Introduction

convocar means “to call, to convene”. It belongs to the group of Spanish verbs that express “to call, to convene”, and once you can conjugate it you can say a surprising amount with a single verb. This page is the complete reference for convocar: 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. convocar is a irregular -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: “Yo convoco una reunión todos los días.” — “I call a meeting.”

Quick facts
Infinitive convocar
English to call, to convene
Verb type Irregular -ar verb
Gerund convocando
Past participle convocado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: convocando · Past participle: convocado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo convoco
tú convocas
él/ella/Ud. convoca
nosotros/as convocamos
vosotros/as convocáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. convocan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For convocar, the yo form is convoco, as in “Yo convoco una reunión.” — “I call a meeting.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo convoqué
tú convocaste
él/ella/Ud. convocó
nosotros/as convocamos
vosotros/as convocasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. convocaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For convocar, the yo form is convoqué, as in “Yo convoqué una reunión.” — “I called a meeting.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo convocaba
tú convocabas
él/ella/Ud. convocaba
nosotros/as convocábamos
vosotros/as convocabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. convocaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For convocar, the yo form is convocaba, as in “Yo convocaba una reunión.” — “I used to call a meeting.”

Future

Person Form
yo convocaré
tú convocarás
él/ella/Ud. convocará
nosotros/as convocaremos
vosotros/as convocaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. convocarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For convocar, the yo form is convocaré, as in “Yo convocaré una reunión.” — “I will call a meeting.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo convocaría
tú convocarías
él/ella/Ud. convocaría
nosotros/as convocaríamos
vosotros/as convocaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. convocarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For convocar, the yo form is convocaría, as in “Yo convocaría una reunión.” — “I would call a meeting.”

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For convocar, the yo form is he convocado, as in “Yo he convocado una reunión.” — “I have called a meeting.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For convocar, the yo form is había convocado, as in “Yo había convocado una reunión.” — “I had called a meeting.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For convocar, the yo form is habré convocado, as in “Yo habré convocado una reunión.” — “I will have called a meeting.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For convocar, the yo form is habría convocado, as in “Yo habría convocado una reunión.” — “I would have called a meeting.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo convoque
tú convoques
él/ella/Ud. convoque
nosotros/as convoquemos
vosotros/as convoquéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. convoquen

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For convocar, the yo form is convoque, as in “Espero que yo convoque una reunión.” — “I hope that I call a meeting.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo convocara
tú convocaras
él/ella/Ud. convocara
nosotros/as convocáramos
vosotros/as convocarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. convocaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For convocar, the yo form is convocara, as in “Si yo convocara una reunión, ...” — “If I called a meeting, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: convocara becomes convocase, 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 convoca
Ud. convoque
nosotros/as convoquemos
vosotros/as convocad
Uds. convoquen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú convoques
Ud. convoque
nosotros/as convoquemos
vosotros/as convoquéis
Uds. convoquen

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is convoca, as in “¡Convoca una reunión” — “Call a meeting” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no convoques. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with convocar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with convocar, 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 convoco una reunión cada día.” — “I call a meeting.”
  2. “Él convoca una reunión todos los días.” — “He calls a meeting.”
  3. “Yo convoqué una reunión ayer.” — “I called a meeting.”
  4. “Él convocó una reunión ayer.” — “He called a meeting.”
  5. “Yo convocaba una reunión cuando era joven.” — “I used to call a meeting.”
  6. “Nosotros convocaremos una reunión mañana.” — “We will call a meeting.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo convocaría una reunión.” — “If I could, i would call a meeting.”
  8. “Yo he convocado una reunión hoy.” — “I have called a meeting.”
  9. “Espero que yo convoque una reunión.” — “I hope that I call a meeting.”
  10. “estoy convocando una reunión ahora mismo.” — “I am calling a meeting.”

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is convoqué, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — convoque — 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 convocar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For convocar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: convocamos. 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 convocado una reunión. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy convocado is not the present perfect of convocar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing convocar with conservar

convocar 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 convocar — call — the sentence needs convocar; 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 convoque una reunión. Using the indicative — Espero que yo convoco — is one of the most frequent learner errors with convocar. 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 convocar in the present?

  • A. convocas
  • B. convoca
  • C. convocamos
  • D. convoco

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

  • A. convocamos
  • B. convocaste
  • C. convoqué
  • D. convocó

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

  • A. convocabas
  • B. convocábamos
  • C. convocabais
  • D. convocaba

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

  • A. convocará
  • B. convocaremos
  • C. convocaré
  • D. convocarás

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

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

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

  • A. convoque
  • B. convoquen
  • C. convoque
  • D. convoques

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

  • A. convocaste
  • B. convocó
  • C. convocamos
  • D. convoqué

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

  • A. convocábamos
  • B. convocabas
  • C. convocaba
  • D. convocaba

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

  • A. convocaré
  • B. convocarás
  • C. convocaremos
  • D. convocará

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

  • A. convocaría
  • B. convocaríamos
  • C. convocaría
  • D. convocarías

Answer key

  1. convoco — The present table gives yo = convoco.
  2. convocaste — The preterite table gives tu = convocaste.
  3. convocaba — The imperfect table gives el = convocaba.
  4. convocaremos — The future table gives nosotros = convocaremos.
  5. habéis convocado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis convocado.
  6. convoquen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = convoquen.
  7. convoqué — The preterite table gives yo = convoqué.
  8. convocabas — The imperfect table gives tu = convocabas.
  9. convocará — The future table gives el = convocará.
  10. convocaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = convocaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

Is convocar regular or irregular?

convocar is a irregular -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 convocar?

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

What is the gerund of convocar?

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

What is the yo form of convocar in the present?

The yo form is convoco — “Yo convoco una reunión.” means “I call a meeting.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú convocas, él convoca, nosotros convocamos, ellos convocan.

What is the difference between convocar and conservar?

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

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