Elevar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb elevar means to raise, to lift, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. It is a regular -ar verb verb: the stem is elev and the endings follow the -ar pattern, with the exceptions noted in the tables below. 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 elevo todos los días», which means «I raise every day». 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: elevar
  • English: to raise, to lift
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: elevando
  • Past participle: elevado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + elevado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Gerund: elevando · Past participle: elevado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo elevo
tú elevas
él/ella/Ud. eleva
nosotros/as elevamos
vosotros/as eleváis
ellos/ellas/Uds. elevan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For elevar, the yo form is elevo, 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 elevé
tú elevaste
él/ella/Ud. elevó
nosotros/as elevamos
vosotros/as elevasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. elevaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo elevé» 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 elevaba
tú elevabas
él/ella/Ud. elevaba
nosotros/as elevábamos
vosotros/as elevabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. elevaban

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

Future

Person Form
yo elevaré
tú elevarás
él/ella/Ud. elevará
nosotros/as elevaremos
vosotros/as elevaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. elevarán

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

Conditional

Person Form
yo elevaría
tú elevarías
él/ella/Ud. elevaría
nosotros/as elevaríamos
vosotros/as elevaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. elevarían

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

Present Perfect

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

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

Pluperfect

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

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

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

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría elevado 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 eleve
tú eleves
él/ella/Ud. eleve
nosotros/as elevemos
vosotros/as elevéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. eleven

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él eleve». 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 elevara
tú elevaras
él/ella/Ud. elevara
nosotros/as eleváramos
vosotros/as elevarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. elevaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él elevara, 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 eleva
él/ella/Ud. eleve
nosotros/as elevemos
vosotros/as elevad
ellos/ellas/Uds. eleven

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

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡eleva!». 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 eleves
él/ella/Ud. eleve
nosotros/as elevemos
vosotros/as elevéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. eleven

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

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No eleves!». 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 elevo todos los días. — I raise every day.
  2. Ayer yo elevé por la tarde. — Yesterday I raised in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo elevaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to raise every day.
  4. Mañana yo elevaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will raise without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo elevaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would raise right now.
  6. Hoy yo he elevado dos veces. — Today I have raised twice.
  7. Espero que tú eleves pronto. — I hope You raise soon.
  8. Si yo elevara, todo sería distinto. — If I raised, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy elevando. — Right now I am raising.
  10. ¡eleva, por favor! — Raise, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo elevaba.

Right: Ayer yo elevé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, elevé. The imperfect elevaba 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 elevas.

Right: Espero que tú eleves.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No eleva.

Right: No eleves.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo elevar todos los días.

Right: Yo elevo todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He elevando.

Right: He elevado.

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

Quiz

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

1. What is the nosotros/as form of elevar in the present indicative?

- (a) eleva
- (b) elevas
- (c) elevo
- (d) elevamos

2. What is the vosotros/as form of elevar in the preterite?

- (a) elevé
- (b) elevasteis
- (c) elevaste
- (d) elevó

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of elevar in the imperfect?

- (a) elevaba
- (b) elevaba
- (c) elevaban
- (d) elevabas

4. What is the yo form of elevar in the future?

- (a) elevaremos
- (b) elevará
- (c) elevaré
- (d) elevarás

5. What is the tú form of elevar in the conditional?

- (a) elevaríamos
- (b) elevarías
- (c) elevaría
- (d) elevaría

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of elevar in the present perfect?

- (a) he elevado
- (b) has elevado
- (c) hemos elevado
- (d) ha elevado

7. What is the nosotros/as form of elevar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) eleve
- (b) elevemos
- (c) eleves
- (d) eleve

8. What is the vosotros/as form of elevar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) elevarais
- (b) elevaras
- (c) elevara
- (d) elevara

9. What is the gerund of elevar?

- (a) elevar
- (b) elevado
- (c) elevo
- (d) elevando

10. What is the past participle of elevar?

- (a) elevar
- (b) elevado
- (c) elevé
- (d) elevando

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of elevar is elevamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of elevar is elevasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of elevar is elevaban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the future, the yo form of elevar is elevaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the conditional, the tú form of elevar is elevarías. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of elevar is ha elevado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — In the present subjunctive, the nosotros/as form of elevar is elevemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the vosotros/as form of elevar is elevarais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (d) — The gerund of elevar is elevando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy elevando». 10. (b) — The past participle of elevar is elevado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he elevado».

Frequently asked questions

Is elevar regular or irregular?

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

What are the gerund and past participle of elevar?

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

How do I say «I raise» in Spanish?

Say «Yo elevo 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 elevar?

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

When do I use the subjunctive with elevar?

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

How do I use elevar in the present perfect?

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

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