Enfocar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb enfocar means to focus, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. It is a spelling-changing -ar verb verb: the stem is enfoc and the endings follow the -ar 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 enfoco todos los días», which means «I focus 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: enfocar
  • English: to focus
  • Verb type: spelling-changing -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: enfocando
  • Past participle: enfocado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + enfocado)
  • Spelling change: in the preterite the yo form is enfoqué, not enfocé, so the stem-final letter changes before e and i.
  • Spelling change: in the present subjunctive the yo form is enfoque, not enfoce, so the stem-final letter changes before e and i.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for enfocar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for enfocar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Gerund: enfocando · Past participle: enfocado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo enfoco
tú enfocas
él/ella/Ud. enfoca
nosotros/as enfocamos
vosotros/as enfocáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. enfocan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For enfocar, the yo form is enfoco, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future.

Preterite

Person Form
yo enfoqué
tú enfocaste
él/ella/Ud. enfocó
nosotros/as enfocamos
vosotros/as enfocasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. enfocaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo enfoqué» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo enfocaba
tú enfocabas
él/ella/Ud. enfocaba
nosotros/as enfocábamos
vosotros/as enfocabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. enfocaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo enfocaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Form
yo enfocaré
tú enfocarás
él/ella/Ud. enfocará
nosotros/as enfocaremos
vosotros/as enfocaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. enfocarán

The future tense states what will happen. For enfocar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo enfocaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.

Conditional

Person Form
yo enfocaría
tú enfocarías
él/ella/Ud. enfocaría
nosotros/as enfocaríamos
vosotros/as enfocaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. enfocarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo enfocaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he enfocado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había enfocado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré enfocado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría enfocado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo enfoque
tú enfoques
él/ella/Ud. enfoque
nosotros/as enfoquemos
vosotros/as enfoquéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. enfoquen

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él enfoque». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo enfocara
tú enfocaras
él/ella/Ud. enfocara
nosotros/as enfocáramos
vosotros/as enfocarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. enfocaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él enfocara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú enfoca
él/ella/Ud. enfoque
nosotros/as enfoquemos
vosotros/as enfocad
ellos/ellas/Uds. enfoquen

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡enfoca!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú enfoques
él/ella/Ud. enfoque
nosotros/as enfoquemos
vosotros/as enfoquéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. enfoquen

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No enfoques!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.

Example sentences

  1. Yo enfoco todos los días. — I focus every day.
  2. Ayer yo enfoqué por la tarde. — Yesterday I focussed in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo enfocaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to focus every day.
  4. Mañana yo enfocaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will focus without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo enfocaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would focus right now.
  6. Hoy yo he enfocado dos veces. — Today I have focussed twice.
  7. Espero que tú enfoques pronto. — I hope You focus soon.
  8. Si yo enfocara, todo sería distinto. — If I focussed, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy enfocando. — Right now I am focussing.
  10. ¡enfoca, por favor! — Focus, please!

Common mistakes

1. Missing the spelling change in the preterite

Wrong: Yo enfocé.

Right: Yo enfoqué.

The spelling changes so the pronunciation stays the same: the yo form in the preterite is enfoqué, not enfocé. The endings are regular — only the spelling of the stem-final letter adjusts before e and i.

2. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo enfocaba.

Right: Ayer yo enfoqué.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, enfoqué. The imperfect enfocaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

3. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú enfocas.

Right: Espero que tú enfoques.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: enfoques, not the indicative enfocas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

4. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No enfoca.

Right: No enfoques.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no enfoques. The affirmative enfoca can never follow no.

5. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo enfocar todos los días.

Right: Yo enfoco todos los días.

The infinitive enfocar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo enfoco.

6. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He enfocando.

Right: He enfocado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he enfocado. The gerund enfocando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy enfocando»), never with haber.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the nosotros/as form of enfocar in the present indicative?

- (a) enfocamos
- (b) enfoca
- (c) enfoco
- (d) enfocas

2. What is the vosotros/as form of enfocar in the preterite?

- (a) enfocaste
- (b) enfocasteis
- (c) enfocó
- (d) enfoqué

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfocar in the imperfect?

- (a) enfocaba
- (b) enfocaban
- (c) enfocaba
- (d) enfocabas

4. What is the yo form of enfocar in the future?

- (a) enfocaremos
- (b) enfocaré
- (c) enfocará
- (d) enfocarás

5. What is the tú form of enfocar in the conditional?

- (a) enfocarías
- (b) enfocaríamos
- (c) enfocaría
- (d) enfocaría

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of enfocar in the present perfect?

- (a) ha enfocado
- (b) has enfocado
- (c) hemos enfocado
- (d) he enfocado

7. What is the nosotros/as form of enfocar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) enfoquemos
- (b) enfoques
- (c) enfoque
- (d) enfoque

8. What is the vosotros/as form of enfocar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) enfocara
- (b) enfocarais
- (c) enfocaras
- (d) enfocara

9. What is the gerund of enfocar?

- (a) enfocar
- (b) enfoco
- (c) enfocando
- (d) enfocado

10. What is the past participle of enfocar?

- (a) enfocado
- (b) enfoqué
- (c) enfocando
- (d) enfocar

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of enfocar is enfocamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of enfocar is enfocasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfocar is enfocaban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the future, the yo form of enfocar is enfocaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the tú form of enfocar is enfocarías. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of enfocar is ha enfocado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — In the present subjunctive, the nosotros/as form of enfocar is enfoquemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (b) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the vosotros/as form of enfocar is enfocarais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (c) — The gerund of enfocar is enfocando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy enfocando». 10. (a) — The past participle of enfocar is enfocado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he enfocado».

Frequently asked questions

Is enfocar regular or irregular?

Mostly yes — enfocar takes the regular -ar endings, but the spelling of the stem changes in some forms (for example the yo preterite enfoqué). The endings never change; only the stem-final letter adjusts so the pronunciation stays the same.

What are the gerund and past participle of enfocar?

The gerund is enfocando and the past participle is enfocado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy enfocando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he enfocado»).

How do I say «I focus» in Spanish?

Say «Yo enfoco 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 enfocar?

Use the preterite (enfoqué) for a single finished event and the imperfect (enfocaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo enfoqué» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo enfocaba» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with enfocar?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú enfoques». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

How do I use enfocar in the present perfect?

Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he enfocado». The participle enfocado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.

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