Introduction
Conseguir means «to get, to achieve». Conseguir means to get, to obtain or to manage to do something: a job, tickets, a table at a busy restaurant. It is an e → i stem-changing -ir verb (consigo, consigues) with changes in the preterite third person (consiguió) and the gerund (consiguiendo). It is a irregular -ir verb, stem-changing (e → i), so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of conseguir in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo consigo un trabajo todos los días.» — I get a job every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | conseguir |
| English | to get, to achieve |
| Verb type | Irregular -ir verb, stem-changing (e → i) |
| Gerund | consiguiendo |
| Past participle | conseguido |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: consiguiendo · Past participle: conseguido
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | consigo |
| tú | consigues |
| él/ella/Ud. | consigue |
| nosotros/as | conseguimos |
| vosotros/as | conseguís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | consiguen |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For conseguir, the yo form is consigo, as in «Yo consigo» in the examples below. This is one of the tenses where conseguir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | conseguí |
| tú | conseguiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | consiguió |
| nosotros/as | conseguimos |
| vosotros/as | conseguisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | consiguieron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo conseguí» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time. This is one of the tenses where conseguir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | conseguía |
| tú | conseguías |
| él/ella/Ud. | conseguía |
| nosotros/as | conseguíamos |
| vosotros/as | conseguíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | conseguían |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo conseguía» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | conseguiré |
| tú | conseguirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | conseguirá |
| nosotros/as | conseguiremos |
| vosotros/as | conseguiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | conseguirán |
The future tense states what will happen. For conseguir the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo conseguiré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | conseguiría |
| tú | conseguirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | conseguiría |
| nosotros/as | conseguiríamos |
| vosotros/as | conseguiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | conseguirían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo conseguiría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he conseguido |
| tú | has conseguido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha conseguido |
| nosotros/as | hemos conseguido |
| vosotros/as | habéis conseguido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han conseguido |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he conseguido». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había conseguido |
| tú | habías conseguido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había conseguido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos conseguido |
| vosotros/as | habíais conseguido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían conseguido |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había conseguido». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré conseguido |
| tú | habrás conseguido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá conseguido |
| nosotros/as | habremos conseguido |
| vosotros/as | habréis conseguido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán conseguido |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré conseguido» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría conseguido |
| tú | habrías conseguido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría conseguido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos conseguido |
| vosotros/as | habríais conseguido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían conseguido |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría conseguido si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | consiga |
| tú | consigas |
| él/ella/Ud. | consiga |
| nosotros/as | consigamos |
| vosotros/as | consiguáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | consigan |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él consiga». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it. This is one of the tenses where conseguir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | consiguiera |
| tú | consiguieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | consiguiera |
| nosotros/as | consiguiéramos |
| vosotros/as | consiguierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | consiguieran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él consiguiera, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem. This is one of the tenses where conseguir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | consigue |
| él/ella/Ud. | consiga |
| nosotros/as | consigamos |
| vosotros/as | conseguid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | consigan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Consigue!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally. This is one of the tenses where conseguir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | consigas |
| él/ella/Ud. | consiga |
| nosotros/as | consigamos |
| vosotros/as | consiguáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | consigan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No consigas!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no. This is one of the tenses where conseguir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
Example sentences
- Yo consigo un trabajo todos los días. — I get a job every day.
- Mi hermana consigue un trabajo mucho. — My sister gets a job a lot.
- Ayer yo conseguí un trabajo por la tarde. — Yesterday I got a job in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo conseguía un trabajo muchas veces. — As a child, I used to get a job often.
- Mañana yo conseguiré un trabajo sin falta. — Tomorrow I will get a job without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo conseguiría un trabajo ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would get a job right now.
- Hoy yo he conseguido entradas dos veces. — Today I have got tickets twice.
- Espero que él consiga un trabajo pronto. — I hope he gets a job soon.
- ¡Consigue un trabajo pronto! — Get a job soon!
- Ahora mismo estoy consiguiendo un trabajo. — Right now I am getting a job.
Common mistakes
1. Using the regular stem in the preterite
Wrong: conseguió
Right: consiguió
Conseguir does not keep its infinitive stem here. The correct form is consiguió; the regular-looking conseguió is a form learners invent by applying the standard endings to the wrong stem.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo conseguía un trabajo.
Right: Ayer yo conseguí un trabajo.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, conseguí. The imperfect conseguía describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Consigo a un trabajo.
Right: Consigo un trabajo.
Conseguir takes a direct object with no preposition: consigo un trabajo, consigo entradas.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú consigues un trabajo.
Right: Espero que tú consigas un trabajo.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: consigas, not the indicative consigues. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the regular gerund
Wrong: conseguiendo
Right: consiguiendo
The gerund of conseguir is irregular: consiguiendo, not conseguiendo. Use it with estar for the progressive: «Estoy consiguiendo».
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of conseguir in the present tense?
- (a) conseguimos
- (b) consigo
- (c) consigue
- (d) consigues
2. What is the él/ella form of conseguir in the preterite?
- (a) conseguimos
- (b) conseguiste
- (c) conseguí
- (d) consiguió
3. What is the nosotros form of conseguir in the imperfect?
- (a) conseguía
- (b) conseguíamos
- (c) conseguías
4. What is the tú form of conseguir in the future tense?
- (a) conseguiremos
- (b) conseguirá
- (c) conseguirás
- (d) conseguiré
5. What is the ellos form of conseguir in the conditional?
- (a) conseguiría
- (b) conseguirían
- (c) conseguirías
6. What is the yo form of conseguir in the present perfect?
- (a) ha conseguido
- (b) has conseguido
- (c) he conseguido
- (d) hemos conseguido
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of conseguir?
- (a) consiga
- (b) consigamos
- (c) consigas
8. What is the nosotros form of conseguir in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) consiguiera
- (b) consiguiéramos
- (c) consiguieras
9. What is the gerund of conseguir?
- (a) conseguido
- (b) conseguir
- (c) consigo
- (d) consiguiendo
10. What is the past participle of conseguir?
- (a) conseguido
- (b) conseguir
- (c) conseguí
- (d) consiguiendo
Answer key
1. (b) consigo — In the present, the yo form of conseguir is consigo. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (d) consiguió — In the preterite, the el form of conseguir is consiguió. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (b) conseguíamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of conseguir is conseguíamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) conseguirás — In the future, the tu form of conseguir is conseguirás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) conseguirían — In the conditional, the ellos form of conseguir is conseguirían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he conseguido — In the present perfect, the yo form of conseguir is he conseguido. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) consigas — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of conseguir is consigas. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) consiguiéramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of conseguir is consiguiéramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (d) consiguiendo — The gerund of conseguir is consiguiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy consiguiendo».
10. (a) conseguido — The past participle of conseguir is conseguido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he conseguido».
Frequently asked questions
Is conseguir regular or irregular?
No — conseguir is a stem-changing verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the present tense, the present subjunctive and the imperative, and the tenses affected are: present, present-subjunctive, preterite, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the original stem.
What are the gerund and past participle of conseguir?
The gerund is consiguiendo and the past participle is conseguido. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy consiguiendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he conseguido»).
What is the difference between conseguir and lograr?
Conseguir and lograr are often confused. Lograr is to achieve through effort; conseguir is to get or obtain, often by asking or by luck as well as effort.
How do I say «I get» in Spanish?
Say «Yo consigo». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which forms of conseguir change the stem?
The stem changes (e → i) in the present tense, the present subjunctive and the imperative — everywhere except the nosotros and vosotros forms. The preterite, imperfect, future and conditional keep the infinitive stem, except where the verb has an extra preterite change.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: conseguir-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: conseguir-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Full list of irregular verbs: spanish-irregular-verbs
- Related verb: lograr
- Related verb: intentar
- Related verb: comprar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz