Introduction

desconfiar means “to distrust” in English, and it is a verb you will meet again and again once you start reading and speaking Spanish. It is used whenever you need to talk about strangers — at home, at work, and in everyday conversation — which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of desconfiar in every tense and mood, with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. desconfiar is a regular -ar 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 desconfío de los extraños todos los días.” — “I distrust strangers.” Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts
Infinitive desconfiar
English to distrust
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund desconfiando
Past participle desconfiado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: desconfiando · Past participle: desconfiado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo desconfío
tú desconfías
él/ella/Ud. desconfía
nosotros/as desconfiamos
vosotros/as desconfiáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desconfían

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For desconfiar, the yo form is desconfío, as in “Yo desconfío de los extraños.” — “I distrust strangers.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo desconfié
tú desconfiaste
él/ella/Ud. desconfió
nosotros/as desconfiamos
vosotros/as desconfiasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desconfiaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For desconfiar, the yo form is desconfié, as in “Yo desconfié de los extraños.” — “I distrusted strangers.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo desconfiaba
tú desconfiabas
él/ella/Ud. desconfiaba
nosotros/as desconfiábamos
vosotros/as desconfiabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desconfiaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For desconfiar, the yo form is desconfiaba, as in “Yo desconfiaba de los extraños.” — “I used to distrust strangers.”

Future

Person Form
yo desconfiaré
tú desconfiarás
él/ella/Ud. desconfiará
nosotros/as desconfiaremos
vosotros/as desconfiaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desconfiarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For desconfiar, the yo form is desconfiaré, as in “Yo desconfiaré de los extraños.” — “I will distrust strangers.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo desconfiaría
tú desconfiarías
él/ella/Ud. desconfiaría
nosotros/as desconfiaríamos
vosotros/as desconfiaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desconfiarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For desconfiar, the yo form is desconfiaría, as in “Yo desconfiaría de los extraños.” — “I would distrust strangers.”

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For desconfiar, the yo form is he desconfiado, as in “Yo he desconfiado de los extraños.” — “I have distrusted strangers.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For desconfiar, the yo form is había desconfiado, as in “Yo había desconfiado de los extraños.” — “I had distrusted strangers.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For desconfiar, the yo form is habré desconfiado, as in “Yo habré desconfiado de los extraños.” — “I will have distrusted strangers.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For desconfiar, the yo form is habría desconfiado, as in “Yo habría desconfiado de los extraños.” — “I would have distrusted strangers.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo desconfíe
tú desconfíes
él/ella/Ud. desconfíe
nosotros/as desconfiemos
vosotros/as desconfiéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desconfíen

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For desconfiar, the yo form is desconfíe, as in “Espero que yo desconfíe de los extraños.” — “I hope that I distrust strangers.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo desconfiara
tú desconfiaras
él/ella/Ud. desconfiara
nosotros/as desconfiáramos
vosotros/as desconfiarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desconfiaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For desconfiar, the yo form is desconfiara, as in “Si yo desconfiara de los extraños, ...” — “If I distrusted strangers, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: desconfiara becomes desconfiase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú desconfía
Ud. desconfíe
nosotros/as desconfiemos
vosotros/as desconfiad
Uds. desconfíen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú desconfíes
Ud. desconfíe
nosotros/as desconfiemos
vosotros/as desconfiéis
Uds. desconfíen

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is desconfía, as in “¡Desconfía de los extraños” — “Distrust strangers” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no desconfíes. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with desconfiar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with desconfiar, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo desconfío de los extraños cada día.” — “I distrust strangers.”
  2. “Él desconfía de los extraños todos los días.” — “He distrusts strangers.”
  3. “Yo desconfié de los extraños ayer.” — “I distrusted strangers.”
  4. “Él desconfió de los extraños ayer.” — “He distrusted strangers.”
  5. “Yo desconfiaba de los extraños cuando era joven.” — “I used to distrust strangers.”
  6. “Nosotros desconfiaremos de los extraños mañana.” — “We will distrust strangers.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo desconfiaría de los extraños.” — “If I could, i would distrust strangers.”
  8. “Yo he desconfiado de los extraños hoy.” — “I have distrusted strangers.”
  9. “Espero que yo desconfíe de los extraños.” — “I hope that I distrust strangers.”
  10. “estoy desconfiando de los extraños ahora mismo.” — “I am distrusting strangers.”

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is desconfié, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — desconfie — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of desconfiar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For desconfiar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: desconfiamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he desconfiado de los extraños. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy desconfiado is not the present perfect of desconfiar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing desconfiar with descubrir

desconfiar and descubrir look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of desconfiar — distrust — the sentence needs desconfiar; if it needs the meaning of descubrir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo desconfíe de los extraños. Using the indicative — Espero que yo desconfío — is one of the most frequent learner errors with desconfiar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of desconfiar in the present?

  • A. desconfías
  • B. desconfía
  • C. desconfiamos
  • D. desconfío

2. What is the tu form of desconfiar in the preterite?

  • A. desconfiamos
  • B. desconfiaste
  • C. desconfié
  • D. desconfió

3. What is the el form of desconfiar in the imperfect?

  • A. desconfiabas
  • B. desconfiábamos
  • C. desconfiabais
  • D. desconfiaba

4. What is the nosotros form of desconfiar in the future?

  • A. desconfiará
  • B. desconfiaremos
  • C. desconfiaré
  • D. desconfiarás

5. What is the vosotros form of desconfiar in the present perfect?

  • A. he desconfiado
  • B. has desconfiado
  • C. ha desconfiado
  • D. habéis desconfiado

6. What is the ellos form of desconfiar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. desconfíe
  • B. desconfíen
  • C. desconfíe
  • D. desconfíes

7. What is the yo form of desconfiar in the preterite?

  • A. desconfiaste
  • B. desconfió
  • C. desconfiamos
  • D. desconfié

8. What is the tu form of desconfiar in the imperfect?

  • A. desconfiábamos
  • B. desconfiabas
  • C. desconfiaba
  • D. desconfiaba

9. What is the el form of desconfiar in the future?

  • A. desconfiaré
  • B. desconfiarás
  • C. desconfiaremos
  • D. desconfiará

10. What is the nosotros form of desconfiar in the conditional?

  • A. desconfiaría
  • B. desconfiaríamos
  • C. desconfiaría
  • D. desconfiarías

Answer key

  1. desconfío — The present table gives yo = desconfío.
  2. desconfiaste — The preterite table gives tu = desconfiaste.
  3. desconfiaba — The imperfect table gives el = desconfiaba.
  4. desconfiaremos — The future table gives nosotros = desconfiaremos.
  5. habéis desconfiado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis desconfiado.
  6. desconfíen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = desconfíen.
  7. desconfié — The preterite table gives yo = desconfié.
  8. desconfiabas — The imperfect table gives tu = desconfiabas.
  9. desconfiará — The future table gives el = desconfiará.
  10. desconfiaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = desconfiaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

Is desconfiar regular or irregular?

desconfiar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of desconfiar?

The past participle of desconfiar is desconfiado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he desconfiado, había desconfiado, habré desconfiado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund desconfiando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of desconfiar?

The gerund of desconfiar is desconfiando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy desconfiando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle desconfiado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of desconfiar in the present?

The yo form is desconfío — “Yo desconfío de los extraños.” means “I distrust strangers.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú desconfías, él desconfía, nosotros desconfiamos, ellos desconfían.

What is the difference between desconfiar and descubrir?

desconfiar means “to distrust”, while descubrir means “to discover”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to distrust”, use desconfiar; if it is about the meaning of descubrir, use descubrir instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

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