Emplear Conjugation in Spanish
emplear means «to employ, to use». It is a regular -ar verb verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of emplear in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo empleo todos los días» — I employ every day.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: emplear
- English: to employ, to use
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: empleando
- Past participle: empleado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + empleado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for emplear, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for emplear. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.
Gerund: empleando · Past participle: empleado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empleo |
| tú | empleas |
| él/ella/Ud. | emplea |
| nosotros/as | empleamos |
| vosotros/as | empleáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emplean |
Use the present of emplear for things that happen regularly and for things that are true in general. The yo form empleo 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 | empleé |
| tú | empleaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | empleó |
| nosotros/as | empleamos |
| vosotros/as | empleasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emplearon |
Use the preterite of emplear for a single finished event: something that happened once and is over. The yo form is empleé. If you can put a finished time expression with it — ayer, la semana pasada, anoche — the preterite is usually right.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empleaba |
| tú | empleabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | empleaba |
| nosotros/as | empleábamos |
| vosotros/as | empleabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empleaban |
Use the imperfect of emplear for what used to happen and for what was going on when something else happened. The yo form is empleaba. If the action has no clear beginning or end in the story, the imperfect is the right choice.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | emplearé |
| tú | emplearás |
| él/ella/Ud. | empleará |
| nosotros/as | emplearemos |
| vosotros/as | emplearéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emplearán |
Use the future of emplear for plans, promises and predictions. The yo form is emplearé, 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 | emplearía |
| tú | emplearías |
| él/ella/Ud. | emplearía |
| nosotros/as | emplearíamos |
| vosotros/as | emplearíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emplearían |
Use the conditional of emplear for hypothetical situations and for softening requests. The yo form is emplearía. It appears after si-clauses with the imperfect subjunctive and on its own for polite suggestions.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he empleado |
| tú | has empleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha empleado |
| nosotros/as | hemos empleado |
| vosotros/as | habéis empleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han empleado |
Use the present perfect of emplear for recent events with present relevance. The yo form is he empleado — haber in the present plus empleado. Time expressions like hoy, esta semana and últimamente are its natural partners.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había empleado |
| tú | habías empleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había empleado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos empleado |
| vosotros/as | habíais empleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían empleado |
Use the pluperfect of emplear when you need two layers of past: one event already finished before another past event began. The yo form is había empleado. It is the tense of «had already done».
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré empleado |
| tú | habrás empleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá empleado |
| nosotros/as | habremos empleado |
| vosotros/as | habréis empleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán empleado |
Use the future perfect of emplear to say that something will be finished by a future moment. The yo form is habré empleado. It pairs naturally with deadlines: para mañana, para el viernes, para entonces.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría empleado |
| tú | habrías empleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría empleado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos empleado |
| vosotros/as | habríais empleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían empleado |
Use the conditional perfect of emplear for the past that did not happen: what would have been done with more time or a different choice. The yo form is habría empleado. It follows si-clauses with the pluperfect subjunctive.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | emplee |
| tú | emplees |
| él/ella/Ud. | emplee |
| nosotros/as | empleemos |
| vosotros/as | empleéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empleen |
Use the present subjunctive of emplear when the main clause expresses a wish, a doubt, an emotion or an impersonal judgement. The yo form is emplee. After espero que, ojalá que and no creo que, the subjunctive is required, not optional.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empleara |
| tú | emplearas |
| él/ella/Ud. | empleara |
| nosotros/as | empleáramos |
| vosotros/as | emplearais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emplearan |
Use the imperfect subjunctive of emplear after past-tense wishes and doubts, and in si-clauses that set up a hypothetical present. The yo form is empleara. 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 | emplea |
| él/ella/Ud. | emplee |
| nosotros/as | empleemos |
| vosotros/as | emplead |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empleen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the affirmative imperative of emplear to tell someone to do something: instructions, invitations and requests. The tú form is emplea. For a polite command, use the usted form emplee instead of the tú form.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | emplees |
| él/ella/Ud. | emplee |
| nosotros/as | empleemos |
| vosotros/as | empleéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empleen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the negative imperative of emplear to forbid or to warn: «¡No emplees!». The tú form is emplees, taken from the present subjunctive. The word no always comes first, and the form never changes for emphasis.
Example sentences
- Yo empleo todos los días. — I employ every day.
- Ayer yo empleé por la tarde. — Yesterday I employed in the afternoon.
- Antes, yo empleaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to employ every day.
- Mañana yo emplearé sin falta. — Tomorrow I will employ without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo emplearía ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would employ right now.
- Hoy yo he empleado dos veces. — Today I have employed twice.
- Espero que tú emplees pronto. — I hope You employ soon.
- Si yo empleara, todo sería distinto. — If I employed, everything would be different.
- Ahora mismo yo estoy empleando. — Right now I am employing.
- ¡emplea, por favor! — Employ, please!
Common mistakes
1. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo empleaba.
Right: Ayer yo empleé.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, empleé. The imperfect empleaba 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 empleas.
Right: Espero que tú emplees.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: emplees, not the indicative empleas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
3. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No emplea.
Right: No emplees.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no emplees. The affirmative emplea can never follow no.
4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
Wrong: Yo emplear todos los días.
Right: Yo empleo todos los días.
The infinitive emplear names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo empleo.
5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle
Wrong: He empleando.
Right: He empleado.
The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he empleado. The gerund empleando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy empleando»), 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 emplear in the present indicative?
- (a) emplea
- (b) empleo
- (c) empleas
- (d) empleáis
2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of emplear in the preterite?
- (a) empleé
- (b) empleaste
- (c) emplearon
- (d) empleó
3. What is the yo form of emplear in the imperfect?
- (a) empleaba
- (b) empleaba
- (c) empleábamos
- (d) empleabas
4. What is the tú form of emplear in the future?
- (a) empleará
- (b) emplearemos
- (c) emplearé
- (d) emplearás
5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of emplear in the conditional?
- (a) emplearía
- (b) emplearíamos
- (c) emplearías
- (d) emplearía
6. What is the nosotros/as form of emplear in the present perfect?
- (a) ha empleado
- (b) has empleado
- (c) he empleado
- (d) hemos empleado
7. What is the vosotros/as form of emplear in the present subjunctive?
- (a) emplee
- (b) empleéis
- (c) emplees
- (d) emplee
8. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of emplear in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?
- (a) emplearas
- (b) emplearan
- (c) empleara
- (d) empleara
9. What is the gerund of emplear?
- (a) emplear
- (b) empleando
- (c) empleo
- (d) empleado
10. What is the past participle of emplear?
- (a) empleado
- (b) empleé
- (c) empleando
- (d) emplear
Answer key
1. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of emplear is empleáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of emplear is emplearon. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the imperfect, the yo form of emplear is empleaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the future, the tú form of emplear is emplearás. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the él/ella/Ud. form of emplear is emplearía. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present perfect, the nosotros/as form of emplear is hemos empleado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — In the present subjunctive, the vosotros/as form of emplear is empleéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (b) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of emplear is emplearan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (b) — The gerund of emplear is empleando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy empleando». 10. (a) — The past participle of emplear is empleado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he empleado».
Frequently asked questions
Is emplear regular or irregular?
Yes — emplear is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem emple unchanged throughout.
What are the gerund and past participle of emplear?
The gerund is empleando and the past participle is empleado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy empleando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he empleado»).
How do I say «I employ» in Spanish?
Say «Yo empleo 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 emplear?
Use the preterite (empleé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (empleaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo empleé» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo empleaba» describes what used to happen.
When do I use the subjunctive with emplear?
Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú emplees». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.
How do I use emplear in the present perfect?
Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he empleado». The participle empleado 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: emplear-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: emplear-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: emocionarse
- Related verb: emocionar
- Related verb: enamorar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz