Cortar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb cortar means to cut, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Cortar means to cut, and it covers cutting bread, cutting paper, cutting your hair and cutting a road or a conversation short. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and it takes a direct object for the thing cut. Like every Spanish verb, cortar 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 corto el pan para el desayuno, and in the preterite you say corté las verduras para la sopa. 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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: cortar
  • English: to cut
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: cortando
  • Past participle: cortado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + cortado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cortar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Cortar is fully regular: corté, cortaba, cortaré. Cortarse, with the pronoun, means to cut yourself — a different meaning.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for cortar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo corto
tú cortas
él/ella/Ud. corta
nosotros/as cortamos
vosotros/as cortáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cortan

Preterite

Person Form
yo corté
tú cortaste
él/ella/Ud. cortó
nosotros/as cortamos
vosotros/as cortasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cortaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo cortaba
tú cortabas
él/ella/Ud. cortaba
nosotros/as cortábamos
vosotros/as cortabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cortaban

Future

Person Form
yo cortaré
tú cortarás
él/ella/Ud. cortará
nosotros/as cortaremos
vosotros/as cortaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cortarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo cortaría
tú cortarías
él/ella/Ud. cortaría
nosotros/as cortaríamos
vosotros/as cortaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cortarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo corte
tú cortes
él/ella/Ud. corte
nosotros/as cortemos
vosotros/as cortéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. corten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo cortara
tú cortaras
él/ella/Ud. cortara
nosotros/as cortáramos
vosotros/as cortarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cortaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú corta
él/ella/Ud. corte
nosotros/as cortemos
vosotros/as cortad
ellos/ellas/Uds. corten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú cortes
él/ella/Ud. corte
nosotros/as cortemos
vosotros/as cortéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. corten

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund cortando with estar for the progressive: estoy cortando
Past participle cortado with haber for the perfect tenses: he cortado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cortar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Corto el pan para el desayuno. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cortar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, corté el pelo cada dos meses. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 cortar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, cortaba las verduras para la sopa. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 cortar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, cortaré el papel con las tijeras. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 cortar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Cortaría el pan para el desayuno si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 cortar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he cortado el pelo cada dos meses. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 cortar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había cortado las verduras para la sopa antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 cortar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré cortado el papel con las tijeras. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 cortar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría cortado el pan para el desayuno con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cortar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él corte el pelo cada dos meses. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cortar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él cortara las verduras para la sopa, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cortar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Corta el papel con las tijeras! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cortar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No cortes el pan para el desayuno. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

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

  1. Corto el pan para el desayuno. — I cut the bread for breakfast.
  2. Corta el pelo cada dos meses. — He/she cuts my hair every two months.
  3. Ayer, corté las verduras para la sopa. — Yesterday, I cut the vegetables for the soup.
  4. Antes, nosotros cortábamos el papel con las tijeras. — Before, we used to cut the paper with the scissors.
  5. Mañana, tú cortarás el pan para el desayuno. — Tomorrow, you will cut the bread for breakfast.
  6. Yo cortaría el pelo cada dos meses si tuviera más tiempo. — I would cut my hair every two months if I had more time.
  7. Él ha cortado las verduras para la sopa. — He has cut the vegetables for the soup.
  8. Espero que él corte el papel con las tijeras. — I hope he cuts the paper with the scissors.
  9. Yo ya había cortado el pan para el desayuno antes de salir. — I had already cut the bread for breakfast before leaving.
  10. Ellos cortaban el pelo cada dos meses cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to cut my hair every two months when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo corta el pan para el desayuno. — Right: Yo corto el pan para el desayuno. — The person matters: corta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is corto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros cortais el pelo cada dos meses. — Right: Vosotros cortáis el pelo cada dos meses. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: cortáis, not cortais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating cortar and picar as identical in every context. — Right: Cortar means to cut, while picar means to chop into small pieces. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: cortar fits sentences such as Corto el pan para el desayuno, while picar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy cortado el pelo cada dos meses. — Right: Yo he cortado el pelo cada dos meses. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he cortado, has cortado, ha cortado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo corté las verduras para la sopa todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo cortaba las verduras para la sopa todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (cortaba), not the preterite. The preterite (corté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el pan para el desayuno. (present tense) A. corto B. cortas C. corta D. cortamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el pelo cada dos meses. (preterite) A. corté B. cortaste C. cortaron D. cortó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ las verduras para la sopa. (imperfect) A. cortabas B. cortaban C. cortábamos D. cortaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el papel con las tijeras. (future) A. cortaremos B. cortarás C. cortaré D. cortará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el pan para el desayuno si pudiera. (conditional) A. cortaría B. cortarías C. cortarían D. corto

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el pelo cada dos meses. (present subjunctive) A. cortes B. cortemos C. corto D. corte

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ las verduras para la sopa, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. cortáramos B. corto C. cortara D. cortaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el papel con las tijeras. (present perfect) A. han cortado B. hemos cortado C. he cortado D. has cortado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ el pan para el desayuno! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. corta B. corte C. cortemos D. cortad

  10. Which is the gerund of cortar, used with estar for the progressive? A. cortado B. corto C. corté D. cortando

Answer key

  1. corto — The first-person present of cortar is corto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. cortó — The third-person preterite of cortar is cortó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. cortábamos — The nosotros imperfect of cortar is cortábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. cortarás — The second-person future of cortar is cortarás.
  5. cortaría — The first-person conditional of cortar is cortaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. corte — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of cortar is corte.
  7. cortara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of cortar is cortara.
  8. hemos cortado — The nosotros present perfect of cortar is hemos cortado: hemos + cortado.
  9. corta — The affirmative tú imperative of cortar is corta.
  10. cortando — The gerund of cortar is cortando: estoy cortando. The participle cortado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does cortar mean in English?

Cortar means to cut. It is used in everyday situations such as Corto el pan para el desayuno. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is cortar regular or irregular?

Cortar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including corto in the present and corté in the preterite.

What is the difference between cortar and picar?

Cortar means to cut, while picar means to chop into small pieces. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use cortar when you mean to cut, as in Corto el pan para el desayuno, and use picar for to chop into small pieces. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I cut” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo corté el pelo cada dos meses. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo cortaba las verduras para la sopa. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he cortado el pelo cada dos meses.

How do I practise cortar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the cortar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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