Encargar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb encargar means to order, to entrust, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Encargar means to order or to entrust, and it covers ordering a cake for a birthday, entrusting work to an assistant, ordering a book and putting someone in charge of the children. It takes a for the person entrusted, and it is a spelling-change verb: the g becomes gu before e. Like every Spanish verb, encargar changes its ending for each person and tense, and 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 encargo una tarta para el cumpleaños, and in the preterite you say encargué un libro en la librería. 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: encargar
  • English: to order, to entrust
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: encargando
  • Past participle: encargado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + encargado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for encargar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is encargué and the subjunctive is encargue. Encargar algo a alguien is to entrust it to them.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for encargar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo encargo
tú encargas
él/ella/Ud. encarga
nosotros/as encargamos
vosotros/as encargáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. encargan

Preterite

Person Form
yo encargué
tú encargaste
él/ella/Ud. encargó
nosotros/as encargamos
vosotros/as encargasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. encargaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo encargaba
tú encargabas
él/ella/Ud. encargaba
nosotros/as encargábamos
vosotros/as encargabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. encargaban

Future

Person Form
yo encargaré
tú encargarás
él/ella/Ud. encargará
nosotros/as encargaremos
vosotros/as encargaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. encargarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo encargaría
tú encargarías
él/ella/Ud. encargaría
nosotros/as encargaríamos
vosotros/as encargaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. encargarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he encargado
tú has encargado
él/ella/Ud. ha encargado
nosotros/as hemos encargado
vosotros/as habéis encargado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han encargado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había encargado
tú habías encargado
él/ella/Ud. había encargado
nosotros/as habíamos encargado
vosotros/as habíais encargado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían encargado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré encargado
tú habrás encargado
él/ella/Ud. habrá encargado
nosotros/as habremos encargado
vosotros/as habréis encargado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán encargado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría encargado
tú habrías encargado
él/ella/Ud. habría encargado
nosotros/as habríamos encargado
vosotros/as habríais encargado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían encargado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo encargue
tú encargues
él/ella/Ud. encargue
nosotros/as encarguemos
vosotros/as encarguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. encarguen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo encargara
tú encargaras
él/ella/Ud. encargara
nosotros/as encargáramos
vosotros/as encargarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. encargaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú encarga
él/ella/Ud. encargue
nosotros/as encarguemos
vosotros/as encargad
ellos/ellas/Uds. encarguen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú encargues
él/ella/Ud. encargue
nosotros/as encarguemos
vosotros/as encarguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. encarguen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund encargando with estar for the progressive: estoy encargando
Past participle encargado with haber for the perfect tenses: he encargado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For encargar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Encargo una tarta para el cumpleaños. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change in the first person: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite first person is encargué. For encargar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, encargué el trabajo a su ayudante. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encargar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, encargaba un libro en la librería. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encargar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, encargaré a su hermana de los niños. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encargar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Encargaría una tarta para el cumpleaños si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encargar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he encargado el trabajo a su ayudante. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encargar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había encargado un libro en la librería antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encargar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré encargado a su hermana de los niños. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encargar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría encargado una tarta para el cumpleaños con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For encargar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él encargue el trabajo a su ayudante. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encargar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él encargara un libro en la librería, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For encargar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Encarga a su hermana de los niños! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For encargar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No encargues una tarta para el cumpleaños. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with encargar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Encargo una tarta para el cumpleaños. — I order a cake for the birthday.
  2. Encarga el trabajo a su ayudante. — He/she orders the work to his assistant.
  3. Ayer, encargué un libro en la librería. — Yesterday, I ordered a book at the bookshop.
  4. Antes, nosotros encargábamos a su hermana de los niños. — Before, we used to order his sister with the children.
  5. Mañana, tú encargarás una tarta para el cumpleaños. — Tomorrow, you will order a cake for the birthday.
  6. Yo encargaría el trabajo a su ayudante si tuviera más tiempo. — I would order the work to his assistant if I had more time.
  7. Él ha encargado un libro en la librería. — He has ordered a book at the bookshop.
  8. Espero que él encargue a su hermana de los niños. — I hope he orders his sister with the children.
  9. Yo ya había encargado una tarta para el cumpleaños antes de salir. — I had already ordered a cake for the birthday before leaving.
  10. Ellos encargaban el trabajo a su ayudante cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to order the work to his assistant when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo encarga una tarta para el cumpleaños. — Right: Yo encargo una tarta para el cumpleaños. — The person matters: encarga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is encargo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo encargé el trabajo a su ayudante. — Right: Yo encargué el trabajo a su ayudante. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is encargué, not encargé. encargar is a spelling-change verb: g becomes gu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating encargar and pedir as identical in every context. — Right: Encargar means to order, to entrust, while pedir means to ask for, the plain verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: encargar fits sentences such as Encargo una tarta para el cumpleaños, while pedir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy encargado el trabajo a su ayudante. — Right: Yo he encargado el trabajo a su ayudante. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he encargado, has encargado, ha encargado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo encargué un libro en la librería todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo encargaba un libro en la librería todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (encargaba), not the preterite. The preterite (encargué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on encargar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una tarta para el cumpleaños. (present tense) A. encargo B. encargas C. encarga D. encargamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el trabajo a su ayudante. (preterite) A. encargué B. encargaste C. encargaron D. encargó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ un libro en la librería. (imperfect) A. encargabas B. encargaban C. encargábamos D. encargaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a su hermana de los niños. (future) A. encargaremos B. encargarás C. encargaré D. encargará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una tarta para el cumpleaños si pudiera. (conditional) A. encargaría B. encargarías C. encargarían D. encargo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el trabajo a su ayudante. (present subjunctive) A. encargues B. encarguemos C. encargo D. encargue

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ un libro en la librería, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. encargáramos B. encargo C. encargara D. encargaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a su hermana de los niños. (present perfect) A. han encargado B. hemos encargado C. he encargado D. has encargado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ una tarta para el cumpleaños! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. encarga B. encargue C. encarguemos D. encargad

  10. Which is the gerund of encargar, used with estar for the progressive? A. encargado B. encargo C. encargué D. encargando

Answer key

  1. encargo — The first-person present of encargar is encargo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. encargó — The third-person preterite of encargar is encargó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. encargábamos — The nosotros imperfect of encargar is encargábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. encargarás — The second-person future of encargar is encargarás.
  5. encargaría — The first-person conditional of encargar is encargaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. encargue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of encargar is encargue.
  7. encargara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of encargar is encargara.
  8. hemos encargado — The nosotros present perfect of encargar is hemos encargado: hemos + encargado.
  9. encarga — The affirmative tú imperative of encargar is encarga.
  10. encargando — The gerund of encargar is encargando: estoy encargando. The participle encargado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does encargar mean in English?

Encargar means to order, to entrust. It is used in everyday situations such as Encargo una tarta para el cumpleaños. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is encargar regular or irregular?

Encargar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including encargo in the present and encargué in the preterite.

What is the difference between encargar and pedir?

Encargar means to order, to entrust, while pedir means to ask for, the plain verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use encargar when you mean to order, to entrust, as in Encargo una tarta para el cumpleaños, and use pedir for to ask for, the plain verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I order” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo encargué el trabajo a su ayudante. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo encargaba un libro en la librería. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he encargado el trabajo a su ayudante.

How do I practise encargar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the encargar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

Related links