Introduction

Learning to conjugate convencer — “to convince” — opens up a whole set of sentences you will use in real Spanish. Whether you are talking about what you do every day, what happened yesterday, or what you plan to do tomorrow, convencer is one of the verbs that carries those sentences, especially when the topic is my friend. On this page you will find the full conjugation of convencer 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. convencer is a irregular -er verb; the gerund is convenciendo and the past participle is convencido, and both appear in the tables and examples below. For example: “Yo convenzo a mi amigo todos los días.” — “I convince my friend.” Read the tables first, then the notes, and finish with the quiz to check what you have learned.

Quick facts
Infinitive convencer
English to convince
Verb type Irregular -er verb
Gerund convenciendo
Past participle convencido
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: convenciendo · Past participle: convencido

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo convenzo
tú convences
él/ella/Ud. convence
nosotros/as convencemos
vosotros/as convencéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. convencen

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For convencer, the yo form is convenzo, as in “Yo convenzo a mi amigo.” — “I convince my friend.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo convencí
tú convenciste
él/ella/Ud. convenció
nosotros/as convencimos
vosotros/as convencisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. convencieron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For convencer, the yo form is convencí, as in “Yo convencí a mi amigo.” — “I convinced my friend.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo convencía
tú convencías
él/ella/Ud. convencía
nosotros/as convencíamos
vosotros/as convencíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. convencían

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For convencer, the yo form is convencía, as in “Yo convencía a mi amigo.” — “I used to convince my friend.”

Future

Person Form
yo convenceré
tú convencerás
él/ella/Ud. convencerá
nosotros/as convenceremos
vosotros/as convenceréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. convencerán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For convencer, the yo form is convenceré, as in “Yo convenceré a mi amigo.” — “I will convince my friend.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo convencería
tú convencerías
él/ella/Ud. convencería
nosotros/as convenceríamos
vosotros/as convenceríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. convencerían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For convencer, the yo form is convencería, as in “Yo convencería a mi amigo.” — “I would convince my friend.”

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For convencer, the yo form is he convencido, as in “Yo he convencido a mi amigo.” — “I have convinced my friend.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For convencer, the yo form is había convencido, as in “Yo había convencido a mi amigo.” — “I had convinced my friend.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For convencer, the yo form is habré convencido, as in “Yo habré convencido a mi amigo.” — “I will have convinced my friend.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For convencer, the yo form is habría convencido, as in “Yo habría convencido a mi amigo.” — “I would have convinced my friend.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo convenza
tú convenzas
él/ella/Ud. convenza
nosotros/as convenzamos
vosotros/as convencáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. convenzan

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For convencer, the yo form is convenza, as in “Espero que yo convenza a mi amigo.” — “I hope that I convince my friend.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo convenciera
tú convencieras
él/ella/Ud. convenciera
nosotros/as convenciéramos
vosotros/as convencierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. convencieran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For convencer, the yo form is convenciera, as in “Si yo convenciera a mi amigo, ...” — “If I convinced my friend, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: convenciera becomes convenciese, 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 convence
Ud. convenza
nosotros/as convenzamos
vosotros/as convenced
Uds. convenzan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú convenzas
Ud. convenza
nosotros/as convenzamos
vosotros/as convencáis
Uds. convenzan

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is convence, as in “¡Convence a mi amigo” — “Convince my friend” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no convenzas. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with convencer.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with convencer, 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.

  1. “Yo convenzo a mi amigo cada día.” — “I convince my friend.”
  2. “Él convence a mi amigo todos los días.” — “He convinces my friend.”
  3. “Yo convencí a mi amigo ayer.” — “I convinced my friend.”
  4. “Él convenció a mi amigo ayer.” — “He convinced my friend.”
  5. “Yo convencía a mi amigo cuando era joven.” — “I used to convince my friend.”
  6. “Nosotros convenceremos a mi amigo mañana.” — “We will convince my friend.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo convencería a mi amigo.” — “If I could, i would convince my friend.”
  8. “Yo he convencido a mi amigo hoy.” — “I have convinced my friend.”
  9. “Espero que yo convenza a mi amigo.” — “I hope that I convince my friend.”
  10. “estoy convenciendo a mi amigo ahora mismo.” — “I am convincing my friend.”

Common mistakes

Using the unchanged stem

Learners often write convenco for the yo form, keeping the infinitive stem unchanged. The correct form is convenzo. Because convencer changes its stem vowel, the change appears in the stressed syllables of the present: say the correct form out loud a few times — yo convenzo a mi amigo — until the changed stem feels natural.

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is convencí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — convenci — 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 convencer.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he convencido a mi amigo. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy convencido is not the present perfect of convencer — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing convencer with conservar

convencer 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 convencer — convince — the sentence needs convencer; 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 convenza a mi amigo. Using the indicative — Espero que yo convenzo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with convencer. 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 convencer in the present?

  • A. convences
  • B. convence
  • C. convencemos
  • D. convenzo

2. What is the tu form of convencer in the preterite?

  • A. convencimos
  • B. convenciste
  • C. convencí
  • D. convenció

3. What is the el form of convencer in the imperfect?

  • A. convencías
  • B. convencíamos
  • C. convencíais
  • D. convencía

4. What is the nosotros form of convencer in the future?

  • A. convencerá
  • B. convenceremos
  • C. convenceré
  • D. convencerás

5. What is the vosotros form of convencer in the present perfect?

  • A. he convencido
  • B. has convencido
  • C. ha convencido
  • D. habéis convencido

6. What is the ellos form of convencer in the present subjunctive?

  • A. convenza
  • B. convenzan
  • C. convenza
  • D. convenzas

7. What is the yo form of convencer in the preterite?

  • A. convenciste
  • B. convenció
  • C. convencimos
  • D. convencí

8. What is the tu form of convencer in the imperfect?

  • A. convencíamos
  • B. convencías
  • C. convencía
  • D. convencía

9. What is the el form of convencer in the future?

  • A. convenceré
  • B. convencerás
  • C. convenceremos
  • D. convencerá

10. What is the nosotros form of convencer in the conditional?

  • A. convencería
  • B. convenceríamos
  • C. convencería
  • D. convencerías

Answer key

  1. convenzo — The present table gives yo = convenzo.
  2. convenciste — The preterite table gives tu = convenciste.
  3. convencía — The imperfect table gives el = convencía.
  4. convenceremos — The future table gives nosotros = convenceremos.
  5. habéis convencido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis convencido.
  6. convenzan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = convenzan.
  7. convencí — The preterite table gives yo = convencí.
  8. convencías — The imperfect table gives tu = convencías.
  9. convencerá — The future table gives el = convencerá.
  10. convenceríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = convenceríamos.

Frequently asked questions

Is convencer regular or irregular?

Convencer is a spelling-changing -er verb: the endings are regular, but the stem-final c becomes z before o and a (convenzo, convenza). The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of convencer?

The past participle of convencer is convencido. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he convencido, había convencido, habré convencido — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund convenciendo and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of convencer?

The gerund of convencer is convenciendo. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy convenciendo, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle convencido, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of convencer in the present?

The yo form is convenzo — “Yo convenzo a mi amigo.” means “I convince my friend.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú convences, él convence, nosotros convencemos, ellos convencen.

What is the difference between convencer and conservar?

convencer means “to convince”, while conservar means “to preserve, to keep”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to convince”, use convencer; if it is about the meaning of conservar, use conservar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

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