Debatir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb debatir means to debate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Debatir means to debate, and it is used for debating a topic in class, in parliament and in a public discussion. It suggests a structured exchange of arguments rather than a quarrel, and it is a regular -ir verb. Like every Spanish verb, debatir 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 debato el tema en clase, and in the preterite you say debatí la propuesta en el parlamento. 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: debatir
- English: to debate
- Verb type: regular -ir verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: debatiendo
- Past participle: debatido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + debatido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for debatir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Debatir is a regular -ir verb: debatí, debatía, debatiré. It is the formal verb for a structured debate, not a quarrel.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for debatir. 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 | debato |
| tú | debates |
| él/ella/Ud. | debate |
| nosotros/as | debatimos |
| vosotros/as | debatís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debaten |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | debatí |
| tú | debatiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | debatió |
| nosotros/as | debatimos |
| vosotros/as | debatisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debatieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | debatía |
| tú | debatías |
| él/ella/Ud. | debatía |
| nosotros/as | debatíamos |
| vosotros/as | debatíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debatían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | debatiré |
| tú | debatirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | debatirá |
| nosotros/as | debatiremos |
| vosotros/as | debatiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debatirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | debatiría |
| tú | debatirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | debatiría |
| nosotros/as | debatiríamos |
| vosotros/as | debatiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debatirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he debatido |
| tú | has debatido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha debatido |
| nosotros/as | hemos debatido |
| vosotros/as | habéis debatido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han debatido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había debatido |
| tú | habías debatido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había debatido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos debatido |
| vosotros/as | habíais debatido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían debatido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré debatido |
| tú | habrás debatido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá debatido |
| nosotros/as | habremos debatido |
| vosotros/as | habréis debatido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán debatido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría debatido |
| tú | habrías debatido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría debatido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos debatido |
| vosotros/as | habríais debatido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían debatido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | debata |
| tú | debatas |
| él/ella/Ud. | debata |
| nosotros/as | debatamos |
| vosotros/as | debatáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debatan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | debatiera |
| tú | debatieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | debatiera |
| nosotros/as | debatiéramos |
| vosotros/as | debatierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debatieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | debate |
| él/ella/Ud. | debata |
| nosotros/as | debatamos |
| vosotros/as | debatid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debatan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | debatas |
| él/ella/Ud. | debata |
| nosotros/as | debatamos |
| vosotros/as | debatáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debatan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | debatiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy debatiendo |
| Past participle | debatido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he debatido |
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 debatir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Debato el tema en clase. 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 debatir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, debatí sobre el cambio climático. 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 debatir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, debatía la propuesta en el parlamento. 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 debatir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, debatiré con los alumnos cada semana. 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 debatir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Debatiría el tema en clase 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 debatir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he debatido sobre el cambio climático. 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 debatir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había debatido la propuesta en el parlamento 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 debatir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré debatido con los alumnos cada semana. 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 debatir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría debatido el tema en clase 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 debatir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él debata sobre el cambio climático. 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 debatir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él debatiera la propuesta en el parlamento, 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 debatir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Debate con los alumnos cada semana! 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 debatir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No debatas el tema en clase. 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 debatir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Debato el tema en clase. — I debate the topic in class.
- Debate sobre el cambio climático. — He/she debates climate change.
- Ayer, debatí la propuesta en el parlamento. — Yesterday, I debated the proposal in parliament.
- Antes, nosotros debatíamos con los alumnos cada semana. — Before, we used to debate with the students every week.
- Mañana, tú debatirás el tema en clase. — Tomorrow, you will debate the topic in class.
- Yo debatiría sobre el cambio climático si tuviera más tiempo. — I would debate climate change if I had more time.
- Él ha debatido la propuesta en el parlamento. — He has debated the proposal in parliament.
- Espero que él debata con los alumnos cada semana. — I hope he debates with the students every week.
- Yo ya había debatido el tema en clase antes de salir. — I had already debated the topic in class before leaving.
- Ellos debatían sobre el cambio climático cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to debate climate change when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo debate el tema en clase. — Right: Yo debato el tema en clase. — The person matters: debate is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is debato. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Vosotros debatis sobre el cambio climático. — Right: Vosotros debatís sobre el cambio climático. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: debatís, not debatis. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
- Wrong: Treating debatir and discutir as identical in every context. — Right: Debatir means to debate, while discutir means to discuss or argue. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: debatir fits sentences such as Debato el tema en clase, while discutir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy debatido sobre el cambio climático. — Right: Yo he debatido sobre el cambio climático. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he debatido, has debatido, ha debatido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo debatí la propuesta en el parlamento todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo debatía la propuesta en el parlamento todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (debatía), not the preterite. The preterite (debatí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on debatir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el tema en clase. (present tense) A. debato B. debates C. debate D. debatimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ sobre el cambio climático. (preterite) A. debatí B. debatiste C. debatieron D. debatió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la propuesta en el parlamento. (imperfect) A. debatías B. debatían C. debatíamos D. debatía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ con los alumnos cada semana. (future) A. debatiremos B. debatirás C. debatiré D. debatirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el tema en clase si pudiera. (conditional) A. debatiría B. debatirías C. debatirían D. debato
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ sobre el cambio climático. (present subjunctive) A. debatas B. debatamos C. debato D. debata
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la propuesta en el parlamento, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. debatiéramos B. debato C. debatiera D. debatieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con los alumnos cada semana. (present perfect) A. han debatido B. hemos debatido C. he debatido D. has debatido
Complete the command: ¡___ el tema en clase! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. debate B. debata C. debatamos D. debatid
Which is the gerund of debatir, used with estar for the progressive? A. debatido B. debato C. debatí D. debatiendo
Answer key
- debato — The first-person present of debatir is debato. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- debatió — The third-person preterite of debatir is debatió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- debatíamos — The nosotros imperfect of debatir is debatíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- debatirás — The second-person future of debatir is debatirás.
- debatiría — The first-person conditional of debatir is debatiría, the form for what would happen.
- debata — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of debatir is debata.
- debatiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of debatir is debatiera.
- hemos debatido — The nosotros present perfect of debatir is hemos debatido: hemos + debatido.
- debate — The affirmative tú imperative of debatir is debate.
- debatiendo — The gerund of debatir is debatiendo: estoy debatiendo. The participle debatido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does debatir mean in English?
Debatir means to debate. It is used in everyday situations such as Debato el tema en clase. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is debatir regular or irregular?
Debatir is a fully regular -ir 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 debato in the present and debatí in the preterite.
What is the difference between debatir and discutir?
Debatir means to debate, while discutir means to discuss or argue. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use debatir when you mean to debate, as in Debato el tema en clase, and use discutir for to discuss or argue. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I debate” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo debatí sobre el cambio climático. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo debatía la propuesta en el parlamento. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he debatido sobre el cambio climático.
How do I practise debatir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the debatir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Debatir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for debatir.
- Debatir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for debatir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Discutir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with debatir.
- Advertir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with debatir.
- Esculpir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with debatir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.