Descansar Conjugation in Spanish
descansar means "to rest" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about resting — after work, after exercise, on holiday and whenever you need a break, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of descansar in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Descansar is a regular -ar verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: Yo descanso en casa los domingos. — "I rest at home on Sundays.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: descansar
- English: to rest
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Gerund: descansando
- Past participle: descansado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + descansado)
Full conjugation table
Every tense of descansar with all six persons. The gerund is descansando and the past participle is descansado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | descanso |
| tú | descansas |
| él/ella/Ud. | descansa |
| nosotros/as | descansamos |
| vosotros/as | descansáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | descansan |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | descansé |
| tú | descansaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | descansó |
| nosotros/as | descansamos |
| vosotros/as | descansasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | descansaron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | descansaba |
| tú | descansabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | descansaba |
| nosotros/as | descansábamos |
| vosotros/as | descansabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | descansaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | descansaré |
| tú | descansarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | descansará |
| nosotros/as | descansaremos |
| vosotros/as | descansaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | descansarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | descansaría |
| tú | descansarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | descansaría |
| nosotros/as | descansaríamos |
| vosotros/as | descansaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | descansarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he descansado |
| tú | has descansado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha descansado |
| nosotros/as | hemos descansado |
| vosotros/as | habéis descansado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han descansado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había descansado |
| tú | habías descansado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había descansado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos descansado |
| vosotros/as | habíais descansado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían descansado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré descansado |
| tú | habrás descansado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá descansado |
| nosotros/as | habremos descansado |
| vosotros/as | habréis descansado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán descansado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría descansado |
| tú | habrías descansado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría descansado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos descansado |
| vosotros/as | habríais descansado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían descansado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | descanse |
| tú | descanses |
| él/ella/Ud. | descanse |
| nosotros/as | descansemos |
| vosotros/as | descanséis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | descansen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | descansara |
| tú | descansaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | descansara |
| nosotros/as | descansáramos |
| vosotros/as | descansarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | descansaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | descansa |
| él/ella/Ud. | descanse |
| nosotros/as | descansemos |
| vosotros/as | descansad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | descansen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | descanses |
| él/ella/Ud. | descanse |
| nosotros/as | descansemos |
| vosotros/as | descanséis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | descansen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | descansando |
| Past participle | descansado |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with descansar, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo descanso en casa.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Ayer yo descansé en casa.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: En aquella época, yo descansaba en casa.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Mañana yo descansaré en casa.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo descansaría en casa si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya he descansado en casa.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya había descansado en casa antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Para mañana yo ya habré descansado en casa.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo habría descansado en casa si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Espero que él descanse en casa.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Si él descansara en casa, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: ¡Descansa en casa!
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: No descanses en casa.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with descansar, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- Yo descanso en casa los domingos. — "I rest at home on Sundays."
- ¿Tú descansas en casa después del trabajo? — "Do you rest at home after work?"
- Ayer descansé en casa todo el día. — "Yesterday I rested at home all day."
- Ella descansaba en casa cada tarde. — "She used to rest at home every afternoon."
- Mañana descansaré en casa por fin. — "Tomorrow I will rest at home at last."
- Yo descansaría en casa si pudiera. — "I would rest at home if I could."
- Ya he descansado en casa un rato. — "I have already rested at home for a while."
- Espero que descanse en casa este fin de semana. — "I hope he rests at home this weekend."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with descansar — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo descansé en casa — learners often write descanse without the accent. → Right: Yo descansé en casa.. The preterite yo form is descansé, with an accent on the final e. Descansar is regular, so the accent is the only spelling point.
- Wrong: *Espero que tú descansas en casa. → Right: Espero que tú descanses en casa.. After espero que, use the subjunctive descanses, not the indicative descansas.
- Wrong: *Necesito descansar en casa — some learners confuse descansar with dormir; both are correct but different. → Right: Necesito descansar en casa.. Descansar means to rest, while dormir means to sleep. You can rest without sleeping: Voy a descansar en casa un rato.
- Wrong: *Yo he descansado en casa — learners sometimes write he descanso instead of the participle. → Right: Yo he descansado en casa.. The perfect tenses use the participle descansado after haber: he descansado, not he descanso.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on descansar. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of descansar in the present indicative?
- a) descanso
- b) descansamos
- c) descansa
- d) descansas
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of descansar in the preterite (past)?
- a) descansaste
- b) descansé
- c) descansó
- d) descansamos
What is the nosotros/as form of descansar in the imperfect (past)?
- a) descansabas
- b) descansábamos
- c) descansaba
- d) descansaba
What is the tú form of descansar in the future?
- a) descansarás
- b) descansaré
- c) descansará
- d) descansaremos
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of descansar in the conditional?
- a) descansarían
- b) descansaría
- c) descansaría
- d) descansarías
What is the yo form of descansar in the present subjunctive?
- a) descanse
- b) descanses
- c) descansemos
- d) descanse
What is the gerund of descansar?
- a) descansa
- b) descansando
- c) descansado
- d) descansar
What is the past participle of descansar?
- a) descanso
- b) he descansado
- c) descansado
- d) descansando
What does descansar mean in English?
- a) to be glad
- b) to cry
- c) to rest
- d) to allow, to permit
The form descansé belongs to which tense?
- a) Preterite
- b) Future
- c) Present
- d) Imperfect
Answer key
- descanso — The yo form in the present indicative is descanso — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- descansó — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is descansó — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- descansábamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is descansábamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- descansarás — The tú form in the future is descansarás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- descansarían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is descansarían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- descanse — The yo form in the present subjunctive is descanse — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- descansando — The gerund is descansando — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy descansando). The past participle is descansado.
- descansado — The past participle is descansado — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he descansado).
- to rest — descansar means "to rest".
- Preterite — descansé is the yo form of the preterite of descansar — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is descansaba.
Frequently asked questions
Is descansar regular?
Yes, descansar is a completely regular -ar verb: descanso, descansas, descansa, descansamos, descansáis, descansan. The preterite is descansé, descansaste, descansó, and the participle is descansado.
What is the difference between descansar and dormir?
Descansar means to rest — to stop working, to relax — while dormir means to sleep. You can descansar watching television, but dormir means you are actually asleep. After a long day, most people need both.
How do you say "rest in peace" in Spanish?
Descansa en paz or the fuller Descanse en paz (formal). It uses the imperative of descansar and is the standard phrase at funerals and on gravestones.
Does descansar take a preposition?
No. Descansar takes no preposition for the place: descanso en casa (en for the place, not part of the verb). With an infinitive, just add it: Voy a descansar un rato.
Related pages
- Descansar in the present tense — the present tense of descansar in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Descansar examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with descansar and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Dormir conjugation — another verb in the same family as descansar.
- Relajarse conjugation — another verb in the same family as descansar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise descansar with this tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — practise descansar with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.