Encantar Conjugation in Spanish
encantar means "to love, to delight in" 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 loving things — food, music, places, films and everything that delights you, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of encantar 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. Encantar 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: Me encanta el chocolate. — "I love chocolate.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: encantar
- English: to love, to delight in
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Gerund: encantando
- Past participle: encantado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + encantado)
Full conjugation table
Every tense of encantar with all six persons. The gerund is encantando and the past participle is encantado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encanto |
| tú | encantas |
| él/ella/Ud. | encanta |
| nosotros/as | encantamos |
| vosotros/as | encantáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encantan |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encanté |
| tú | encantaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | encantó |
| nosotros/as | encantamos |
| vosotros/as | encantasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encantaron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encantaba |
| tú | encantabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | encantaba |
| nosotros/as | encantábamos |
| vosotros/as | encantabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encantaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encantaré |
| tú | encantarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | encantará |
| nosotros/as | encantaremos |
| vosotros/as | encantaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encantarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encantaría |
| tú | encantarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | encantaría |
| nosotros/as | encantaríamos |
| vosotros/as | encantaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encantarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he encantado |
| tú | has encantado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha encantado |
| nosotros/as | hemos encantado |
| vosotros/as | habéis encantado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han encantado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había encantado |
| tú | habías encantado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había encantado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos encantado |
| vosotros/as | habíais encantado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían encantado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré encantado |
| tú | habrás encantado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá encantado |
| nosotros/as | habremos encantado |
| vosotros/as | habréis encantado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán encantado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría encantado |
| tú | habrías encantado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría encantado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos encantado |
| vosotros/as | habríais encantado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían encantado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encante |
| tú | encantes |
| él/ella/Ud. | encante |
| nosotros/as | encantemos |
| vosotros/as | encantéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encanten |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encantara |
| tú | encantaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | encantara |
| nosotros/as | encantáramos |
| vosotros/as | encantarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encantaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | encanta |
| él/ella/Ud. | encante |
| nosotros/as | encantemos |
| vosotros/as | encantad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encanten |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | encantes |
| él/ella/Ud. | encante |
| nosotros/as | encantemos |
| vosotros/as | encantéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encanten |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | encantando |
| Past participle | encantado |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with encantar, 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: Me encanta el chocolate.
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 me encantó el chocolate.
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, me encantaba el chocolate.
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 me encantará el chocolate.
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: Me encantaría el chocolate 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: Me ha encantado el chocolate muchas veces.
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: Me había encantado el chocolate 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 me habrá encantado el chocolate.
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: Me habría encantado el chocolate si lo hubiera probado.
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 te encante el chocolate.
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 me encantara el chocolate, lo compraría.
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.
Affirmative commands with encantar are rare, because the verb describes a reaction rather than an action you order someone to do. Learners meet it far more often in statements such as Me encanta el chocolate.
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 encantes a nadie con tus historias.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with encantar, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- Me encanta el chocolate. — "I love chocolate."
- ¿Te encanta el chocolate? — "Do you love chocolate?"
- Ayer me encantó el chocolate de esa tienda. — "Yesterday I loved the chocolate from that shop."
- De niño, me encantaba el chocolate. — "As a child, I loved chocolate."
- Mañana me encantará el chocolate del mercado. — "Tomorrow I will love the chocolate at the market."
- Me encantaría el chocolate si lo probara. — "I would love the chocolate if I tried it."
- Me ha encantado el chocolate muchas veces. — "I have loved chocolate many times."
- Espero que te encante el chocolate. — "I hope you love the chocolate."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with encantar — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo encanto el chocolate. → Right: Me encanta el chocolate.. Encantar works backwards: the thing you love is the subject, and you are the indirect object. Say Me encanta el chocolate, never Yo encanto el chocolate. The verb agrees with the thing: Me encanta el chocolate, Me encantan las flores.
- Wrong: *Me encantan el chocolate — the verb must agree with the thing, not with you. → Right: Me encanta el chocolate.. El chocolate is singular, so the verb is singular: Me encanta el chocolate. For plural things, use encantan: Me encantan las flores.
- Wrong: *Ayer me encanto el chocolate. → Right: Ayer me encantó el chocolate.. In the past, use the preterite third person: Me encantó el chocolate. Me encanto would be the yo form of the present, which is not how encantar is used.
- Wrong: *Espero que me encanta el chocolate. → Right: Espero que me encante el chocolate.. After espero que, use the subjunctive encante, not the indicative encanta: Espero que me encante el chocolate.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on encantar. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of encantar in the present indicative?
- a) encanta
- b) encanto
- c) encantas
- d) encantamos
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of encantar in the preterite (past)?
- a) encantaste
- b) encantó
- c) encanté
- d) encantamos
What is the nosotros/as form of encantar in the imperfect (past)?
- a) encantábamos
- b) encantaba
- c) encantaba
- d) encantabas
What is the tú form of encantar in the future?
- a) encantaremos
- b) encantaré
- c) encantará
- d) encantarás
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of encantar in the conditional?
- a) encantarían
- b) encantaría
- c) encantarías
- d) encantaría
What is the yo form of encantar in the present subjunctive?
- a) encantes
- b) encante
- c) encantemos
- d) encante
What is the gerund of encantar?
- a) encantado
- b) encanta
- c) encantando
- d) encantar
What is the past participle of encantar?
- a) encanto
- b) encantando
- c) he encantado
- d) encantado
What does encantar mean in English?
- a) to choose, to elect
- b) to lend
- c) to calm down
- d) to love, to delight in
The form encanté belongs to which tense?
- a) Present
- b) Imperfect
- c) Preterite
- d) Future
Answer key
- encanto — The yo form in the present indicative is encanto — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- encantó — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is encantó — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- encantábamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is encantábamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- encantarás — The tú form in the future is encantarás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- encantarían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is encantarían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- encante — The yo form in the present subjunctive is encante — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- encantando — The gerund is encantando — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy encantando). The past participle is encantado.
- encantado — The past participle is encantado — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he encantado).
- to love, to delight in — encantar means "to love, to delight in".
- Preterite — encanté is the yo form of the preterite of encantar — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is encantaba.
Frequently asked questions
Is encantar regular?
Yes, encantar is a regular -ar verb: encanto, encantas, encanta, encantamos, encantáis, encantan. The difficulty is not the conjugation but the sentence structure — encantar works like gustar, with the thing as the subject.
Why do you say "Me encanta" and not "Yo encanto"?
Because encantar describes a reaction: the chocolate delights me, so the chocolate is the subject and I am the indirect object (me). English says "I love chocolate" with I as the subject, but Spanish says Me encanta el chocolate — literally "Chocolate delights me".
What is the difference between encantar and gustar?
Both use the same backwards structure. Gustar means to like (Me gusta el chocolate), while encantar means to love or to delight in (Me encanta el chocolate). Encantar is stronger — it is love, not just liking.
How do you say "I love chocolate" in Spanish?
Me encanta el chocolate. For plural things, use encantan: Me encantan las flores. For people, use the same pattern: Me encanta María means "I love María" — or more precisely, "María delights me".
Related pages
- Encantar in the present tense — the present tense of encantar in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Encantar examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with encantar and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Interesar conjugation — another verb in the same family as encantar.
- Gustar conjugation — another verb in the same family as encantar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise encantar with this tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — practise encantar with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.