Engañar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb engañar means to deceive, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Engañar means to deceive, and it is used for deceiving customers with false promises, deceiving a judge and deceiving family for years. It is stronger than mentir, to lie, because it implies a trick or a fraud, and it is a regular -ar verb with ñ in the stem. Like every Spanish verb, engañar 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 engaño a sus clientes con promesas falsas, and in the preterite you say engañé a su familia durante años. 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: engañar
  • English: to deceive
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: engañando
  • Past participle: engañado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + engañado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for engañar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Engañar is written with ñ: engaño, engañas. The ñ is part of the stem, so it appears in every form.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for engañar. 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 engaño
tú engañas
él/ella/Ud. engaña
nosotros/as engañamos
vosotros/as engañáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. engañan

Preterite

Person Form
yo engañé
tú engañaste
él/ella/Ud. engañó
nosotros/as engañamos
vosotros/as engañasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. engañaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo engañaba
tú engañabas
él/ella/Ud. engañaba
nosotros/as engañábamos
vosotros/as engañabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. engañaban

Future

Person Form
yo engañaré
tú engañarás
él/ella/Ud. engañará
nosotros/as engañaremos
vosotros/as engañaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. engañarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo engañaría
tú engañarías
él/ella/Ud. engañaría
nosotros/as engañaríamos
vosotros/as engañaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. engañarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo engañe
tú engañes
él/ella/Ud. engañe
nosotros/as engañemos
vosotros/as engañéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. engañen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo engañara
tú engañaras
él/ella/Ud. engañara
nosotros/as engañáramos
vosotros/as engañarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. engañaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú engaña
él/ella/Ud. engañe
nosotros/as engañemos
vosotros/as engañad
ellos/ellas/Uds. engañen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú engañes
él/ella/Ud. engañe
nosotros/as engañemos
vosotros/as engañéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. engañen

Gerund and past participle

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

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 engañar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Engaño a sus clientes con promesas falsas. 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 engañar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, engañé al juez con documentos falsos. 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 engañar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, engañaba a su familia durante años. 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 engañar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, engañaré a los niños con un truco. 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 engañar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Engañaría a sus clientes con promesas falsas 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 engañar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he engañado al juez con documentos falsos. 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 engañar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había engañado a su familia durante años 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 engañar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré engañado a los niños con un truco. 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 engañar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría engañado a sus clientes con promesas falsas 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 engañar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él engañe al juez con documentos falsos. 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 engañar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él engañara a su familia durante años, 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 engañar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Engaña a los niños con un truco! 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 engañar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No engañes a sus clientes con promesas falsas. 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 engañar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Engaño a sus clientes con promesas falsas. — I deceive his customers with false promises.
  2. Engaña al juez con documentos falsos. — He/she deceives the judge with false documents.
  3. Ayer, engañé a su familia durante años. — Yesterday, I deceived his family for years.
  4. Antes, nosotros engañábamos a los niños con un truco. — Before, we used to deceive the children with a trick.
  5. Mañana, tú engañarás a sus clientes con promesas falsas. — Tomorrow, you will deceive his customers with false promises.
  6. Yo engañaría al juez con documentos falsos si tuviera más tiempo. — I would deceive the judge with false documents if I had more time.
  7. Él ha engañado a su familia durante años. — He has deceived his family for years.
  8. Espero que él engañe a los niños con un truco. — I hope he deceives the children with a trick.
  9. Yo ya había engañado a sus clientes con promesas falsas antes de salir. — I had already deceived his customers with false promises before leaving.
  10. Ellos engañaban al juez con documentos falsos cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to deceive the judge with false documents when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo engaña a sus clientes con promesas falsas. — Right: Yo engaño a sus clientes con promesas falsas. — The person matters: engaña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is engaño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros engañais al juez con documentos falsos. — Right: Vosotros engañáis al juez con documentos falsos. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: engañáis, not engañais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating engañar and mentir as identical in every context. — Right: Engañar means to deceive, while mentir means to lie, the close verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: engañar fits sentences such as Engaño a sus clientes con promesas falsas, while mentir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy engañado al juez con documentos falsos. — Right: Yo he engañado al juez con documentos falsos. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he engañado, has engañado, ha engañado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo engañé a su familia durante años todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo engañaba a su familia durante años todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (engañaba), not the preterite. The preterite (engañé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a sus clientes con promesas falsas. (present tense) A. engaño B. engañas C. engaña D. engañamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al juez con documentos falsos. (preterite) A. engañé B. engañaste C. engañaron D. engañó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a su familia durante años. (imperfect) A. engañabas B. engañaban C. engañábamos D. engañaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a los niños con un truco. (future) A. engañaremos B. engañarás C. engañaré D. engañará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a sus clientes con promesas falsas si pudiera. (conditional) A. engañaría B. engañarías C. engañarían D. engaño

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al juez con documentos falsos. (present subjunctive) A. engañes B. engañemos C. engaño D. engañe

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a su familia durante años, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. engañáramos B. engaño C. engañara D. engañaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a los niños con un truco. (present perfect) A. han engañado B. hemos engañado C. he engañado D. has engañado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a sus clientes con promesas falsas! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. engaña B. engañe C. engañemos D. engañad

  10. Which is the gerund of engañar, used with estar for the progressive? A. engañado B. engaño C. engañé D. engañando

Answer key

  1. engaño — The first-person present of engañar is engaño. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. engañó — The third-person preterite of engañar is engañó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. engañábamos — The nosotros imperfect of engañar is engañábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. engañarás — The second-person future of engañar is engañarás.
  5. engañaría — The first-person conditional of engañar is engañaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. engañe — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of engañar is engañe.
  7. engañara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of engañar is engañara.
  8. hemos engañado — The nosotros present perfect of engañar is hemos engañado: hemos + engañado.
  9. engaña — The affirmative tú imperative of engañar is engaña.
  10. engañando — The gerund of engañar is engañando: estoy engañando. The participle engañado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does engañar mean in English?

Engañar means to deceive. It is used in everyday situations such as Engaño a sus clientes con promesas falsas. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is engañar regular or irregular?

Engañar 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 engaño in the present and engañé in the preterite.

What is the difference between engañar and mentir?

Engañar means to deceive, while mentir means to lie, the close verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use engañar when you mean to deceive, as in Engaño a sus clientes con promesas falsas, and use mentir for to lie, the close verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I deceive” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo engañé al juez con documentos falsos. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo engañaba a su familia durante años. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he engañado al juez con documentos falsos.

How do I practise engañar?

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

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