Enterrar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb enterrar means to bury, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Enterrar means to bury: enterrar el tesoro, enterrar las semillas. It is used literally for people and objects, and figuratively for the past: enterrar el pasado. Like every Spanish verb, enterrar 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 Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden". 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.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: entierro, entierras, entierra and entierran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: enterramos, enterráis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: enterrar
  • English: to bury
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: enterrando
  • Past participle: enterrado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + enterrado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | entierro | | tú | entierras | | él/ella/Ud. | entierra | | nosotros/as | enterramos | | vosotros/as | enterráis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | entierran |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enterré | | tú | enterraste | | él/ella/Ud. | enterró | | nosotros/as | enterramos | | vosotros/as | enterrasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enterraron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enterraba | | tú | enterrabas | | él/ella/Ud. | enterraba | | nosotros/as | enterrábamos | | vosotros/as | enterrabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enterraban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enterraré | | tú | enterrarás | | él/ella/Ud. | enterrará | | nosotros/as | enterraremos | | vosotros/as | enterraréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enterrarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enterraría | | tú | enterrarías | | él/ella/Ud. | enterraría | | nosotros/as | enterraríamos | | vosotros/as | enterraríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enterrarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | entierre | | tú | entierres | | él/ella/Ud. | entierre | | nosotros/as | enterremos | | vosotros/as | enterréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | entierren |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enterrara | | tú | enterraras | | él/ella/Ud. | enterrara | | nosotros/as | enterráramos | | vosotros/as | enterrarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enterraran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | entierra | | él/ella/Ud. | entierre | | nosotros/as | enterremos | | vosotros/as | enterrad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | entierren |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | entierres | | él/ella/Ud. | entierre | | nosotros/as | enterremos | | vosotros/as | enterréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | entierren |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund enterrando with estar for the progressive: está enterrando
Past participle enterrado with haber for the perfect tenses: he enterrado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: entierro, entierras, entierra and entierran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: enterramos, enterráis. For enterrar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden".

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 enterrar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo enterré a su abuelo en el cementerio — "Yesterday, I buried his grandfather in the cemetery".

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 enterrar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo enterraba las semillas en la tierra — "As a child, I used to bury the seeds in the soil".

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 enterrar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo enterraré el pasado para siempre — "Tomorrow, I will bury the past for ever".

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 enterrar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo enterraría el tesoro en el jardín si pudiera — "I would bury the treasure in the garden if I could".

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 enterrar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he enterrado a su abuelo en el cementerio — "Today, I have buried his grandfather in the cemetery".

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 enterrar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había enterrado las semillas en la tierra antes de salir — "I already had buried the seeds in the soil before leaving".

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 enterrar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré enterrado el pasado para siempre — "By tomorrow, I will have buried the past for ever".

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 enterrar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría enterrado el tesoro en el jardín con más tiempo — "I would have buried the treasure in the garden with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: entierro, entierras, entierra and entierran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: enterramos, enterráis. For enterrar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él entierre a su abuelo en el cementerio — "I hope he buries his grandfather in the cemetery".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 enterrar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo enterrara las semillas en la tierra, todo cambiaría — "If I buried the seeds in the soil, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: entierro, entierras, entierra and entierran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: enterramos, enterráis. For enterrar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Entierra el pasado para siempre. — "Bury the past for ever.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: entierro, entierras, entierra and entierran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: enterramos, enterráis. For enterrar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No entierres el tesoro en el jardín. — "Do not bury the treasure in the garden.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with enterrar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden"
  2. Mi amigo entierra a su abuelo en el cementerio — "My friend buries his grandfather in the cemetery"
  3. Ayer, yo enterré las semillas en la tierra — "Yesterday, I buried the seeds in the soil"
  4. Antes, nosotros enterrábamos el pasado para siempre — "Before, we used to bury the past for ever"
  5. Mañana, tú enterrarás una cápsula del tiempo — "Tomorrow, you will bury a time capsule"
  6. Yo enterraría el tesoro en el jardín si tuviera más tiempo — "I would bury the treasure in the garden if I had more time"
  7. Él ha enterrado a su abuelo en el cementerio — "He has buried his grandfather in the cemetery"
  8. Espero que él entierre las semillas en la tierra — "I hope he buries the seeds in the soil"
  9. Yo ya había enterrado el pasado para siempre antes de salir — "I already had buried the past for ever before leaving"
  10. Ellos enterraban una cápsula del tiempo cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to bury a time capsule when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo enterro a su abuelo en el cementerio. — Right: Yo entierro a su abuelo en el cementerio. — enterrar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is entierro, not enterro.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él entierra a su abuelo en el cementerio — Right: Espero que él entierre a su abuelo en el cementerio — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él entierre a su abuelo en el cementerio — not the indicative Espero que él entierra a su abuelo en el cementerio.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo entierro las semillas en la tierra — Right: Ayer, yo enterré las semillas en la tierra — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo enterré las semillas en la tierra.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo enterré el pasado para siempre todos los días — Right: De niño, yo enterraba el pasado para siempre todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo enterraba el pasado para siempre todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo entierro en el tesoro en el jardín. — Right: Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín. — enterrar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden" (present) A. entierra B. enterramos C. entierro D. entierras

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su abuelo en el cementerio — "He buried his grandfather in the cemetery" (preterite) A. enterré B. enterraste C. enterramos D. enterró

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ las semillas en la tierra — "We used to bury the seeds in the soil" (imperfect) A. enterraba B. enterrabas C. enterrabais D. enterrábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el pasado para siempre — "You will bury the past for ever" (future) A. enterrarás B. enterraré C. enterrará D. enterraremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ una cápsula del tiempo — "I would bury a time capsule" (conditional) A. enterraríais B. enterraría C. enterrarías D. enterraríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el tesoro en el jardín — "I hope he buries the treasure in the garden" (present subjunctive) A. enterréis B. entierre C. entierres D. enterremos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ a su abuelo en el cementerio, todo cambiaría — "If I buried his grandfather in the cemetery, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. enterraras B. enterráramos C. enterrarais D. enterrara

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ las semillas en la tierra — "We have buried the seeds in the soil" (present perfect) A. he enterrado B. has enterrado C. ha enterrado D. hemos enterrado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el pasado para siempre. — "Do not bury the past for ever." (negative imperative) A. entierres B. entierre C. enterremos D. enterréis

  10. Which is the gerund of enterrar, used with estar for the progressive? A. enterrado B. entierro C. enterré D. enterrando

Answer key

  1. entierro — The present form for yo is entierro.
  2. enterró — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is enterró.
  3. enterrábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is enterrábamos.
  4. enterrarás — The future form for tú is enterrarás.
  5. enterraría — The conditional form for yo is enterraría.
  6. entierre — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is entierre.
  7. enterrara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is enterrara.
  8. hemos enterrado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos enterrado.
  9. entierres — The negative imperative form is entierres.
  10. enterrando — The gerund of enterrar is enterrando: estoy enterrando. The participle enterrado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does enterrar mean in English?

enterrar means to bury. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is enterrar regular?

No. enterrar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: entierro, entierras, entierra and entierran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: enterramos, enterráis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of enterrar?

The gerund is enterrando and the past participle is enterrado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I bury" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo enterré a su abuelo en el cementerio — "Yesterday, I buried his grandfather in the cemetery". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo enterraba las semillas en la tierra — "As a child, I used to bury the seeds in the soil". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he enterrado a su abuelo en el cementerio — "Today, I have buried his grandfather in the cemetery".

What is the difference between enterrar and sepultar?

Sepultar is the more formal and solemn verb for burying, especially people. Enterrar is the everyday verb for burying anything. Enterrar means to bury: enterrar el tesoro, enterrar las semillas. It is used literally for people and objects, and figuratively for the past: enterrar el pasado.

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