Encender Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb encender means to turn on, to light, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Encender means to turn on or to light, and it is used for lights, televisions, computers, candles and fires. It is the opposite of apagar, and it is a stem-changing verb, e to ie, so the present tense is where learners most often slip. Like every Spanish verb, encender 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 enciendo la luz al entrar en casa, and in the preterite you say encendí una vela en la cena. 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: encender
- English: to turn on, to light
- Verb type: irregular verb, stem-changing (e → ie)
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: encendiendo
- Past participle: encendido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + encendido)
- Stem change: e → ie in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for encender, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. The stem changes e to ie: yo enciendo, tú enciendes, but nosotros encendemos keeps the e.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for encender. 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 | enciendo |
| tú | enciendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | enciende |
| nosotros/as | encendemos |
| vosotros/as | encendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encienden |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encendí |
| tú | encendiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | encendió |
| nosotros/as | encendimos |
| vosotros/as | encendisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encendieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encendía |
| tú | encendías |
| él/ella/Ud. | encendía |
| nosotros/as | encendíamos |
| vosotros/as | encendíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encendían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encenderé |
| tú | encenderás |
| él/ella/Ud. | encenderá |
| nosotros/as | encenderemos |
| vosotros/as | encenderéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encenderán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encendería |
| tú | encenderías |
| él/ella/Ud. | encendería |
| nosotros/as | encenderíamos |
| vosotros/as | encenderíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encenderían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he encendido |
| tú | has encendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha encendido |
| nosotros/as | hemos encendido |
| vosotros/as | habéis encendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han encendido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había encendido |
| tú | habías encendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había encendido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos encendido |
| vosotros/as | habíais encendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían encendido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré encendido |
| tú | habrás encendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá encendido |
| nosotros/as | habremos encendido |
| vosotros/as | habréis encendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán encendido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría encendido |
| tú | habrías encendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría encendido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos encendido |
| vosotros/as | habríais encendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían encendido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encienda |
| tú | enciendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | encienda |
| nosotros/as | encendamos |
| vosotros/as | encendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enciendan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encendiera |
| tú | encendieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | encendiera |
| nosotros/as | encendiéramos |
| vosotros/as | encendierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encendieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | enciende |
| él/ella/Ud. | encienda |
| nosotros/as | encendamos |
| vosotros/as | encended |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enciendan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | enciendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | encienda |
| nosotros/as | encendamos |
| vosotros/as | encendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enciendan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | encendiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy encendiendo |
| Past participle | encendido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he encendido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For encender, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Enciendo la luz al entrar en casa. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encender, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, encendí la televisión para ver las noticias. 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 encender, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, encendía una vela en la cena. 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 encender, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, encenderé el ordenador por la mañana. 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 encender, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Encendería la luz al entrar en casa 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 encender, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he encendido la televisión para ver las noticias. 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 encender, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había encendido una vela en la cena 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 encender, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré encendido el ordenador por la mañana. 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 encender, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría encendido la luz al entrar en casa 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For encender, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él encienda la televisión para ver las noticias. 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 encender, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él encendiera una vela en la cena, 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For encender, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Enciende el ordenador por la mañana! 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For encender, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No enciendas la luz al entrar en casa. 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 encender, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Enciendo la luz al entrar en casa. — I turn on the light on coming home.
- Enciende la televisión para ver las noticias. — He/she turns on the television to watch the news.
- Ayer, encendí una vela en la cena. — Yesterday, I turned on a candle at dinner.
- Antes, nosotros encendíamos el ordenador por la mañana. — Before, we used to turn on the computer in the morning.
- Mañana, tú encenderás la luz al entrar en casa. — Tomorrow, you will turn on the light on coming home.
- Yo encendería la televisión para ver las noticias si tuviera más tiempo. — I would turn on the television to watch the news if I had more time.
- Él ha encendido una vela en la cena. — He has turned on a candle at dinner.
- Espero que él encienda el ordenador por la mañana. — I hope he turns on the computer in the morning.
- Yo ya había encendido la luz al entrar en casa antes de salir. — I had already turned on the light on coming home before leaving.
- Ellos encendían la televisión para ver las noticias cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to turn on the television to watch the news when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo enciende la luz al entrar en casa. — Right: Yo enciendo la luz al entrar en casa. — The person matters: enciende is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is enciendo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo encendo la televisión para ver las noticias. — Right: Yo enciendo la televisión para ver las noticias. — Encender is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
- Wrong: Treating encender and apagar as identical in every context. — Right: Encender means to turn on, to light, while apagar means to turn off, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: encender fits sentences such as Enciendo la luz al entrar en casa, while apagar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy encendido la televisión para ver las noticias. — Right: Yo he encendido la televisión para ver las noticias. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he encendido, has encendido, ha encendido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo encendí una vela en la cena todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo encendía una vela en la cena todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (encendía), not the preterite. The preterite (encendí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on encender. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la luz al entrar en casa. (present tense) A. enciendo B. enciendes C. enciende D. encendemos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la televisión para ver las noticias. (preterite) A. encendí B. encendiste C. encendieron D. encendió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ una vela en la cena. (imperfect) A. encendías B. encendían C. encendíamos D. encendía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el ordenador por la mañana. (future) A. encenderemos B. encenderás C. encenderé D. encenderá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la luz al entrar en casa si pudiera. (conditional) A. encendería B. encenderías C. encenderían D. enciendo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la televisión para ver las noticias. (present subjunctive) A. enciendas B. encendamos C. enciendo D. encienda
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ una vela en la cena, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. encendiéramos B. enciendo C. encendiera D. encendieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el ordenador por la mañana. (present perfect) A. han encendido B. hemos encendido C. he encendido D. has encendido
Complete the command: ¡___ la luz al entrar en casa! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. enciende B. encienda C. encendamos D. encended
Which is the gerund of encender, used with estar for the progressive? A. encendido B. enciendo C. encendí D. encendiendo
Answer key
- enciendo — The first-person present of encender is enciendo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- encendió — The third-person preterite of encender is encendió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- encendíamos — The nosotros imperfect of encender is encendíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- encenderás — The second-person future of encender is encenderás.
- encendería — The first-person conditional of encender is encendería, the form for what would happen.
- encienda — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of encender is encienda.
- encendiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of encender is encendiera.
- hemos encendido — The nosotros present perfect of encender is hemos encendido: hemos + encendido.
- enciende — The affirmative tú imperative of encender is enciende.
- encendiendo — The gerund of encender is encendiendo: estoy encendiendo. The participle encendido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does encender mean in English?
Encender means to turn on, to light. It is used in everyday situations such as Enciendo la luz al entrar en casa. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is encender regular or irregular?
Encender is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so it is not fully regular: the stem changes in the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The preterite and the imperfect are regular. Check the tables above for the exact forms in each tense.
What is the difference between encender and apagar?
Encender means to turn on, to light, while apagar means to turn off, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use encender when you mean to turn on, to light, as in Enciendo la luz al entrar en casa, and use apagar for to turn off, its opposite. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I turn on” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo encendí la televisión para ver las noticias. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo encendía una vela en la cena. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he encendido la televisión para ver las noticias.
How do I practise encender?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the encender examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Encender in the present tense — the full present-tense table for encender.
- Encender examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for encender.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Romper conjugation — another -er verb to compare with encender.
- Barrer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with encender.
- Meter conjugation — another -er verb to compare with encender.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.