Emprender Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb emprender means to undertake, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. It is a regular -er verb verb: the stem is emprend and the endings follow the -er 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 emprendo todos los días», which means «I undertake 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: emprender
- English: to undertake
- Verb type: regular -er verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: emprendiendo
- Past participle: emprendido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + emprendido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for emprender, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for emprender. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.
Gerund: emprendiendo · Past participle: emprendido
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | emprendo |
| tú | emprendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | emprende |
| nosotros/as | emprendemos |
| vosotros/as | emprendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emprenden |
The present is the tense you will use most with emprender. It covers daily routines, permanent facts and actions in progress. Learn the yo form emprendo first, then the tú and él forms, which are the ones that change the stem in stem-changing verbs.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | emprendí |
| tú | emprendiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | emprendió |
| nosotros/as | emprendimos |
| vosotros/as | emprendisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emprendieron |
The preterite of emprender reports what happened. «Ayer yo emprendí por la tarde» places the action firmly in finished time. It is the tense of stories and reports, not of background description.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | emprendía |
| tú | emprendías |
| él/ella/Ud. | emprendía |
| nosotros/as | emprendíamos |
| vosotros/as | emprendíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emprendían |
The imperfect of emprender paints the background of a past scene: repeated actions, states and descriptions. «Antes, yo emprendía todos los días» is the pattern. Pair it with the preterite when one event interrupts another.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | emprenderé |
| tú | emprenderás |
| él/ella/Ud. | emprenderá |
| nosotros/as | emprenderemos |
| vosotros/as | emprenderéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emprenderán |
The future of emprender looks forward: what will happen tomorrow, next week or next year. «Mañana yo emprenderé sin falta» is the pattern. Remember that the future can also express probability about the present in Spanish.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | emprendería |
| tú | emprenderías |
| él/ella/Ud. | emprendería |
| nosotros/as | emprenderíamos |
| vosotros/as | emprenderíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emprenderían |
The conditional of emprender is the tense of «would»: what you would do, what would happen, what you would like. «Si pudiera, yo emprendería sin dudarlo» shows the pattern. It is built on the infinitive, just like the future.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he emprendido |
| tú | has emprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha emprendido |
| nosotros/as | hemos emprendido |
| vosotros/as | habéis emprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han emprendido |
The present perfect of emprender says «have done»: the action is finished but its result still matters now. «Hoy yo he emprendido dos veces» is the pattern. Learn the participle emprendido well — every perfect tense depends on it.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había emprendido |
| tú | habías emprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había emprendido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos emprendido |
| vosotros/as | habíais emprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían emprendido |
The pluperfect of emprender steps one event further back than the preterite. «Antes de salir, yo había emprendido» is the pattern: first this happened, then the story moved on. It is haber in the imperfect plus emprendido.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré emprendido |
| tú | habrás emprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá emprendido |
| nosotros/as | habremos emprendido |
| vosotros/as | habréis emprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán emprendido |
The future perfect of emprender combines the future of haber with emprendido. «Para el viernes, yo habré emprendido ya» is the pattern. Use it when the completion matters more than the action itself.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría emprendido |
| tú | habrías emprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría emprendido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos emprendido |
| vosotros/as | habríais emprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían emprendido |
The conditional perfect of emprender is the tense of «would have done». «Yo habría emprendido si hubiera podido» is the pattern. It is built from haber in the conditional plus emprendido.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | emprenda |
| tú | emprendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | emprenda |
| nosotros/as | emprendamos |
| vosotros/as | emprendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emprendan |
The present subjunctive of emprender is the mood of what is wished, doubted or demanded rather than stated as fact. «Espero que tú emprendas» is the pattern. If the trigger is in the past, switch to the imperfect subjunctive instead.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | emprendiera |
| tú | emprendieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | emprendiera |
| nosotros/as | emprendiéramos |
| vosotros/as | emprendierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emprendieran |
The imperfect subjunctive of emprender handles the hypothetical past and the polite conditional. «Ojalá yo emprendiera más a menudo» is the pattern. The -ra forms in the table are the standard ones; the -se forms use the same stem with -se endings.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | emprende |
| él/ella/Ud. | emprenda |
| nosotros/as | emprendamos |
| vosotros/as | emprended |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emprendan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative of emprender is for orders and instructions. «¡emprende, por favor!» is the pattern. Remember there is no yo form in the imperative, and the nosotros form doubles as a suggestion: «¡emprendamos!» means «let's do it».
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | emprendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | emprenda |
| nosotros/as | emprendamos |
| vosotros/as | emprendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | emprendan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative of emprender is built on the present subjunctive: «¡No emprendas!». Learn it as a set with the subjunctive table above, and never follow no with the affirmative command form.
Example sentences
- Yo emprendo todos los días. — I undertake every day.
- Ayer yo emprendí por la tarde. — Yesterday I undertook in the afternoon.
- Antes, yo emprendía todos los días. — In the past, I used to undertake every day.
- Mañana yo emprenderé sin falta. — Tomorrow I will undertake without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo emprendería ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would undertake right now.
- Hoy yo he emprendido dos veces. — Today I have undertook twice.
- Espero que tú emprendas pronto. — I hope You undertake soon.
- Si yo emprendiera, todo sería distinto. — If I undertook, everything would be different.
- Ahora mismo yo estoy emprendiendo. — Right now I am undertaking.
- ¡emprende, por favor! — Undertake, please!
Common mistakes
1. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo emprendía.
Right: Ayer yo emprendí.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, emprendí. The imperfect emprendía 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 emprendes.
Right: Espero que tú emprendas.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: emprendas, not the indicative emprendes. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
3. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No emprende.
Right: No emprendas.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no emprendas. The affirmative emprende can never follow no.
4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
Wrong: Yo emprender todos los días.
Right: Yo emprendo todos los días.
The infinitive emprender names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo emprendo.
5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle
Wrong: He emprendiendo.
Right: He emprendido.
The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he emprendido. The gerund emprendiendo goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy emprendiendo»), never with haber.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of emprender in the present indicative?
- (a) emprendes
- (b) emprendo
- (c) emprenden
- (d) emprende
2. What is the yo form of emprender in the preterite?
- (a) emprendimos
- (b) emprendiste
- (c) emprendí
- (d) emprendió
3. What is the tú form of emprender in the imperfect?
- (a) emprendía
- (b) emprendías
- (c) emprendía
- (d) emprendíamos
4. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of emprender in the future?
- (a) emprenderá
- (b) emprenderé
- (c) emprenderás
- (d) emprenderemos
5. What is the nosotros/as form of emprender in the conditional?
- (a) emprendería
- (b) emprendería
- (c) emprenderíamos
- (d) emprenderías
6. What is the vosotros/as form of emprender in the present perfect?
- (a) ha emprendido
- (b) he emprendido
- (c) has emprendido
- (d) habéis emprendido
7. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of emprender in the present subjunctive?
- (a) emprenda
- (b) emprenda
- (c) emprendas
- (d) emprendan
8. What is the yo form of emprender in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?
- (a) emprendiéramos
- (b) emprendiera
- (c) emprendiera
- (d) emprendieras
9. What is the gerund of emprender?
- (a) emprendo
- (b) emprender
- (c) emprendiendo
- (d) emprendido
10. What is the past participle of emprender?
- (a) emprendí
- (b) emprendido
- (c) emprender
- (d) emprendiendo
Answer key
1. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of emprender is emprenden. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the yo form of emprender is emprendí. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the imperfect, the tú form of emprender is emprendías. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the future, the él/ella/Ud. form of emprender is emprenderá. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the conditional, the nosotros/as form of emprender is emprenderíamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present perfect, the vosotros/as form of emprender is habéis emprendido. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — In the present subjunctive, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of emprender is emprendan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (b) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the yo form of emprender is emprendiera. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (c) — The gerund of emprender is emprendiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy emprendiendo». 10. (b) — The past participle of emprender is emprendido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he emprendido».
Frequently asked questions
Is emprender regular or irregular?
Yes — emprender is a regular -er verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem emprend unchanged throughout.
What are the gerund and past participle of emprender?
The gerund is emprendiendo and the past participle is emprendido. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy emprendiendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he emprendido»).
How do I say «I undertake» in Spanish?
Say «Yo emprendo 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 emprender?
Use the preterite (emprendí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (emprendía) for habits and background. «Ayer yo emprendí» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo emprendía» describes what used to happen.
When do I use the subjunctive with emprender?
Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú emprendas». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.
How do I use emprender in the present perfect?
Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he emprendido». The participle emprendido 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: emprender-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: emprender-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: ejercer
- Related verb: distraerse
- Related verb: escoger
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz