar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with clasificar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.