Eliminar Conjugation in Spanish
Learning to conjugate eliminar — «to eliminate» — 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 eliminando and the past participle eliminado, example sentences in every tense, the common mistakes and a quiz with an answer key. A good first sentence to learn is «Yo elimino todos los días» — I eliminate every day. Once you can say that, the rest of the table falls into place person by person.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: eliminar
- English: to eliminate
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: eliminando
- Past participle: eliminado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + eliminado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for eliminar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for eliminar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.
Gerund: eliminando · Past participle: eliminado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | elimino |
| tú | eliminas |
| él/ella/Ud. | elimina |
| nosotros/as | eliminamos |
| vosotros/as | elimináis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | eliminan |
Use the present of eliminar for things that happen regularly and for things that are true in general. The yo form elimino is the anchor of the table: the other persons follow the regular -ar endings from it. When you talk about yourself right now, this is the form you need.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | eliminé |
| tú | eliminaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | eliminó |
| nosotros/as | eliminamos |
| vosotros/as | eliminasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | eliminaron |
Use the preterite of eliminar for a single finished event: something that happened once and is over. The yo form is eliminé. If you can put a finished time expression with it — ayer, la semana pasada, anoche — the preterite is usually right.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | eliminaba |
| tú | eliminabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | eliminaba |
| nosotros/as | eliminábamos |
| vosotros/as | eliminabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | eliminaban |
Use the imperfect of eliminar for what used to happen and for what was going on when something else happened. The yo form is eliminaba. If the action has no clear beginning or end in the story, the imperfect is the right choice.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | eliminaré |
| tú | eliminarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | eliminará |
| nosotros/as | eliminaremos |
| vosotros/as | eliminaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | eliminarán |
Use the future of eliminar for plans, promises and predictions. The yo form is eliminaré, built on the infinitive plus the future endings. For a firm plan, the future sounds more formal than ir a + infinitive; for a casual plan, either works.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | eliminaría |
| tú | eliminarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | eliminaría |
| nosotros/as | eliminaríamos |
| vosotros/as | eliminaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | eliminarían |
Use the conditional of eliminar for hypothetical situations and for softening requests. The yo form is eliminaría. It appears after si-clauses with the imperfect subjunctive and on its own for polite suggestions.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he eliminado |
| tú | has eliminado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha eliminado |
| nosotros/as | hemos eliminado |
| vosotros/as | habéis eliminado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han eliminado |
Use the present perfect of eliminar for recent events with present relevance. The yo form is he eliminado — haber in the present plus eliminado. Time expressions like hoy, esta semana and últimamente are its natural partners.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había eliminado |
| tú | habías eliminado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había eliminado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos eliminado |
| vosotros/as | habíais eliminado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían eliminado |
Use the pluperfect of eliminar when you need two layers of past: one event already finished before another past event began. The yo form is había eliminado. It is the tense of «had already done».
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré eliminado |
| tú | habrás eliminado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá eliminado |
| nosotros/as | habremos eliminado |
| vosotros/as | habréis eliminado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán eliminado |
Use the future perfect of eliminar to say that something will be finished by a future moment. The yo form is habré eliminado. It pairs naturally with deadlines: para mañana, para el viernes, para entonces.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría eliminado |
| tú | habrías eliminado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría eliminado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos eliminado |
| vosotros/as | habríais eliminado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían eliminado |
Use the conditional perfect of eliminar for the past that did not happen: what would have been done with more time or a different choice. The yo form is habría eliminado. It follows si-clauses with the pluperfect subjunctive.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | elimine |
| tú | elimines |
| él/ella/Ud. | elimine |
| nosotros/as | eliminemos |
| vosotros/as | eliminéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | eliminen |
Use the present subjunctive of eliminar when the main clause expresses a wish, a doubt, an emotion or an impersonal judgement. The yo form is elimine. After espero que, ojalá que and no creo que, the subjunctive is required, not optional.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | eliminara |
| tú | eliminaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | eliminara |
| nosotros/as | elimináramos |
| vosotros/as | eliminarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | eliminaran |
Use the imperfect subjunctive of eliminar after past-tense wishes and doubts, and in si-clauses that set up a hypothetical present. The yo form is eliminara. It is built on the third-person plural preterite stem, which is why it looks different from the present subjunctive.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | elimina |
| él/ella/Ud. | elimine |
| nosotros/as | eliminemos |
| vosotros/as | eliminad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | eliminen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the affirmative imperative of eliminar to tell someone to do something: instructions, invitations and requests. The tú form is elimina. For a polite command, use the usted form elimine instead of the tú form.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | elimines |
| él/ella/Ud. | elimine |
| nosotros/as | eliminemos |
| vosotros/as | eliminéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | eliminen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the negative imperative of eliminar to forbid or to warn: «¡No elimines!». The tú form is elimines, taken from the present subjunctive. The word no always comes first, and the form never changes for emphasis.
Example sentences
- Yo elimino todos los días. — I eliminate every day.
- Ayer yo eliminé por la tarde. — Yesterday I eliminated in the afternoon.
- Antes, yo eliminaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to eliminate every day.
- Mañana yo eliminaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will eliminate without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo eliminaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would eliminate right now.
- Hoy yo he eliminado dos veces. — Today I have eliminated twice.
- Espero que tú elimines pronto. — I hope You eliminate soon.
- Si yo eliminara, todo sería distinto. — If I eliminated, everything would be different.
- Ahora mismo yo estoy eliminando. — Right now I am eliminating.
- ¡elimina, por favor! — Eliminate, please!
Common mistakes
1. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo eliminaba.
Right: Ayer yo eliminé.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, eliminé. The imperfect eliminaba 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 eliminas.
Right: Espero que tú elimines.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: elimines, not the indicative eliminas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
3. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No elimina.
Right: No elimines.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no elimines. The affirmative elimina can never follow no.
4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
Wrong: Yo eliminar todos los días.
Right: Yo elimino todos los días.
The infinitive eliminar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo elimino.
5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle
Wrong: He eliminando.
Right: He eliminado.
The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he eliminado. The gerund eliminando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy eliminando»), never with haber.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the vosotros/as form of eliminar in the present indicative?
- (a) elimináis
- (b) eliminas
- (c) elimina
- (d) elimino
2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of eliminar in the preterite?
- (a) eliminó
- (b) eliminé
- (c) eliminaste
- (d) eliminaron
3. What is the yo form of eliminar in the imperfect?
- (a) eliminábamos
- (b) eliminabas
- (c) eliminaba
- (d) eliminaba
4. What is the tú form of eliminar in the future?
- (a) eliminará
- (b) eliminaremos
- (c) eliminaré
- (d) eliminarás
5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of eliminar in the conditional?
- (a) eliminaría
- (b) eliminarías
- (c) eliminaría
- (d) eliminaríamos
6. What is the nosotros/as form of eliminar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha eliminado
- (b) he eliminado
- (c) hemos eliminado
- (d) has eliminado
7. What is the vosotros/as form of eliminar in the present subjunctive?
- (a) elimines
- (b) eliminéis
- (c) elimine
- (d) elimine
8. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of eliminar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?
- (a) eliminaran
- (b) eliminara
- (c) eliminara
- (d) eliminaras
9. What is the gerund of eliminar?
- (a) elimino
- (b) eliminado
- (c) eliminar
- (d) eliminando
10. What is the past participle of eliminar?
- (a) eliminé
- (b) eliminado
- (c) eliminando
- (d) eliminar
Answer key
1. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of eliminar is elimináis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of eliminar is eliminaron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the imperfect, the yo form of eliminar is eliminaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the future, the tú form of eliminar is eliminarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the él/ella/Ud. form of eliminar is eliminaría. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present perfect, the nosotros/as form of eliminar is hemos eliminado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — In the present subjunctive, the vosotros/as form of eliminar is eliminéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of eliminar is eliminaran. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (d) — The gerund of eliminar is eliminando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy eliminando». 10. (b) — The past participle of eliminar is eliminado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he eliminado».
Frequently asked questions
Is eliminar regular or irregular?
Yes — eliminar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem elimin unchanged throughout.
What are the gerund and past participle of eliminar?
The gerund is eliminando and the past participle is eliminado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy eliminando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he eliminado»).
How do I say «I eliminate» in Spanish?
Say «Yo elimino 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 eliminar?
Use the preterite (eliminé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (eliminaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo eliminé» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo eliminaba» describes what used to happen.
When do I use the subjunctive with eliminar?
Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú elimines». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.
How do I use eliminar in the present perfect?
Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he eliminado». The participle eliminado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: eliminar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: eliminar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: elevar
- Related verb: elogiar
- Related verb: elaborar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz