Colgar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb colgar means to hang up, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Colgar means to hang up, and it covers hanging up the phone, hanging a picture on the wall and hanging clothes on the line. It is a stem-changing verb, o to ue, so the present tense changes, and it is also a spelling-change verb in the preterite and subjunctive. Like every Spanish verb, colgar 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 cuelgo el teléfono después de hablar, and in the preterite you say colgué la ropa en el tendedero. 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: colgar
- English: to hang up
- Verb type: irregular verb, stem-changing (o → ue)
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: colgando
- Past participle: colgado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + colgado)
- Stem change: o → ue in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for colgar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Stem change o to ue: yo cuelgo. And in the preterite, colgué keeps the hard g with gu.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for colgar. 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 | cuelgo |
| tú | cuelgas |
| él/ella/Ud. | cuelga |
| nosotros/as | colgamos |
| vosotros/as | colgáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuelgan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | colgué |
| tú | colgaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | colgó |
| nosotros/as | colgamos |
| vosotros/as | colgasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | colgaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | colgaba |
| tú | colgabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | colgaba |
| nosotros/as | colgábamos |
| vosotros/as | colgabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | colgaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | colgaré |
| tú | colgarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | colgará |
| nosotros/as | colgaremos |
| vosotros/as | colgaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | colgarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | colgaría |
| tú | colgarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | colgaría |
| nosotros/as | colgaríamos |
| vosotros/as | colgaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | colgarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he colgado |
| tú | has colgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha colgado |
| nosotros/as | hemos colgado |
| vosotros/as | habéis colgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han colgado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había colgado |
| tú | habías colgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había colgado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos colgado |
| vosotros/as | habíais colgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían colgado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré colgado |
| tú | habrás colgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá colgado |
| nosotros/as | habremos colgado |
| vosotros/as | habréis colgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán colgado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría colgado |
| tú | habrías colgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría colgado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos colgado |
| vosotros/as | habríais colgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían colgado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cuelgue |
| tú | cuelgues |
| él/ella/Ud. | cuelgue |
| nosotros/as | colguemos |
| vosotros/as | colguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuelguen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | colgara |
| tú | colgaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | colgara |
| nosotros/as | colgáramos |
| vosotros/as | colgarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | colgaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | cuelga |
| él/ella/Ud. | cuelgue |
| nosotros/as | colguemos |
| vosotros/as | colgad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuelguen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | cuelgues |
| él/ella/Ud. | cuelgue |
| nosotros/as | colguemos |
| vosotros/as | colguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuelguen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | colgando | with estar for the progressive: estoy colgando |
| Past participle | colgado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he colgado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For colgar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Cuelgo el teléfono después de hablar. 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: colgué uses gu to keep the hard g sound before e. For colgar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, colgué el cuadro en la pared. 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 colgar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, colgaba la ropa en el tendedero. 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 colgar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, colgaré el abrigo en el perchero. 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 colgar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Colgaría el teléfono después de hablar 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 colgar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he colgado el cuadro en la pared. 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 colgar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había colgado la ropa en el tendedero 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 colgar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré colgado el abrigo en el perchero. 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 colgar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría colgado el teléfono después de hablar 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For colgar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él cuelgue el cuadro en la pared. 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 colgar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él colgara la ropa en el tendedero, 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For colgar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Cuelga el abrigo en el perchero! 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For colgar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No cuelgues el teléfono después de hablar. 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 colgar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Cuelgo el teléfono después de hablar. — I hang up the phone after talking.
- Cuelga el cuadro en la pared. — He/she hangs up the picture on the wall.
- Ayer, colgué la ropa en el tendedero. — Yesterday, I hung up the clothes on the washing line.
- Antes, nosotros colgábamos el abrigo en el perchero. — Before, we used to hang up the coat on the hook.
- Mañana, tú colgarás el teléfono después de hablar. — Tomorrow, you will hang up the phone after talking.
- Yo colgaría el cuadro en la pared si tuviera más tiempo. — I would hang up the picture on the wall if I had more time.
- Él ha colgado la ropa en el tendedero. — He has hung up the clothes on the washing line.
- Espero que él cuelgue el abrigo en el perchero. — I hope he hangs up the coat on the hook.
- Yo ya había colgado el teléfono después de hablar antes de salir. — I had already hung up the phone after talking before leaving.
- Ellos colgaban el cuadro en la pared cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to hang up the picture on the wall when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo cuelga el teléfono después de hablar. — Right: Yo cuelgo el teléfono después de hablar. — The person matters: cuelga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cuelgo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo colgo el cuadro en la pared. — Right: Yo cuelgo el cuadro en la pared. — Colgar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
- Wrong: Treating colgar and descolgar as identical in every context. — Right: Colgar means to hang up, while descolgar means to pick up the phone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: colgar fits sentences such as Cuelgo el teléfono después de hablar, while descolgar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy colgado el cuadro en la pared. — Right: Yo he colgado el cuadro en la pared. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he colgado, has colgado, ha colgado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo colgué la ropa en el tendedero todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo colgaba la ropa en el tendedero todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (colgaba), not the preterite. The preterite (colgué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on colgar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el teléfono después de hablar. (present tense) A. cuelgo B. cuelgas C. cuelga D. colgamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el cuadro en la pared. (preterite) A. colgué B. colgaste C. colgaron D. colgó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la ropa en el tendedero. (imperfect) A. colgabas B. colgaban C. colgábamos D. colgaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el abrigo en el perchero. (future) A. colgaremos B. colgarás C. colgaré D. colgará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el teléfono después de hablar si pudiera. (conditional) A. colgaría B. colgarías C. colgarían D. cuelgo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el cuadro en la pared. (present subjunctive) A. cuelgues B. colguemos C. cuelgo D. cuelgue
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la ropa en el tendedero, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. colgáramos B. cuelgo C. colgara D. colgaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el abrigo en el perchero. (present perfect) A. han colgado B. hemos colgado C. he colgado D. has colgado
Complete the command: ¡___ el teléfono después de hablar! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. cuelga B. cuelgue C. colguemos D. colgad
Which is the gerund of colgar, used with estar for the progressive? A. colgado B. cuelgo C. colgué D. colgando
Answer key
- cuelgo — The first-person present of colgar is cuelgo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- colgó — The third-person preterite of colgar is colgó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- colgábamos — The nosotros imperfect of colgar is colgábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- colgarás — The second-person future of colgar is colgarás.
- colgaría — The first-person conditional of colgar is colgaría, the form for what would happen.
- cuelgue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of colgar is cuelgue.
- colgara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of colgar is colgara.
- hemos colgado — The nosotros present perfect of colgar is hemos colgado: hemos + colgado.
- cuelga — The affirmative tú imperative of colgar is cuelga.
- colgando — The gerund of colgar is colgando: estoy colgando. The participle colgado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does colgar mean in English?
Colgar means to hang up. It is used in everyday situations such as Cuelgo el teléfono después de hablar. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is colgar regular or irregular?
Colgar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue), so it is not fully regular: the stem changes in the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The preterite and the imperfect are regular. Check the tables above for the exact forms in each tense.
What is the difference between colgar and descolgar?
Colgar means to hang up, while descolgar means to pick up the phone. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use colgar when you mean to hang up, as in Cuelgo el teléfono después de hablar, and use descolgar for to pick up the phone. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I hang up” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo colgué el cuadro en la pared. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo colgaba la ropa en el tendedero. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he colgado el cuadro en la pared.
How do I practise colgar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the colgar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Colgar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for colgar.
- Colgar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for colgar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Contestar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with colgar.
- Enviar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with colgar.
- Apagar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with colgar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.