Donar Conjugation in Spanish

donar means «to donate». 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 donar 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 dono todos los días» — I donate every day.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: donar
  • English: to donate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: donando
  • Past participle: donado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + donado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Gerund: donando · Past participle: donado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo dono
tú donas
él/ella/Ud. dona
nosotros/as donamos
vosotros/as donáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. donan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For donar, the yo form is dono, 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 doné
tú donaste
él/ella/Ud. donó
nosotros/as donamos
vosotros/as donasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. donaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo doné» 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 donaba
tú donabas
él/ella/Ud. donaba
nosotros/as donábamos
vosotros/as donabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. donaban

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

Future

Person Form
yo donaré
tú donarás
él/ella/Ud. donará
nosotros/as donaremos
vosotros/as donaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. donarán

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

Conditional

Person Form
yo donaría
tú donarías
él/ella/Ud. donaría
nosotros/as donaríamos
vosotros/as donaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. donarían

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

Present Perfect

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

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 donado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había donado». 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 donado
tú habrás donado
él/ella/Ud. habrá donado
nosotros/as habremos donado
vosotros/as habréis donado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán donado

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré donado» 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 donado
tú habrías donado
él/ella/Ud. habría donado
nosotros/as habríamos donado
vosotros/as habríais donado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían donado

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría donado 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 done
tú dones
él/ella/Ud. done
nosotros/as donemos
vosotros/as donéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. donen

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él done». 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 donara
tú donaras
él/ella/Ud. donara
nosotros/as donáramos
vosotros/as donarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. donaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él donara, 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 dona
él/ella/Ud. done
nosotros/as donemos
vosotros/as donad
ellos/ellas/Uds. donen

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

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡dona!». 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 dones
él/ella/Ud. done
nosotros/as donemos
vosotros/as donéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. donen

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

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No dones!». 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 dono todos los días. — I donate every day.
  2. Ayer yo doné por la tarde. — Yesterday I donated in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo donaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to donate every day.
  4. Mañana yo donaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will donate without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo donaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would donate right now.
  6. Hoy yo he donado dos veces. — Today I have donated twice.
  7. Espero que tú dones pronto. — I hope You donate soon.
  8. Si yo donara, todo sería distinto. — If I donated, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy donando. — Right now I am donating.
  10. ¡dona, por favor! — Donate, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo donaba.

Right: Ayer yo doné.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, doné. The imperfect donaba 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 donas.

Right: Espero que tú dones.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No dona.

Right: No dones.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo donar todos los días.

Right: Yo dono todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He donando.

Right: He donado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he donado. The gerund donando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy donando»), 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 donar in the present indicative?

- (a) dona
- (b) donas
- (c) dono
- (d) donamos

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

- (a) donaste
- (b) doné
- (c) donó
- (d) donamos

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

- (a) donaba
- (b) donábamos
- (c) donabas
- (d) donaba

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

- (a) donaré
- (b) donará
- (c) donarás
- (d) donaremos

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

- (a) donaría
- (b) donaríais
- (c) donaría
- (d) donarías

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

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

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

- (a) done
- (b) donemos
- (c) done
- (d) dones

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

- (a) donáramos
- (b) donara
- (c) donaras
- (d) donara

9. What is the gerund of donar?

- (a) dono
- (b) donando
- (c) donado
- (d) donar

10. What is the past participle of donar?

- (a) doné
- (b) donar
- (c) donando
- (d) donado

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of donar is dono. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the tú form of donar is donaste. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of donar is donaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the future, the nosotros/as form of donar is donaremos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the conditional, the vosotros/as form of donar is donaríais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present perfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of donar is han donado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — In the present subjunctive, the yo form of donar is done. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (c) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the tú form of donar is donaras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (b) — The gerund of donar is donando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy donando». 10. (d) — The past participle of donar is donado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he donado».

Frequently asked questions

Is donar regular or irregular?

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

What are the gerund and past participle of donar?

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

How do I say «I donate» in Spanish?

Say «Yo dono 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 donar?

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

When do I use the subjunctive with donar?

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

How do I use donar in the present perfect?

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

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