Dictar Conjugation in Spanish

dictar means «to dictate». It is a regular -ar verb verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of dictar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo dicto todos los días» — I dictate every day.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: dictar
  • English: to dictate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: dictando
  • Past participle: dictado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + dictado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Gerund: dictando · Past participle: dictado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo dicto
tú dictas
él/ella/Ud. dicta
nosotros/as dictamos
vosotros/as dictáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. dictan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For dictar, the yo form is dicto, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future.

Preterite

Person Form
yo dicté
tú dictaste
él/ella/Ud. dictó
nosotros/as dictamos
vosotros/as dictasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. dictaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo dicté» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo dictaba
tú dictabas
él/ella/Ud. dictaba
nosotros/as dictábamos
vosotros/as dictabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. dictaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo dictaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Form
yo dictaré
tú dictarás
él/ella/Ud. dictará
nosotros/as dictaremos
vosotros/as dictaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. dictarán

The future tense states what will happen. For dictar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo dictaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.

Conditional

Person Form
yo dictaría
tú dictarías
él/ella/Ud. dictaría
nosotros/as dictaríamos
vosotros/as dictaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. dictarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo dictaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he dictado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había dictado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré dictado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría dictado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo dicte
tú dictes
él/ella/Ud. dicte
nosotros/as dictemos
vosotros/as dictéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. dicten

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él dicte». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo dictara
tú dictaras
él/ella/Ud. dictara
nosotros/as dictáramos
vosotros/as dictarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. dictaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él dictara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú dicta
él/ella/Ud. dicte
nosotros/as dictemos
vosotros/as dictad
ellos/ellas/Uds. dicten

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡dicta!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú dictes
él/ella/Ud. dicte
nosotros/as dictemos
vosotros/as dictéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. dicten

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No dictes!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.

Example sentences

  1. Yo dicto todos los días. — I dictate every day.
  2. Ayer yo dicté por la tarde. — Yesterday I dictated in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo dictaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to dictate every day.
  4. Mañana yo dictaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will dictate without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo dictaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would dictate right now.
  6. Hoy yo he dictado dos veces. — Today I have dictated twice.
  7. Espero que tú dictes pronto. — I hope You dictate soon.
  8. Si yo dictara, todo sería distinto. — If I dictated, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy dictando. — Right now I am dictating.
  10. ¡dicta, por favor! — Dictate, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo dictaba.

Right: Ayer yo dicté.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, dicté. The imperfect dictaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú dictas.

Right: Espero que tú dictes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: dictes, not the indicative dictas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No dicta.

Right: No dictes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no dictes. The affirmative dicta can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo dictar todos los días.

Right: Yo dicto todos los días.

The infinitive dictar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo dicto.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He dictando.

Right: He dictado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he dictado. The gerund dictando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy dictando»), never with haber.

Quiz

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

1. What is the yo form of dictar in the present indicative?

- (a) dicta
- (b) dictas
- (c) dictamos
- (d) dicto

2. What is the tú form of dictar in the preterite?

- (a) dictamos
- (b) dictó
- (c) dicté
- (d) dictaste

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of dictar in the imperfect?

- (a) dictábamos
- (b) dictaba
- (c) dictabas
- (d) dictaba

4. What is the nosotros/as form of dictar in the future?

- (a) dictaremos
- (b) dictaré
- (c) dictará
- (d) dictarás

5. What is the vosotros/as form of dictar in the conditional?

- (a) dictaríais
- (b) dictaría
- (c) dictaría
- (d) dictarías

6. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of dictar in the present perfect?

- (a) he dictado
- (b) han dictado
- (c) has dictado
- (d) ha dictado

7. What is the yo form of dictar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) dictes
- (b) dicte
- (c) dictemos
- (d) dicte

8. What is the tú form of dictar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) dictaras
- (b) dictara
- (c) dictara
- (d) dictáramos

9. What is the gerund of dictar?

- (a) dictado
- (b) dictar
- (c) dicto
- (d) dictando

10. What is the past participle of dictar?

- (a) dictando
- (b) dicté
- (c) dictar
- (d) dictado

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of dictar is dicto. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the tú form of dictar is dictaste. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of dictar is dictaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the future, the nosotros/as form of dictar is dictaremos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the vosotros/as form of dictar is dictaríais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present perfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of dictar is han dictado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — In the present subjunctive, the yo form of dictar is dicte. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the tú form of dictar is dictaras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (d) — The gerund of dictar is dictando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy dictando». 10. (d) — The past participle of dictar is dictado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he dictado».

Frequently asked questions

Is dictar regular or irregular?

Yes — dictar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem dict unchanged throughout.

What are the gerund and past participle of dictar?

The gerund is dictando and the past participle is dictado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy dictando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he dictado»).

How do I say «I dictate» in Spanish?

Say «Yo dicto todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of dictar?

Use the preterite (dicté) for a single finished event and the imperfect (dictaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo dicté» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo dictaba» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with dictar?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú dictes». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

How do I use dictar in the present perfect?

Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he dictado». The participle dictado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.

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