Convertir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb convertir means to convert, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Convertir takes en before the result: convertir el garaje en un estudio, convertir los euros en dólares. With se it means to become: convertirse en un negocio. Like every Spanish verb, convertir 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 Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio". 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.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: convierto, conviertes, convierte and convierten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: convertimos, convertís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: convirtió, convirtieron, and the gerund is convirtiendo.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: convertir
  • English: to convert
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: convirtiendo
  • Past participle: convertido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + convertido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for convertir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for convertir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | convierto | | tú | conviertes | | él/ella/Ud. | convierte | | nosotros/as | convertimos | | vosotros/as | convertís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | convierten |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | convertí | | tú | convertiste | | él/ella/Ud. | convirtió | | nosotros/as | convertimos | | vosotros/as | convertisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | convirtieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | convertía | | tú | convertías | | él/ella/Ud. | convertía | | nosotros/as | convertíamos | | vosotros/as | convertíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | convertían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | convertiré | | tú | convertirás | | él/ella/Ud. | convertirá | | nosotros/as | convertiremos | | vosotros/as | convertiréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | convertirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | convertiría | | tú | convertirías | | él/ella/Ud. | convertiría | | nosotros/as | convertiríamos | | vosotros/as | convertiríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | convertirían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | convierta | | tú | conviertas | | él/ella/Ud. | convierta | | nosotros/as | convirtamos | | vosotros/as | convirtáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | conviertan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | convirtiera | | tú | convirtieras | | él/ella/Ud. | convirtiera | | nosotros/as | convirtiéramos | | vosotros/as | convirtierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | convirtieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | convierte | | él/ella/Ud. | convierta | | nosotros/as | convirtamos | | vosotros/as | convertid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | conviertan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | conviertas | | él/ella/Ud. | convierta | | nosotros/as | convirtamos | | vosotros/as | convirtáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | conviertan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund convirtiendo with estar for the progressive: está convirtiendo
Past participle convertido with haber for the perfect tenses: he convertido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: convierto, conviertes, convierte and convierten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: convertimos, convertís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: convirtió, convirtieron, and the gerund is convirtiendo. For convertir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: convirtió, convirtieron. The gerund changes too: convirtiendo. For convertir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo convertí los euros en dólares — "Yesterday, I converted euros into dollars".

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 convertir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo convertía el agua en vino — "As a child, I used to convert water into wine".

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 convertir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo convertiré su afición en un negocio — "Tomorrow, I will convert his hobby into a business".

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 convertir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo convertiría el garaje en un estudio si pudiera — "I would convert the garage into a studio if I could".

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 convertir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he convertido los euros en dólares — "Today, I have converted euros into dollars".

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 convertir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había convertido el agua en vino antes de salir — "I already had converted water into wine before leaving".

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 convertir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré convertido su afición en un negocio — "By tomorrow, I will have converted his hobby into a business".

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 convertir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría convertido el garaje en un estudio con más tiempo — "I would have converted the garage into a studio with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: convierto, conviertes, convierte and convierten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: convertimos, convertís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: convirtió, convirtieron, and the gerund is convirtiendo. For convertir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él convierta los euros en dólares — "I hope he converts euros into dollars".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is irregular — see the table above. For convertir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo convirtiera el agua en vino, todo cambiaría — "If I converted water into wine, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: convierto, conviertes, convierte and convierten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: convertimos, convertís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: convirtió, convirtieron, and the gerund is convirtiendo. For convertir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Convierte su afición en un negocio. — "Convert his hobby into a business.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: convierto, conviertes, convierte and convierten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: convertimos, convertís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: convirtió, convirtieron, and the gerund is convirtiendo. For convertir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No conviertas el garaje en un estudio. — "Do not convert the garage into a studio.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with convertir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio"
  2. Mi amigo convierte los euros en dólares — "My friend converts euros into dollars"
  3. Ayer, yo convertí el agua en vino — "Yesterday, I converted water into wine"
  4. Antes, nosotros convertíamos su afición en un negocio — "Before, we used to convert his hobby into a business"
  5. Mañana, tú convertirás la casa en un hotel — "Tomorrow, you will convert the house into a hotel"
  6. Yo convertiría el garaje en un estudio si tuviera más tiempo — "I would convert the garage into a studio if I had more time"
  7. Él ha convertido los euros en dólares — "He has converted euros into dollars"
  8. Espero que él convierta el agua en vino — "I hope he converts water into wine"
  9. Yo ya había convertido su afición en un negocio antes de salir — "I already had converted his hobby into a business before leaving"
  10. Ellos convertían la casa en un hotel cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to convert the house into a hotel when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo converto los euros en dólares. — Right: Yo convierto los euros en dólares. — convertir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is convierto, not converto.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él convierte los euros en dólares — Right: Espero que él convierta los euros en dólares — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él convierta los euros en dólares — not the indicative Espero que él convierte los euros en dólares.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo convierto el agua en vino — Right: Ayer, yo convertí el agua en vino — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo convertí el agua en vino.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo convertí su afición en un negocio todos los días — Right: De niño, yo convertía su afición en un negocio todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo convertía su afición en un negocio todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo convierto en el garaje en un estudio. — Right: Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio. — convertir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on convertir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio" (present) A. convierto B. conviertes C. convierte D. convertimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ los euros en dólares — "He converted euros into dollars" (preterite) A. convertiste B. convertimos C. convirtió D. convertí

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el agua en vino — "We used to convert water into wine" (imperfect) A. convertía B. convertías C. convertíais D. convertíamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ su afición en un negocio — "You will convert his hobby into a business" (future) A. convertiré B. convertirá C. convertiremos D. convertirás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la casa en un hotel — "I would convert the house into a hotel" (conditional) A. convertiría B. convertirías C. convertiríamos D. convertiríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el garaje en un estudio — "I hope he converts the garage into a studio" (present subjunctive) A. convierta B. conviertas C. convirtamos D. convirtáis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ los euros en dólares, todo cambiaría — "If I converted euros into dollars, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. convirtiéramos B. convirtierais C. convirtiera D. convirtieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el agua en vino — "We have converted water into wine" (present perfect) A. he convertido B. has convertido C. ha convertido D. hemos convertido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ su afición en un negocio. — "Do not convert his hobby into a business." (negative imperative) A. convierta B. convirtamos C. convirtáis D. conviertas

  10. Which is the gerund of convertir, used with estar for the progressive? A. convierto B. convertí C. convirtiendo D. convertido

Answer key

  1. convierto — The present form for yo is convierto.
  2. convirtió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is convirtió.
  3. convertíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is convertíamos.
  4. convertirás — The future form for tú is convertirás.
  5. convertiría — The conditional form for yo is convertiría.
  6. convierta — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is convierta.
  7. convirtiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is convirtiera.
  8. hemos convertido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos convertido.
  9. conviertas — The negative imperative form is conviertas.
  10. convirtiendo — The gerund of convertir is convirtiendo: estoy convirtiendo. The participle convertido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does convertir mean in English?

convertir means to convert. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is convertir regular?

No. convertir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: convierto, conviertes, convierte and convierten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: convertimos, convertís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: convirtió, convirtieron, and the gerund is convirtiendo. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of convertir?

The gerund is convirtiendo and the past participle is convertido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I convert" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo convertí los euros en dólares — "Yesterday, I converted euros into dollars". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo convertía el agua en vino — "As a child, I used to convert water into wine". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he convertido los euros en dólares — "Today, I have converted euros into dollars".

What is the difference between convertir and transformar?

Transformar is the near-synonym for changing the form of something. Convertir often implies a change of purpose or use, such as a garage into a studio. Convertir takes en before the result: convertir el garaje en un estudio, convertir los euros en dólares. With se it means to become: convertirse en un negocio.

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