Costar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb costar means to cost, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Costar describes a price, and the price is the subject of the English sentence but not of the Spanish one: el libro cuesta diez euros. The verb agrees with the thing, not with the buyer — el libro cuesta, las entradas cuestan. Like every Spanish verb, costar 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 El libro cuesta diez euros — "The book costs ten euros". 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: cuesto, cuestas, cuesta and cuestan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: costamos, costáis. Costar agrees with the thing, not with the buyer: el libro cuesta diez euros, las entradas cuestan quince euros.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: costar
  • English: to cost
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: costando
  • Past participle: costado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + costado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cuesto | | tú | cuestas | | él/ella/Ud. | cuesta | | nosotros/as | costamos | | vosotros/as | costáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuestan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | costé | | tú | costaste | | él/ella/Ud. | costó | | nosotros/as | costamos | | vosotros/as | costasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | costaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | costaba | | tú | costabas | | él/ella/Ud. | costaba | | nosotros/as | costábamos | | vosotros/as | costabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | costaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | costaré | | tú | costarás | | él/ella/Ud. | costará | | nosotros/as | costaremos | | vosotros/as | costaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | costarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | costaría | | tú | costarías | | él/ella/Ud. | costaría | | nosotros/as | costaríamos | | vosotros/as | costaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | costarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cueste | | tú | cuestes | | él/ella/Ud. | cueste | | nosotros/as | costemos | | vosotros/as | costéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuesten |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | costara | | tú | costaras | | él/ella/Ud. | costara | | nosotros/as | costáramos | | vosotros/as | costarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | costaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | cuesta | | él/ella/Ud. | cueste | | nosotros/as | costemos | | vosotros/as | costad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuesten |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | cuestes | | él/ella/Ud. | cueste | | nosotros/as | costemos | | vosotros/as | costéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuesten |

Gerund and past participle

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

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: cuesto, cuestas, cuesta and cuestan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: costamos, costáis. For costar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: El libro cuesta diez euros — "The book costs ten euros".

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 costar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, el curso de español costó ciento veinte euros — "Yesterday, the Spanish course cost a hundred and twenty euros".

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 costar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, las entradas al museo costaban quince euros — "As a child, the museum tickets used to cost fifteen euros".

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 costar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, el billete de tren costará veinte euros — "Tomorrow, the train ticket will cost twenty euros".

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 costar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: El libro costaría diez euros si pudiera — "The book would cost ten euros 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 costar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, el curso de español ha costado ciento veinte euros — "Today, the Spanish course has cost a hundred and twenty euros".

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 costar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Las entradas al museo ya habían costado quince euros antes de salir — "The museum tickets had already cost fifteen euros 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 costar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, el billete de tren habrá costado veinte euros — "By tomorrow, the train ticket will have cost twenty euros".

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 costar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: El libro habría costado diez euros con más tiempo — "The book would have cost ten euros 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: cuesto, cuestas, cuesta and cuestan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: costamos, costáis. For costar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que el curso de español cueste ciento veinte euros — "I hope the Spanish course costs a hundred and twenty euros".

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 regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For costar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si las entradas al museo costaran quince euros, todo cambiaría — "If the museum tickets cost fifteen euros, 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: cuesto, cuestas, cuesta and cuestan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: costamos, costáis. For costar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Que cueste veinte euros! — "I hope it costs twenty euros!".

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: cuesto, cuestas, cuesta and cuestan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: costamos, costáis. For costar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Que no cueste tanto! — "I hope it doesn't cost so much!".

Example sentences

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

  1. El libro cuesta diez euros — "The book costs ten euros"
  2. El curso de español cuesta ciento veinte euros — "The Spanish course costs a hundred and twenty euros"
  3. Ayer, las entradas al museo costaron quince euros — "Yesterday, the museum tickets cost fifteen euros"
  4. Antes, el billete de tren costaba veinte euros — "Before, the train ticket used to cost twenty euros"
  5. Mañana, la cena en ese restaurante costará treinta euros — "Tomorrow, dinner at that restaurant will cost thirty euros"
  6. El libro costaría diez euros si tuviera más tiempo — "The book would cost ten euros if I had more time"
  7. El curso de español ha costado ciento veinte euros — "The Spanish course has cost a hundred and twenty euros"
  8. Espero que las entradas al museo cuesten quince euros — "I hope the museum tickets cost fifteen euros"
  9. El billete de tren ya había costado veinte euros antes de salir — "The train ticket had already cost twenty euros before leaving"
  10. La cena en ese restaurante costaba treinta euros cuando eran jóvenes — "Dinner at that restaurant used to cost thirty euros when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo cuesto diez euros. — Right: El libro cuesta diez euros. — Costar agrees with the thing, not with the buyer: el libro cuesta diez euros, las entradas cuestan quince euros.
  2. Wrong: Las entradas al museo cuesta quince euros. — Right: Las entradas al museo cuestan quince euros. — Costar agrees with the thing: las entradas is plural, so it is cuestan, not cuesta.
  3. Wrong: Yo costo el curso de español. — Right: Yo cuesto el curso de español. — costar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is cuesto, not costo.
  4. Wrong: Espero que el curso de español cuesta ciento veinte euros — Right: Espero que el curso de español cueste ciento veinte euros — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que el curso de español cueste ciento veinte euros — not the indicative Espero que el curso de español cuesta ciento veinte euros.
  5. Wrong: Ayer, las entradas al museo cuestan quince euros — Right: Ayer, las entradas al museo costaron quince euros — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, las entradas al museo costaron quince euros.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: El libro ______ diez euros — "The book costs ten euros" (present) A. cuestan B. costó C. costaron D. cuesta

  2. Complete the sentence: El curso de español ______ ciento veinte euros — "The Spanish course cost a hundred and twenty euros" (preterite) A. costaba B. costaban C. costó D. costaron

  3. Complete the sentence: Las entradas al museo ______ quince euros — "The museum tickets used to cost fifteen euros" (imperfect) A. costaron B. costó C. costaban D. costaba

  4. Complete the sentence: El billete de tren ______ veinte euros — "The train ticket will cost twenty euros" (future) A. costarán B. costó C. costaron D. costará

  5. Complete the sentence: La cena en ese restaurante ______ treinta euros — "Dinner at that restaurant would cost thirty euros" (conditional) A. costaría B. costarían C. costó D. costaron

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que el libro ______ diez euros — "I hope the book costs ten euros" (present subjunctive) A. cuesten B. costó C. costaron D. cueste

  7. Complete the sentence: Si el curso de español ______ ciento veinte euros, todo cambiaría — "If the Spanish course cost a hundred and twenty euros, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. costaron B. costara C. costaran D. costó

  8. Complete the sentence: Las entradas al museo ______ quince euros — "The museum tickets have cost fifteen euros" (present perfect) A. ha costado B. costaron C. costó D. han costado

  9. Complete the sentence: El billete de tren ______ veinte euros — "The train ticket will have cost twenty euros" (future perfect) A. costó B. costaron C. habrá costado D. habrán costado

  10. Which is the gerund of costar, used with estar for the progressive? A. cuesto B. costé C. costando D. costado

Answer key

  1. cuesta — The present form is cuesta.
  2. costó — The preterite form is costó.
  3. costaban — The imperfect form is costaban.
  4. costará — The future form is costará.
  5. costaría — The conditional form is costaría.
  6. cueste — The present subjunctive form is cueste.
  7. costara — The imperfect subjunctive form is costara.
  8. han costado — The present perfect form is han costado.
  9. habrá costado — The future perfect form is habrá costado.
  10. costando — The gerund of costar is costando: estoy costando. The participle costado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does costar mean in English?

costar means to cost. It is used in everyday situations such as El libro cuesta diez euros — "The book costs ten euros". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is costar regular?

No. costar is a stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: cuesto, cuestas, cuesta and cuestan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: costamos, costáis. 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 costar?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, el curso de español costó ciento veinte euros — "Yesterday, the Spanish course cost a hundred and twenty euros". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, las entradas al museo costaban quince euros — "As a child, the museum tickets used to cost fifteen euros". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, el curso de español ha costado ciento veinte euros — "Today, the Spanish course has cost a hundred and twenty euros".

What is the difference between costar and valer?

Valer is about worth: ¿cuánto vale? asks what something is worth. Costar is about the price you pay: el libro cuesta diez euros. Costar describes a price, and the price is the subject of the English sentence but not of the Spanish one: el libro cuesta diez euros. The verb agrees with the thing, not with the buyer — el libro cuesta, las entradas cuestan.

Why is it el libro cuesta and not yo cuesto?

Because costar agrees with the thing being priced, not with the buyer. El libro cuesta diez euros — the book is the subject. You never say yo cuesto diez euros for a price.

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