Enfrentar Conjugation in Spanish
Learning to conjugate enfrentar — «to face» — opens up a whole set of sentences you will use every day. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page covers it completely: thirteen tenses, the gerund enfrentando and the past participle enfrentado, example sentences in every tense, the common mistakes and a quiz with an answer key. A good first sentence to learn is «Yo enfrento todos los días» — I face every day. Once you can say that, the rest of the table falls into place person by person.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: enfrentar
- English: to face
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: enfrentando
- Past participle: enfrentado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + enfrentado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for enfrentar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for enfrentar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.
Gerund: enfrentando · Past participle: enfrentado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enfrento |
| tú | enfrentas |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfrenta |
| nosotros/as | enfrentamos |
| vosotros/as | enfrentáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfrentan |
Use the present of enfrentar for things that happen regularly and for things that are true in general. The yo form enfrento is the anchor of the table: the other persons follow the regular -ar endings from it. When you talk about yourself right now, this is the form you need.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enfrenté |
| tú | enfrentaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfrentó |
| nosotros/as | enfrentamos |
| vosotros/as | enfrentasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfrentaron |
Use the preterite of enfrentar for a single finished event: something that happened once and is over. The yo form is enfrenté. If you can put a finished time expression with it — ayer, la semana pasada, anoche — the preterite is usually right.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enfrentaba |
| tú | enfrentabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfrentaba |
| nosotros/as | enfrentábamos |
| vosotros/as | enfrentabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfrentaban |
Use the imperfect of enfrentar for what used to happen and for what was going on when something else happened. The yo form is enfrentaba. If the action has no clear beginning or end in the story, the imperfect is the right choice.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enfrentaré |
| tú | enfrentarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfrentará |
| nosotros/as | enfrentaremos |
| vosotros/as | enfrentaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfrentarán |
Use the future of enfrentar for plans, promises and predictions. The yo form is enfrentaré, built on the infinitive plus the future endings. For a firm plan, the future sounds more formal than ir a + infinitive; for a casual plan, either works.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enfrentaría |
| tú | enfrentarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfrentaría |
| nosotros/as | enfrentaríamos |
| vosotros/as | enfrentaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfrentarían |
Use the conditional of enfrentar for hypothetical situations and for softening requests. The yo form is enfrentaría. It appears after si-clauses with the imperfect subjunctive and on its own for polite suggestions.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he enfrentado |
| tú | has enfrentado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha enfrentado |
| nosotros/as | hemos enfrentado |
| vosotros/as | habéis enfrentado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han enfrentado |
Use the present perfect of enfrentar for recent events with present relevance. The yo form is he enfrentado — haber in the present plus enfrentado. Time expressions like hoy, esta semana and últimamente are its natural partners.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había enfrentado |
| tú | habías enfrentado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había enfrentado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos enfrentado |
| vosotros/as | habíais enfrentado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían enfrentado |
Use the pluperfect of enfrentar when you need two layers of past: one event already finished before another past event began. The yo form is había enfrentado. It is the tense of «had already done».
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré enfrentado |
| tú | habrás enfrentado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá enfrentado |
| nosotros/as | habremos enfrentado |
| vosotros/as | habréis enfrentado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán enfrentado |
Use the future perfect of enfrentar to say that something will be finished by a future moment. The yo form is habré enfrentado. It pairs naturally with deadlines: para mañana, para el viernes, para entonces.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría enfrentado |
| tú | habrías enfrentado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría enfrentado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos enfrentado |
| vosotros/as | habríais enfrentado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían enfrentado |
Use the conditional perfect of enfrentar for the past that did not happen: what would have been done with more time or a different choice. The yo form is habría enfrentado. It follows si-clauses with the pluperfect subjunctive.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enfrente |
| tú | enfrentes |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfrente |
| nosotros/as | enfrentemos |
| vosotros/as | enfrentéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfrenten |
Use the present subjunctive of enfrentar when the main clause expresses a wish, a doubt, an emotion or an impersonal judgement. The yo form is enfrente. After espero que, ojalá que and no creo que, the subjunctive is required, not optional.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enfrentara |
| tú | enfrentaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfrentara |
| nosotros/as | enfrentáramos |
| vosotros/as | enfrentarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfrentaran |
Use the imperfect subjunctive of enfrentar after past-tense wishes and doubts, and in si-clauses that set up a hypothetical present. The yo form is enfrentara. It is built on the third-person plural preterite stem, which is why it looks different from the present subjunctive.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | enfrenta |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfrente |
| nosotros/as | enfrentemos |
| vosotros/as | enfrentad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfrenten |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the affirmative imperative of enfrentar to tell someone to do something: instructions, invitations and requests. The tú form is enfrenta. For a polite command, use the usted form enfrente instead of the tú form.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | enfrentes |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfrente |
| nosotros/as | enfrentemos |
| vosotros/as | enfrentéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfrenten |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the negative imperative of enfrentar to forbid or to warn: «¡No enfrentes!». The tú form is enfrentes, taken from the present subjunctive. The word no always comes first, and the form never changes for emphasis.
Example sentences
- Yo enfrento todos los días. — I face every day.
- Ayer yo enfrenté por la tarde. — Yesterday I faced in the afternoon.
- Antes, yo enfrentaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to face every day.
- Mañana yo enfrentaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will face without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo enfrentaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would face right now.
- Hoy yo he enfrentado dos veces. — Today I have faced twice.
- Espero que tú enfrentes pronto. — I hope You face soon.
- Si yo enfrentara, todo sería distinto. — If I faced, everything would be different.
- Ahora mismo yo estoy enfrentando. — Right now I am facing.
- ¡enfrenta, por favor! — Face, please!
Common mistakes
1. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo enfrentaba.
Right: Ayer yo enfrenté.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, enfrenté. The imperfect enfrentaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú enfrentas.
Right: Espero que tú enfrentes.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: enfrentes, not the indicative enfrentas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
3. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No enfrenta.
Right: No enfrentes.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no enfrentes. The affirmative enfrenta can never follow no.
4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
Wrong: Yo enfrentar todos los días.
Right: Yo enfrento todos los días.
The infinitive enfrentar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo enfrento.
5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle
Wrong: He enfrentando.
Right: He enfrentado.
The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he enfrentado. The gerund enfrentando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy enfrentando»), never with haber.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the vosotros/as form of enfrentar in the present indicative?
- (a) enfrentáis
- (b) enfrentas
- (c) enfrento
- (d) enfrenta
2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfrentar in the preterite?
- (a) enfrentó
- (b) enfrentaste
- (c) enfrenté
- (d) enfrentaron
3. What is the yo form of enfrentar in the imperfect?
- (a) enfrentaba
- (b) enfrentabas
- (c) enfrentaba
- (d) enfrentábamos
4. What is the tú form of enfrentar in the future?
- (a) enfrentaremos
- (b) enfrentará
- (c) enfrentarás
- (d) enfrentaré
5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of enfrentar in the conditional?
- (a) enfrentaría
- (b) enfrentaríamos
- (c) enfrentaría
- (d) enfrentarías
6. What is the nosotros/as form of enfrentar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha enfrentado
- (b) has enfrentado
- (c) he enfrentado
- (d) hemos enfrentado
7. What is the vosotros/as form of enfrentar in the present subjunctive?
- (a) enfrentéis
- (b) enfrentes
- (c) enfrente
- (d) enfrente
8. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfrentar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?
- (a) enfrentaran
- (b) enfrentara
- (c) enfrentara
- (d) enfrentaras
9. What is the gerund of enfrentar?
- (a) enfrentado
- (b) enfrentando
- (c) enfrentar
- (d) enfrento
10. What is the past participle of enfrentar?
- (a) enfrentado
- (b) enfrentar
- (c) enfrentando
- (d) enfrenté
Answer key
1. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of enfrentar is enfrentáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfrentar is enfrentaron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the imperfect, the yo form of enfrentar is enfrentaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the future, the tú form of enfrentar is enfrentarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the él/ella/Ud. form of enfrentar is enfrentaría. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present perfect, the nosotros/as form of enfrentar is hemos enfrentado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — In the present subjunctive, the vosotros/as form of enfrentar is enfrentéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfrentar is enfrentaran. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (b) — The gerund of enfrentar is enfrentando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy enfrentando». 10. (a) — The past participle of enfrentar is enfrentado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he enfrentado».
Frequently asked questions
Is enfrentar regular or irregular?
Yes — enfrentar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem enfrent unchanged throughout.
What are the gerund and past participle of enfrentar?
The gerund is enfrentando and the past participle is enfrentado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy enfrentando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he enfrentado»).
How do I say «I face» in Spanish?
Say «Yo enfrento 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 enfrentar?
Use the preterite (enfrenté) for a single finished event and the imperfect (enfrentaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo enfrenté» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo enfrentaba» describes what used to happen.
When do I use the subjunctive with enfrentar?
Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú enfrentes». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.
How do I use enfrentar in the present perfect?
Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he enfrentado». The participle enfrentado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: enfrentar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: enfrentar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: enfocar
- Related verb: enfrentarse
- Related verb: enfermar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz