Efectuar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb efectuar means to carry out, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Efectuar is a formal verb meaning to carry out: efectuar un pago, efectuar una llamada. It is the verb of official and business Spanish, where llevar a cabo is the plainer alternative. Like every Spanish verb, efectuar 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 efectúo un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online". 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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: efectuar
  • English: to carry out
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: efectuando
  • Past participle: efectuado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + efectuado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | efectúo | | tú | efectúas | | él/ella/Ud. | efectúa | | nosotros/as | efectuamos | | vosotros/as | efectuáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | efectúan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | efectué | | tú | efectuaste | | él/ella/Ud. | efectuó | | nosotros/as | efectuamos | | vosotros/as | efectuasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | efectuaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | efectuaba | | tú | efectuabas | | él/ella/Ud. | efectuaba | | nosotros/as | efectuábamos | | vosotros/as | efectuabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | efectuaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | efectuaré | | tú | efectuarás | | él/ella/Ud. | efectuará | | nosotros/as | efectuaremos | | vosotros/as | efectuaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | efectuarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | efectuaría | | tú | efectuarías | | él/ella/Ud. | efectuaría | | nosotros/as | efectuaríamos | | vosotros/as | efectuaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | efectuarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | efectúe | | tú | efectúes | | él/ella/Ud. | efectúe | | nosotros/as | efectuemos | | vosotros/as | efectuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | efectúen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | efectuara | | tú | efectuaras | | él/ella/Ud. | efectuara | | nosotros/as | efectuáramos | | vosotros/as | efectuarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | efectuaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | efectúa | | él/ella/Ud. | efectúe | | nosotros/as | efectuemos | | vosotros/as | efectuad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | efectúen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | efectúes | | él/ella/Ud. | efectúe | | nosotros/as | efectuemos | | vosotros/as | efectuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | efectúen |

Gerund and past participle

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

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For efectuar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo efectúo un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For efectuar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo efectué una llamada urgente — "Yesterday, I carried out an urgent call".

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 efectuar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo efectuaba una compra en la tienda — "As a child, I used to carry out a purchase in the shop".

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 efectuar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo efectuaré un viaje de negocios — "Tomorrow, I will carry out a business trip".

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 efectuar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo efectuaría un pago por internet si pudiera — "I would carry out a payment online 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 efectuar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he efectuado una llamada urgente — "Today, I have carried out an urgent call".

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 efectuar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había efectuado una compra en la tienda antes de salir — "I already had carried out a purchase in the shop 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 efectuar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré efectuado un viaje de negocios — "By tomorrow, I will have carried out a business trip".

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 efectuar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría efectuado un pago por internet con más tiempo — "I would have carried out a payment online with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For efectuar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él efectúe una llamada urgente — "I hope he carries out an urgent call".

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 regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For efectuar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo efectuara una compra en la tienda, todo cambiaría — "If I carried out a purchase in the shop, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For efectuar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Efectúa un viaje de negocios. — "Carry out a business trip.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For efectuar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No efectúes un pago por internet. — "Do not carry out a payment online.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo efectúo un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online"
  2. Mi amigo efectúa una llamada urgente — "My friend carries out an urgent call"
  3. Ayer, yo efectué una compra en la tienda — "Yesterday, I carried out a purchase in the shop"
  4. Antes, nosotros efectuábamos un viaje de negocios — "Before, we used to carry out a business trip"
  5. Mañana, tú efectuarás una revisión del coche — "Tomorrow, you will carry out a check-up of the car"
  6. Yo efectuaría un pago por internet si tuviera más tiempo — "I would carry out a payment online if I had more time"
  7. Él ha efectuado una llamada urgente — "He has carried out an urgent call"
  8. Espero que él efectúe una compra en la tienda — "I hope he carries out a purchase in the shop"
  9. Yo ya había efectuado un viaje de negocios antes de salir — "I already had carried out a business trip before leaving"
  10. Ellos efectuaban una revisión del coche cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to carry out a check-up of the car when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él efectúa una llamada urgente — Right: Espero que él efectúe una llamada urgente — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él efectúe una llamada urgente — not the indicative Espero que él efectúa una llamada urgente.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo efectúo una compra en la tienda — Right: Ayer, yo efectué una compra en la tienda — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo efectué una compra en la tienda.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo efectué un viaje de negocios todos los días — Right: De niño, yo efectuaba un viaje de negocios todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo efectuaba un viaje de negocios todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo efectúo en un pago por internet. — Right: Yo efectúo un pago por internet. — efectuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo efectúo un pago por internet.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros efectuais una revisión del coche. — Right: Vosotros efectuáis una revisión del coche. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: efectuáis, not efectuais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online" (present) A. efectuamos B. efectúo C. efectúas D. efectúa

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ una llamada urgente — "He carried out an urgent call" (preterite) A. efectuaste B. efectuamos C. efectuó D. efectué

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ una compra en la tienda — "We used to carry out a purchase in the shop" (imperfect) A. efectuábamos B. efectuaba C. efectuabas D. efectuabais

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ un viaje de negocios — "You will carry out a business trip" (future) A. efectuaré B. efectuará C. efectuaremos D. efectuarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ una revisión del coche — "I would carry out a check-up of the car" (conditional) A. efectuaría B. efectuarías C. efectuaríamos D. efectuaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ un pago por internet — "I hope he carries out a payment online" (present subjunctive) A. efectúe B. efectúes C. efectuemos D. efectuéis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ una llamada urgente, todo cambiaría — "If I carried out an urgent call, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. efectuáramos B. efectuarais C. efectuara D. efectuaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ una compra en la tienda — "We have carried out a purchase in the shop" (present perfect) A. hemos efectuado B. he efectuado C. has efectuado D. ha efectuado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ un viaje de negocios. — "Do not carry out a business trip." (negative imperative) A. efectúe B. efectuemos C. efectuéis D. efectúes

  10. Which is the gerund of efectuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. efectuado B. efectúo C. efectué D. efectuando

Answer key

  1. efectúo — The present form for yo is efectúo.
  2. efectuó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is efectuó.
  3. efectuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is efectuábamos.
  4. efectuarás — The future form for tú is efectuarás.
  5. efectuaría — The conditional form for yo is efectuaría.
  6. efectúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is efectúe.
  7. efectuara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is efectuara.
  8. hemos efectuado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos efectuado.
  9. efectúes — The negative imperative form is efectúes.
  10. efectuando — The gerund of efectuar is efectuando: estoy efectuando. The participle efectuado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does efectuar mean in English?

efectuar means to carry out. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo efectúo un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is efectuar regular?

Yes. efectuar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as efectuáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of efectuar?

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

How do I say "I carry out" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo efectué una llamada urgente — "Yesterday, I carried out an urgent call". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo efectuaba una compra en la tienda — "As a child, I used to carry out a purchase in the shop". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he efectuado una llamada urgente — "Today, I have carried out an urgent call".

What is the difference between efectuar and realizar?

Realizar is the common verb for carrying out an action or a purchase. Efectuar is more formal and typical of banking and administration. Efectuar is a formal verb meaning to carry out: efectuar un pago, efectuar una llamada. It is the verb of official and business Spanish, where llevar a cabo is the plainer alternative.

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