Empeorar Conjugation in Spanish
empeorar means "to get worse" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about things getting worse — health, weather, the economy, a situation or a problem, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of empeorar in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Empeorar is a regular -ar verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: El tiempo empeora la situación cada día. — "The weather worsens the situation every day.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: empeorar
- English: to get worse
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Gerund: empeorando
- Past participle: empeorado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + empeorado)
Full conjugation table
Every tense of empeorar with all six persons. The gerund is empeorando and the past participle is empeorado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empeoro |
| tú | empeoras |
| él/ella/Ud. | empeora |
| nosotros/as | empeoramos |
| vosotros/as | empeoráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empeoran |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empeoré |
| tú | empeoraste |
| él/ella/Ud. | empeoró |
| nosotros/as | empeoramos |
| vosotros/as | empeorasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empeoraron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empeoraba |
| tú | empeorabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | empeoraba |
| nosotros/as | empeorábamos |
| vosotros/as | empeorabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empeoraban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empeoraré |
| tú | empeorarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | empeorará |
| nosotros/as | empeoraremos |
| vosotros/as | empeoraréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empeorarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empeoraría |
| tú | empeorarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | empeoraría |
| nosotros/as | empeoraríamos |
| vosotros/as | empeoraríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empeorarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he empeorado |
| tú | has empeorado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha empeorado |
| nosotros/as | hemos empeorado |
| vosotros/as | habéis empeorado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han empeorado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había empeorado |
| tú | habías empeorado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había empeorado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos empeorado |
| vosotros/as | habíais empeorado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían empeorado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré empeorado |
| tú | habrás empeorado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá empeorado |
| nosotros/as | habremos empeorado |
| vosotros/as | habréis empeorado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán empeorado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría empeorado |
| tú | habrías empeorado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría empeorado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos empeorado |
| vosotros/as | habríais empeorado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían empeorado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empeore |
| tú | empeores |
| él/ella/Ud. | empeore |
| nosotros/as | empeoremos |
| vosotros/as | empeoréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empeoren |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empeorara |
| tú | empeoraras |
| él/ella/Ud. | empeorara |
| nosotros/as | empeoráramos |
| vosotros/as | empeorarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empeoraran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | empeora |
| él/ella/Ud. | empeore |
| nosotros/as | empeoremos |
| vosotros/as | empeorad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empeoren |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | empeores |
| él/ella/Ud. | empeore |
| nosotros/as | empeoremos |
| vosotros/as | empeoréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empeoren |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | empeorando |
| Past participle | empeorado |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with empeorar, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo empeoro la situación.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Ayer yo empeoré la situación.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: En aquella época, yo empeoraba la situación.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Mañana yo empeoraré la situación.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo empeoraría la situación si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya he empeorado la situación.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya había empeorado la situación antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Para mañana yo ya habré empeorado la situación.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo habría empeorado la situación si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Espero que él empeore la situación.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Si él empeorara la situación, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: ¡Empeora la situación!
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: No empeores la situación.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with empeorar, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- El tiempo empeora la situación cada día. — "The weather worsens the situation every day."
- ¿Tú empeoras la situación con tus comentarios? — "Are you worsening the situation with your comments?"
- Ayer empeoró la situación mucho. — "Yesterday the situation got much worse."
- La crisis empeoraba la situación durante años. — "The crisis used to worsen the situation for years."
- Mañana empeorará la situación si llueve. — "Tomorrow the situation will get worse if it rains."
- Yo empeoraría la situación si hablara. — "I would worsen the situation if I spoke."
- La salud ya ha empeorado la situación. — "His health has already worsened the situation."
- Espero que no empeore la situación. — "I hope the situation does not get worse."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with empeorar — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *La situación empeoró — learners often write empeoro without the accent. → Right: La situación empeoró.. The preterite third person is empeoró, with an accent on the o. Empeorar is regular, so the accent is the main spelling point.
- Wrong: *Espero que no empeora la situación. → Right: Espero que no empeore la situación.. After espero que, use the subjunctive empeore, not the indicative empeora.
- Wrong: *La situación está empeorando — learners sometimes write empeorando as empeorando correctly but confuse it with mejorando; they are opposites. → Right: La situación está empeorando.. Empeorando means getting worse, while mejorando means getting better. They are antonyms built the same way: empeor- + -ando, mejor- + -ando.
- Wrong: *Si llueve, la situación empeorará — learners sometimes use the present empeora for a future prediction. → Right: Si llueve, la situación empeorará.. For a future prediction, use the future tense empeorará. The present empeora describes what is happening now, not what will happen.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on empeorar. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of empeorar in the present indicative?
- a) empeoro
- b) empeoras
- c) empeoramos
- d) empeora
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of empeorar in the preterite (past)?
- a) empeoramos
- b) empeoraste
- c) empeoró
- d) empeoré
What is the nosotros/as form of empeorar in the imperfect (past)?
- a) empeorabas
- b) empeorábamos
- c) empeoraba
- d) empeoraba
What is the tú form of empeorar in the future?
- a) empeoraré
- b) empeorará
- c) empeorarás
- d) empeoraremos
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of empeorar in the conditional?
- a) empeorarías
- b) empeoraría
- c) empeorarían
- d) empeoraría
What is the yo form of empeorar in the present subjunctive?
- a) empeores
- b) empeoremos
- c) empeore
- d) empeore
What is the gerund of empeorar?
- a) empeorado
- b) empeora
- c) empeorar
- d) empeorando
What is the past participle of empeorar?
- a) empeoro
- b) he empeorado
- c) empeorado
- d) empeorando
What does empeorar mean in English?
- a) to get angry
- b) to destroy
- c) to whisper
- d) to get worse
The form empeoré belongs to which tense?
- a) Future
- b) Imperfect
- c) Present
- d) Preterite
Answer key
- empeoro — The yo form in the present indicative is empeoro — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- empeoró — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is empeoró — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- empeorábamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is empeorábamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- empeorarás — The tú form in the future is empeorarás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- empeorarían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is empeorarían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- empeore — The yo form in the present subjunctive is empeore — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- empeorando — The gerund is empeorando — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy empeorando). The past participle is empeorado.
- empeorado — The past participle is empeorado — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he empeorado).
- to get worse — empeorar means "to get worse".
- Preterite — empeoré is the yo form of the preterite of empeorar — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is empeoraba.
Frequently asked questions
Is empeorar regular?
Yes, empeorar is a completely regular -ar verb: empeoro, empeoras, empeora, empeoramos, empeoráis, empeoran. The preterite is empeoré, empeoraste, empeoró, and the participle is empeorado.
What is the difference between empeorar and mejorar?
They are opposites: mejorar means to get better, empeorar means to get worse. La situación mejora (it improves) or la situación empeora (it worsens). Both are regular -ar verbs with the same endings.
How do you say "to get worse" in Spanish?
Empeorar — or the reflexive empeorarse for health and situations: Me estoy empeorando (I'm getting worse). For a situation, the plain form is common: La situación empeora cada día.
Does empeorar take a preposition?
No. Empeorar takes a direct object: empeorar la situación. With the reflexive form, use empeorarse de for health: Se empeoró de la gripe.
Related pages
- Empeorar in the present tense — the present tense of empeorar in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Empeorar examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with empeorar and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Mejorar conjugation — another verb in the same family as empeorar.
- Enfermarse conjugation — another verb in the same family as empeorar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise empeorar with this tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — practise empeorar with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.