Digerir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb digerir means to digest, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Digerir means to digest food, and figuratively to digest an idea or bad news: digerir las malas noticias poco a poco. The stem changes e to ie in the present. Like every Spanish verb, digerir 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 Yo digiero la comida con dificultad — "I digest food with difficulty". 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.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: digiero, digieres, digiere and digieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: digerimos, digerís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: digirió, digirieron, and the gerund is digiriendo.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: digerir
  • English: to digest
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: digiriendo
  • Past participle: digerido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + digerido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | digiero | | tú | digieres | | él/ella/Ud. | digiere | | nosotros/as | digerimos | | vosotros/as | digerís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | digieren |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | digerí | | tú | digeriste | | él/ella/Ud. | digirió | | nosotros/as | digerimos | | vosotros/as | digeristeis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | digirieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | digería | | tú | digerías | | él/ella/Ud. | digería | | nosotros/as | digeríamos | | vosotros/as | digeríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | digerían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | digeriré | | tú | digerirás | | él/ella/Ud. | digerirá | | nosotros/as | digeriremos | | vosotros/as | digeriréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | digerirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | digeriría | | tú | digerirías | | él/ella/Ud. | digeriría | | nosotros/as | digeriríamos | | vosotros/as | digeriríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | digerirían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | digiera | | tú | digieras | | él/ella/Ud. | digiera | | nosotros/as | digiramos | | vosotros/as | digiráis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | digieran |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | digiriera | | tú | digirieras | | él/ella/Ud. | digiriera | | nosotros/as | digiriéramos | | vosotros/as | digirierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | digirieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | digiere | | él/ella/Ud. | digiera | | nosotros/as | digiramos | | vosotros/as | digerid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | digieran |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | digieras | | él/ella/Ud. | digiera | | nosotros/as | digiramos | | vosotros/as | digiráis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | digieran |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund digiriendo with estar for the progressive: está digiriendo
Past participle digerido with haber for the perfect tenses: he digerido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: digiero, digieres, digiere and digieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: digerimos, digerís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: digirió, digirieron, and the gerund is digiriendo. For digerir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo digiero la comida con dificultad — "I digest food with difficulty".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: digirió, digirieron. The gerund changes too: digiriendo. For digerir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo digerí las malas noticias poco a poco — "Yesterday, I digested the bad news little by little".

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 digerir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo digería la cena antes de dormir — "As a child, I used to digest dinner before sleeping".

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 digerir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo digeriré una idea nueva — "Tomorrow, I will digest a new idea".

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 digerir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo digeriría la comida con dificultad si pudiera — "I would digest food with difficulty if I could".

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 digerir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he digerido las malas noticias poco a poco — "Today, I have digested the bad news little by little".

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 digerir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había digerido la cena antes de dormir antes de salir — "I already had digested dinner before sleeping before leaving".

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 digerir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré digerido una idea nueva — "By tomorrow, I will have digested a new idea".

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 digerir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría digerido la comida con dificultad con más tiempo — "I would have digested food with difficulty with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: digiero, digieres, digiere and digieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: digerimos, digerís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: digirió, digirieron, and the gerund is digiriendo. For digerir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él digiera las malas noticias poco a poco — "I hope he digests the bad news little by little".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is irregular — see the table above. For digerir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo digiriera la cena antes de dormir, todo cambiaría — "If I digested dinner before sleeping, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: digiero, digieres, digiere and digieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: digerimos, digerís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: digirió, digirieron, and the gerund is digiriendo. For digerir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Digiere una idea nueva. — "Digest a new idea.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: digiero, digieres, digiere and digieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: digerimos, digerís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: digirió, digirieron, and the gerund is digiriendo. For digerir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No digieras la comida con dificultad. — "Do not digest food with difficulty.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with digerir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo digiero la comida con dificultad — "I digest food with difficulty"
  2. Mi amigo digiere las malas noticias poco a poco — "My friend digests the bad news little by little"
  3. Ayer, yo digerí la cena antes de dormir — "Yesterday, I digested dinner before sleeping"
  4. Antes, nosotros digeríamos una idea nueva — "Before, we used to digest a new idea"
  5. Mañana, tú digerirás el almuerzo en una hora — "Tomorrow, you will digest lunch in an hour"
  6. Yo digeriría la comida con dificultad si tuviera más tiempo — "I would digest food with difficulty if I had more time"
  7. Él ha digerido las malas noticias poco a poco — "He has digested the bad news little by little"
  8. Espero que él digiera la cena antes de dormir — "I hope he digests dinner before sleeping"
  9. Yo ya había digerido una idea nueva antes de salir — "I already had digested a new idea before leaving"
  10. Ellos digerían el almuerzo en una hora cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to digest lunch in an hour when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo digero las malas noticias poco a poco. — Right: Yo digiero las malas noticias poco a poco. — digerir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is digiero, not digero.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él digiere las malas noticias poco a poco — Right: Espero que él digiera las malas noticias poco a poco — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él digiera las malas noticias poco a poco — not the indicative Espero que él digiere las malas noticias poco a poco.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo digiero la cena antes de dormir — Right: Ayer, yo digerí la cena antes de dormir — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo digerí la cena antes de dormir.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo digerí una idea nueva todos los días — Right: De niño, yo digería una idea nueva todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo digería una idea nueva todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo digiero en la comida con dificultad. — Right: Yo digiero la comida con dificultad. — digerir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo digiero la comida con dificultad.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on digerir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la comida con dificultad — "I digest food with difficulty" (present) A. digiero B. digieres C. digiere D. digerimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ las malas noticias poco a poco — "He digested the bad news little by little" (preterite) A. digeriste B. digerimos C. digirió D. digerí

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la cena antes de dormir — "We used to digest dinner before sleeping" (imperfect) A. digería B. digerías C. digeríais D. digeríamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ una idea nueva — "You will digest a new idea" (future) A. digerirá B. digeriremos C. digerirás D. digeriré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el almuerzo en una hora — "I would digest lunch in an hour" (conditional) A. digeriríais B. digeriría C. digerirías D. digeriríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la comida con dificultad — "I hope he digests food with difficulty" (present subjunctive) A. digiera B. digieras C. digiramos D. digiráis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ las malas noticias poco a poco, todo cambiaría — "If I digested the bad news little by little, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. digiriéramos B. digirierais C. digiriera D. digirieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la cena antes de dormir — "We have digested dinner before sleeping" (present perfect) A. he digerido B. has digerido C. ha digerido D. hemos digerido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ una idea nueva. — "Do not digest a new idea." (negative imperative) A. digiramos B. digiráis C. digieras D. digiera

  10. Which is the gerund of digerir, used with estar for the progressive? A. digiriendo B. digerido C. digiero D. digerí

Answer key

  1. digiero — The present form for yo is digiero.
  2. digirió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is digirió.
  3. digeríamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is digeríamos.
  4. digerirás — The future form for tú is digerirás.
  5. digeriría — The conditional form for yo is digeriría.
  6. digiera — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is digiera.
  7. digiriera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is digiriera.
  8. hemos digerido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos digerido.
  9. digieras — The negative imperative form is digieras.
  10. digiriendo — The gerund of digerir is digiriendo: estoy digiriendo. The participle digerido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does digerir mean in English?

digerir means to digest. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo digiero la comida con dificultad — "I digest food with difficulty". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is digerir regular?

No. digerir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: digiero, digieres, digiere and digieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: digerimos, digerís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: digirió, digirieron, and the gerund is digiriendo. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of digerir?

The gerund is digiriendo and the past participle is digerido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I digest" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo digerí las malas noticias poco a poco — "Yesterday, I digested the bad news little by little". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo digería la cena antes de dormir — "As a child, I used to digest dinner before sleeping". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he digerido las malas noticias poco a poco — "Today, I have digested the bad news little by little".

What is the difference between digerir and asimilar?

Asimilar is to assimilate or absorb knowledge or food. Digerir is the literal digestion, and the figurative sense of slowly taking in news or ideas. Digerir means to digest food, and figuratively to digest an idea or bad news: digerir las malas noticias poco a poco. The stem changes e to ie in the present.

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