Ejercitar Conjugation in Spanish

Learning to conjugate ejercitar — «to exercise» — opens up a whole set of sentences you will use every day. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page covers it completely: thirteen tenses, the gerund ejercitando and the past participle ejercitado, example sentences in every tense, the common mistakes and a quiz with an answer key. A good first sentence to learn is «Yo ejercito todos los días» — I exercise every day. Once you can say that, the rest of the table falls into place person by person.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: ejercitar
  • English: to exercise
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: ejercitando
  • Past participle: ejercitado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + ejercitado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Gerund: ejercitando · Past participle: ejercitado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo ejercito
tú ejercitas
él/ella/Ud. ejercita
nosotros/as ejercitamos
vosotros/as ejercitáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejercitan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For ejercitar, the yo form is ejercito, 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 ejercité
tú ejercitaste
él/ella/Ud. ejercitó
nosotros/as ejercitamos
vosotros/as ejercitasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejercitaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo ejercité» 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 ejercitaba
tú ejercitabas
él/ella/Ud. ejercitaba
nosotros/as ejercitábamos
vosotros/as ejercitabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejercitaban

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

Future

Person Form
yo ejercitaré
tú ejercitarás
él/ella/Ud. ejercitará
nosotros/as ejercitaremos
vosotros/as ejercitaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejercitarán

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

Conditional

Person Form
yo ejercitaría
tú ejercitarías
él/ella/Ud. ejercitaría
nosotros/as ejercitaríamos
vosotros/as ejercitaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejercitarían

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

Present Perfect

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

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

Pluperfect

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

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

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

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría ejercitado 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 ejercite
tú ejercites
él/ella/Ud. ejercite
nosotros/as ejercitemos
vosotros/as ejercitéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejerciten

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él ejercite». 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 ejercitara
tú ejercitaras
él/ella/Ud. ejercitara
nosotros/as ejercitáramos
vosotros/as ejercitarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejercitaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él ejercitara, 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 ejercita
él/ella/Ud. ejercite
nosotros/as ejercitemos
vosotros/as ejercitad
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejerciten

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

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡ejercita!». 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 ejercites
él/ella/Ud. ejercite
nosotros/as ejercitemos
vosotros/as ejercitéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejerciten

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

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No ejercites!». 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 ejercito todos los días. — I exercise every day.
  2. Ayer yo ejercité por la tarde. — Yesterday I exercised in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo ejercitaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to exercise every day.
  4. Mañana yo ejercitaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will exercise without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo ejercitaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would exercise right now.
  6. Hoy yo he ejercitado dos veces. — Today I have exercised twice.
  7. Espero que tú ejercites pronto. — I hope You exercise soon.
  8. Si yo ejercitara, todo sería distinto. — If I exercised, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy ejercitando. — Right now I am exercising.
  10. ¡ejercita, por favor! — Exercise, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo ejercitaba.

Right: Ayer yo ejercité.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, ejercité. The imperfect ejercitaba 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 ejercitas.

Right: Espero que tú ejercites.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No ejercita.

Right: No ejercites.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo ejercitar todos los días.

Right: Yo ejercito todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He ejercitando.

Right: He ejercitado.

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

- (a) ejercitamos
- (b) ejercito
- (c) ejercitas
- (d) ejercita

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

- (a) ejercitaste
- (b) ejercité
- (c) ejercitó
- (d) ejercitamos

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

- (a) ejercitaba
- (b) ejercitaba
- (c) ejercitábamos
- (d) ejercitabas

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

- (a) ejercitará
- (b) ejercitaremos
- (c) ejercitarás
- (d) ejercitaré

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

- (a) ejercitaría
- (b) ejercitaría
- (c) ejercitaríais
- (d) ejercitarías

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

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

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

- (a) ejercites
- (b) ejercitemos
- (c) ejercite
- (d) ejercite

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

- (a) ejercitara
- (b) ejercitáramos
- (c) ejercitaras
- (d) ejercitara

9. What is the gerund of ejercitar?

- (a) ejercito
- (b) ejercitado
- (c) ejercitando
- (d) ejercitar

10. What is the past participle of ejercitar?

- (a) ejercitando
- (b) ejercitar
- (c) ejercitado
- (d) ejercité

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the yo form of ejercitar is ejercito. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the tú form of ejercitar is ejercitaste. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of ejercitar is ejercitaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the future, the nosotros/as form of ejercitar is ejercitaremos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the conditional, the vosotros/as form of ejercitar is ejercitaríais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present perfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ejercitar is han ejercitado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — In the present subjunctive, the yo form of ejercitar is ejercite. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (c) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the tú form of ejercitar is ejercitaras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (c) — The gerund of ejercitar is ejercitando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy ejercitando». 10. (c) — The past participle of ejercitar is ejercitado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he ejercitado».

Frequently asked questions

Is ejercitar regular or irregular?

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

What are the gerund and past participle of ejercitar?

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

How do I say «I exercise» in Spanish?

Say «Yo ejercito 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 ejercitar?

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

When do I use the subjunctive with ejercitar?

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

How do I use ejercitar in the present perfect?

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

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