Encerar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb encerar means to wax, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Encerar means to wax, to cover a surface with wax to protect it and make it shine. It is used for floors, cars, skis and shoes, and it is a fully regular verb. Like every Spanish verb, encerar 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 encero el suelo de madera, and in the preterite you say enceré los esquís antes de la temporada. 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: encerar
- English: to wax
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: encerando
- Past participle: encerado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + encerado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for encerar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Encerar is fully regular: encero, encera. It adds a layer of wax; pulir makes a surface shine by rubbing it.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for encerar. 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 | encero |
| tú | enceras |
| él/ella/Ud. | encera |
| nosotros/as | enceramos |
| vosotros/as | enceráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enceran |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enceré |
| tú | enceraste |
| él/ella/Ud. | enceró |
| nosotros/as | enceramos |
| vosotros/as | encerasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enceraron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enceraba |
| tú | encerabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | enceraba |
| nosotros/as | encerábamos |
| vosotros/as | encerabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enceraban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enceraré |
| tú | encerarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | encerará |
| nosotros/as | enceraremos |
| vosotros/as | enceraréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encerarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enceraría |
| tú | encerarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | enceraría |
| nosotros/as | enceraríamos |
| vosotros/as | enceraríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | encerarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he encerado |
| tú | has encerado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha encerado |
| nosotros/as | hemos encerado |
| vosotros/as | habéis encerado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han encerado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había encerado |
| tú | habías encerado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había encerado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos encerado |
| vosotros/as | habíais encerado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían encerado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré encerado |
| tú | habrás encerado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá encerado |
| nosotros/as | habremos encerado |
| vosotros/as | habréis encerado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán encerado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría encerado |
| tú | habrías encerado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría encerado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos encerado |
| vosotros/as | habríais encerado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían encerado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encere |
| tú | enceres |
| él/ella/Ud. | encere |
| nosotros/as | enceremos |
| vosotros/as | enceréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enceren |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | encerara |
| tú | enceraras |
| él/ella/Ud. | encerara |
| nosotros/as | enceráramos |
| vosotros/as | encerarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enceraran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | encera |
| él/ella/Ud. | encere |
| nosotros/as | enceremos |
| vosotros/as | encerad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enceren |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | enceres |
| él/ella/Ud. | encere |
| nosotros/as | enceremos |
| vosotros/as | enceréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enceren |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | encerando | with estar for the progressive: estoy encerando |
| Past participle | encerado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he encerado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encerar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Encero el suelo de madera. 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 encerar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, enceré el coche el sábado. 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 encerar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, enceraba los esquís antes de la temporada. 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 encerar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, enceraré los zapatos de cuero. 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 encerar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Enceraría el suelo de madera 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 encerar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he encerado el coche el sábado. 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 encerar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había encerado los esquís antes de la temporada 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 encerar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré encerado los zapatos de cuero. 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 encerar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría encerado el suelo de madera 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encerar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él encere el coche el sábado. 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 encerar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él encerara los esquís antes de la temporada, 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encerar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Encera los zapatos de cuero! 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For encerar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No enceres el suelo de madera. 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 encerar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Encero el suelo de madera. — I wax the wooden floor.
- Encera el coche el sábado. — He/she waxes the car on Saturdays.
- Ayer, enceré los esquís antes de la temporada. — Yesterday, I waxed the skis before the season.
- Antes, nosotros encerábamos los zapatos de cuero. — Before, we used to wax the leather shoes.
- Mañana, tú encerarás el suelo de madera. — Tomorrow, you will wax the wooden floor.
- Yo enceraría el coche el sábado si tuviera más tiempo. — I would wax the car on Saturdays if I had more time.
- Él ha encerado los esquís antes de la temporada. — He has waxed the skis before the season.
- Espero que él encere los zapatos de cuero. — I hope he waxes the leather shoes.
- Yo ya había encerado el suelo de madera antes de salir. — I had already waxed the wooden floor before leaving.
- Ellos enceraban el coche el sábado cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to wax the car on Saturdays when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo encera el suelo de madera. — Right: Yo encero el suelo de madera. — The person matters: encera is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is encero. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo encero el coche el sábado. — Right: Ayer yo enceré el coche el sábado. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: encero is happening now, while enceré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating encerar and pulir as identical in every context. — Right: Encerar means to wax, while pulir means to polish. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: encerar fits sentences such as Encero el suelo de madera, while pulir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy encerado el coche el sábado. — Right: Yo he encerado el coche el sábado. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he encerado, has encerado, ha encerado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo enceré los esquís antes de la temporada todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo enceraba los esquís antes de la temporada todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (enceraba), not the preterite. The preterite (enceré) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on encerar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el suelo de madera. (present tense) A. encero B. enceras C. encera D. enceramos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el coche el sábado. (preterite) A. enceré B. enceraste C. enceraron D. enceró
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ los esquís antes de la temporada. (imperfect) A. encerabas B. enceraban C. encerábamos D. enceraba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ los zapatos de cuero. (future) A. enceraremos B. encerarás C. enceraré D. encerará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el suelo de madera si pudiera. (conditional) A. enceraría B. encerarías C. encerarían D. encero
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el coche el sábado. (present subjunctive) A. enceres B. enceremos C. encero D. encere
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los esquís antes de la temporada, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. enceráramos B. encero C. encerara D. enceraras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los zapatos de cuero. (present perfect) A. han encerado B. hemos encerado C. he encerado D. has encerado
Complete the command: ¡___ el suelo de madera! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. encera B. encere C. enceremos D. encerad
Which is the gerund of encerar, used with estar for the progressive? A. encerado B. encero C. enceré D. encerando
Answer key
- encero — The first-person present of encerar is encero. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- enceró — The third-person preterite of encerar is enceró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- encerábamos — The nosotros imperfect of encerar is encerábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- encerarás — The second-person future of encerar is encerarás.
- enceraría — The first-person conditional of encerar is enceraría, the form for what would happen.
- encere — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of encerar is encere.
- encerara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of encerar is encerara.
- hemos encerado — The nosotros present perfect of encerar is hemos encerado: hemos + encerado.
- encera — The affirmative tú imperative of encerar is encera.
- encerando — The gerund of encerar is encerando: estoy encerando. The participle encerado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does encerar mean in English?
Encerar means to wax. It is used in everyday situations such as Encero el suelo de madera. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is encerar regular or irregular?
Encerar 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 encero in the present and enceré in the preterite.
What is the difference between encerar and pulir?
Encerar means to wax, while pulir means to polish. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use encerar when you mean to wax, as in Encero el suelo de madera, and use pulir for to polish. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I wax” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo enceré el coche el sábado. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo enceraba los esquís antes de la temporada. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he encerado el coche el sábado.
How do I practise encerar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the encerar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Encerar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for encerar.
- Encerar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for encerar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Cabalgar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with encerar.
- Ventilar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with encerar.
- Airear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with encerar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.