Introduction
constar means “to consist of, to be recorded”. It belongs to the group of Spanish verbs that express “to consist of, to be recorded”, and once you can conjugate it you can say a surprising amount with a single verb. This page is the complete reference for constar: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, with notes on usage, real example sentences, common mistakes, a quiz and frequently asked questions. constar is a regular -ar verb. If it is irregular in a tense, the note under that table says so plainly, and the forms in the table are the correct ones — copy them, do not guess them from the infinitive. A first example to fix the verb in your mind: “El pago consta en el registro todos los días.” — “The payment consists of in the register.”
Quick facts
| Infinitive | constar |
| English | to consist of, to be recorded |
| Verb type | Regular -ar verb |
| Gerund | constando |
| Past participle | constado |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: constando · Past participle: constado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | consto |
| tú | constas |
| él/ella/Ud. | consta |
| nosotros/as | constamos |
| vosotros/as | constáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | constan |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For constar, the yo form is consto, as in “El pago consta en el registro.” — “The payment consists of in the register.”
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | consté |
| tú | constaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | constó |
| nosotros/as | constamos |
| vosotros/as | constasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | constaron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For constar, the yo form is consté, as in “El pago constó en el registro.” — “The payment consisted of in the register.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | constaba |
| tú | constabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | constaba |
| nosotros/as | constábamos |
| vosotros/as | constabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | constaban |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For constar, the yo form is constaba, as in “El pago constaba en el registro.” — “The payment used to consist of in the register.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | constaré |
| tú | constarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | constará |
| nosotros/as | constaremos |
| vosotros/as | constaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | constarán |
The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For constar, the yo form is constaré, as in “El pago constará en el registro.” — “The payment will consist of in the register.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | constaría |
| tú | constarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | constaría |
| nosotros/as | constaríamos |
| vosotros/as | constaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | constarían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For constar, the yo form is constaría, as in “El pago constaría en el registro.” — “The payment would consist of in the register.”
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he constado |
| tú | has constado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha constado |
| nosotros/as | hemos constado |
| vosotros/as | habéis constado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han constado |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For constar, the yo form is he constado, as in “El pago ha constado en el registro.” — “The payment has consisted of in the register.”
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había constado |
| tú | habías constado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había constado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos constado |
| vosotros/as | habíais constado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían constado |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For constar, the yo form is había constado, as in “El pago había constado en el registro.” — “The payment had consisted of in the register.”
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré constado |
| tú | habrás constado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá constado |
| nosotros/as | habremos constado |
| vosotros/as | habréis constado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán constado |
The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For constar, the yo form is habré constado, as in “El pago habrá constado en el registro.” — “The payment will have consisted of in the register.”
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría constado |
| tú | habrías constado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría constado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos constado |
| vosotros/as | habríais constado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían constado |
The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For constar, the yo form is habría constado, as in “El pago habría constado en el registro.” — “The payment would have consisted of in the register.”
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | conste |
| tú | constes |
| él/ella/Ud. | conste |
| nosotros/as | constemos |
| vosotros/as | constéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | consten |
The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For constar, the yo form is conste, as in “Espero que el pago conste en el registro.” — “I hope that the payment consists of in the register.”
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | constara |
| tú | constaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | constara |
| nosotros/as | constáramos |
| vosotros/as | constarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | constaran |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For constar, the yo form is constara, as in “Si el pago constara en el registro, ...” — “If The payment consisted of in the register, ...”
The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: constara becomes constase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | consta |
| Ud. | conste |
| nosotros/as | constemos |
| vosotros/as | constad |
| Uds. | consten |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | constes |
| Ud. | conste |
| nosotros/as | constemos |
| vosotros/as | constéis |
| Uds. | consten |
The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is consta, as in “¡Consta en el registro” — “Consist of in the register” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no constes. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with constar.
Example sentences
Here are ten sentences with constar, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.
- “El pago consta en el registro cada día.” — “The payment consists of in the register.”
- “El pago consta en el registro todos los días.” — “The payment consists of in the register.”
- “El pago constó en el registro ayer.” — “The payment consisted of in the register.”
- “El pago constó en el registro ayer.” — “The payment consisted of in the register.”
- “El pago constaba en el registro cuando era joven.” — “The payment used to consist of in the register.”
- “El pago constará en el registro mañana.” — “The payment will consist of in the register.”
- “Si pudiera, el pago constaría en el registro.” — “If I could, the payment would consist of in the register.”
- “El pago ha constado en el registro hoy.” — “The payment has consisted of in the register.”
- “Espero que el pago conste en el registro.” — “I hope that the payment consists of in the register.”
- “El pago está constando en el registro ahora mismo.” — “The payment is consisting of in the register.”
Common mistakes
Forgetting the accent in the preterite
The yo preterite form is consté, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — conste — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of constar.
Mixing up present and preterite nosotros
For constar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: constamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.
Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses
Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he constado en el registro. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy constado is not the present perfect of constar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.
Confusing constar with conservar
constar and conservar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of constar — consist of — the sentence needs constar; if it needs the meaning of conservar, use that verb instead.
Using the indicative after "espero que"
After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo conste en el registro. Using the indicative — Espero que yo consto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with constar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of constar in the present?
- A. constas
- B. consta
- C. constamos
- D. consto
2. What is the tu form of constar in the preterite?
- A. constamos
- B. constaste
- C. consté
- D. constó
3. What is the el form of constar in the imperfect?
- A. constabas
- B. constábamos
- C. constabais
- D. constaba
4. What is the nosotros form of constar in the future?
- A. constará
- B. constaremos
- C. constaré
- D. constarás
5. What is the vosotros form of constar in the present perfect?
- A. he constado
- B. has constado
- C. ha constado
- D. habéis constado
6. What is the ellos form of constar in the present subjunctive?
- A. conste
- B. consten
- C. conste
- D. constes
7. What is the yo form of constar in the preterite?
- A. constaste
- B. constó
- C. constamos
- D. consté
8. What is the tu form of constar in the imperfect?
- A. constábamos
- B. constabas
- C. constaba
- D. constaba
9. What is the el form of constar in the future?
- A. constaré
- B. constarás
- C. constaremos
- D. constará
10. What is the nosotros form of constar in the conditional?
- A. constaría
- B. constaríamos
- C. constaría
- D. constarías
Answer key
- consto — The present table gives yo = consto.
- constaste — The preterite table gives tu = constaste.
- constaba — The imperfect table gives el = constaba.
- constaremos — The future table gives nosotros = constaremos.
- habéis constado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis constado.
- consten — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = consten.
- consté — The preterite table gives yo = consté.
- constabas — The imperfect table gives tu = constabas.
- constará — The future table gives el = constará.
- constaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = constaríamos.
Frequently asked questions
Is constar regular or irregular?
constar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.
What is the past participle of constar?
The past participle of constar is constado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he constado, había constado, habré constado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund constando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.
What is the gerund of constar?
The gerund of constar is constando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy constando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle constado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.
What is the yo form of constar in the present?
The yo form is consto — “El pago consta en el registro.” means “The payment consists of in the register.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú constas, él consta, nosotros constamos, ellos constan.
What is the difference between constar and conservar?
constar means “to consist of, to be recorded”, while conservar means “to preserve, to keep”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to consist of, to be recorded”, use constar; if it is about the meaning of conservar, use conservar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.
Related links
- constar in the present tense — the full present-tense page for this verb.
- constar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub with every verb on VerbFlow.
- conservar conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- considerar conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- consistir conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- Verb conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb instantly.
- Verb quiz — practise conjugations with timed questions.