Demorar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb demorar means to delay, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Demorar means to delay, to make something take longer or to take a long time doing something. It is used for flights, work and replies, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, demorar 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 demoro el vuelo por la niebla, and in the preterite you say demoré la entrega del pedido. 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: demorar
- English: to delay
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: demorando
- Past participle: demorado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + demorado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for demorar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Demorar is fully regular: demoro, demora. It is delaying or taking a long time; retrasar is the close synonym.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for demorar. 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 | demoro |
| tú | demoras |
| él/ella/Ud. | demora |
| nosotros/as | demoramos |
| vosotros/as | demoráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | demoran |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | demoré |
| tú | demoraste |
| él/ella/Ud. | demoró |
| nosotros/as | demoramos |
| vosotros/as | demorasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | demoraron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | demoraba |
| tú | demorabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | demoraba |
| nosotros/as | demorábamos |
| vosotros/as | demorabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | demoraban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | demoraré |
| tú | demorarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | demorará |
| nosotros/as | demoraremos |
| vosotros/as | demoraréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | demorarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | demoraría |
| tú | demorarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | demoraría |
| nosotros/as | demoraríamos |
| vosotros/as | demoraríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | demorarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he demorado |
| tú | has demorado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha demorado |
| nosotros/as | hemos demorado |
| vosotros/as | habéis demorado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han demorado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había demorado |
| tú | habías demorado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había demorado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos demorado |
| vosotros/as | habíais demorado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían demorado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré demorado |
| tú | habrás demorado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá demorado |
| nosotros/as | habremos demorado |
| vosotros/as | habréis demorado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán demorado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría demorado |
| tú | habrías demorado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría demorado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos demorado |
| vosotros/as | habríais demorado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían demorado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | demore |
| tú | demores |
| él/ella/Ud. | demore |
| nosotros/as | demoremos |
| vosotros/as | demoréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | demoren |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | demorara |
| tú | demoraras |
| él/ella/Ud. | demorara |
| nosotros/as | demoráramos |
| vosotros/as | demorarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | demoraran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | demora |
| él/ella/Ud. | demore |
| nosotros/as | demoremos |
| vosotros/as | demorad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | demoren |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | demores |
| él/ella/Ud. | demore |
| nosotros/as | demoremos |
| vosotros/as | demoréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | demoren |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | demorando | with estar for the progressive: estoy demorando |
| Past participle | demorado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he demorado |
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 demorar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Demoro el vuelo por la niebla. 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 demorar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, demoré la respuesta una semana. 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 demorar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, demoraba la entrega del pedido. 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 demorar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, demoraré mucho en contestar el mensaje. 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 demorar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Demoraría el vuelo por la niebla 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 demorar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he demorado la respuesta una semana. 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 demorar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había demorado la entrega del pedido 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 demorar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré demorado mucho en contestar el mensaje. 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 demorar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría demorado el vuelo por la niebla 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 demorar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él demore la respuesta una semana. 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 demorar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él demorara la entrega del pedido, 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 demorar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Demora mucho en contestar el mensaje! 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 demorar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No demores el vuelo por la niebla. 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 demorar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Demoro el vuelo por la niebla. — I delay the flight because of the fog.
- Demora la respuesta una semana. — He/she delays the reply by a week.
- Ayer, demoré la entrega del pedido. — Yesterday, I delayed the delivery of the order.
- Antes, nosotros demorábamos mucho en contestar el mensaje. — Before, we used to delay a long time answering the message.
- Mañana, tú demorarás el vuelo por la niebla. — Tomorrow, you will delay the flight because of the fog.
- Yo demoraría la respuesta una semana si tuviera más tiempo. — I would delay the reply by a week if I had more time.
- Él ha demorado la entrega del pedido. — He has delayed the delivery of the order.
- Espero que él demore mucho en contestar el mensaje. — I hope he delays a long time answering the message.
- Yo ya había demorado el vuelo por la niebla antes de salir. — I had already delayed the flight because of the fog before leaving.
- Ellos demoraban la respuesta una semana cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to delay the reply by a week when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo demora el vuelo por la niebla. — Right: Yo demoro el vuelo por la niebla. — The person matters: demora is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is demoro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo demoro la respuesta una semana. — Right: Ayer yo demoré la respuesta una semana. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: demoro is happening now, while demoré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating demorar and retrasar as identical in every context. — Right: Demorar means to delay, while retrasar means to delay, a close synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: demorar fits sentences such as Demoro el vuelo por la niebla, while retrasar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy demorado la respuesta una semana. — Right: Yo he demorado la respuesta una semana. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he demorado, has demorado, ha demorado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo demoré la entrega del pedido todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo demoraba la entrega del pedido todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (demoraba), not the preterite. The preterite (demoré) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on demorar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el vuelo por la niebla. (present tense) A. demoro B. demoras C. demora D. demoramos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la respuesta una semana. (preterite) A. demoré B. demoraste C. demoraron D. demoró
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la entrega del pedido. (imperfect) A. demorabas B. demoraban C. demorábamos D. demoraba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ mucho en contestar el mensaje. (future) A. demoraremos B. demorarás C. demoraré D. demorará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el vuelo por la niebla si pudiera. (conditional) A. demoraría B. demorarías C. demorarían D. demoro
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la respuesta una semana. (present subjunctive) A. demores B. demoremos C. demoro D. demore
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la entrega del pedido, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. demoráramos B. demoro C. demorara D. demoraras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ mucho en contestar el mensaje. (present perfect) A. han demorado B. hemos demorado C. he demorado D. has demorado
Complete the command: ¡___ el vuelo por la niebla! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. demora B. demore C. demoremos D. demorad
Which is the gerund of demorar, used with estar for the progressive? A. demorado B. demoro C. demoré D. demorando
Answer key
- demoro — The first-person present of demorar is demoro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- demoró — The third-person preterite of demorar is demoró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- demorábamos — The nosotros imperfect of demorar is demorábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- demorarás — The second-person future of demorar is demorarás.
- demoraría — The first-person conditional of demorar is demoraría, the form for what would happen.
- demore — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of demorar is demore.
- demorara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of demorar is demorara.
- hemos demorado — The nosotros present perfect of demorar is hemos demorado: hemos + demorado.
- demora — The affirmative tú imperative of demorar is demora.
- demorando — The gerund of demorar is demorando: estoy demorando. The participle demorado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does demorar mean in English?
Demorar means to delay. It is used in everyday situations such as Demoro el vuelo por la niebla. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is demorar regular or irregular?
Demorar 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 demoro in the present and demoré in the preterite.
What is the difference between demorar and retrasar?
Demorar means to delay, while retrasar means to delay, a close synonym. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use demorar when you mean to delay, as in Demoro el vuelo por la niebla, and use retrasar for to delay, a close synonym. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I delay” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo demoré la respuesta una semana. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo demoraba la entrega del pedido. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he demorado la respuesta una semana.
How do I practise demorar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the demorar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Demorar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for demorar.
- Demorar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for demorar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Denunciar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with demorar.
- Cobijar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with demorar.
- Derivar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with demorar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.