Envejecer Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb envejecer means to grow old, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Envejecer means to grow old or to age, and it applies to people, animals, wine, cheese and even cities. It is a neutral verb — it simply describes the passing of time — and it pairs naturally with bien or mal to say whether someone is ageing well. Like every Spanish verb, envejecer 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 envejezco con dignidad y buen humor, and in the preterite you say envejecí poco a poco, como todos. 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: envejecer
  • English: to grow old
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: envejeciendo
  • Past participle: envejecido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + envejecido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for envejecer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Envejecer is a -cer verb: yo envejezco and the subjunctive envejezca both use the -zc- spelling.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for envejecer. 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 envejezco
tú envejeces
él/ella/Ud. envejece
nosotros/as envejecemos
vosotros/as envejecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. envejecen

Preterite

Person Form
yo envejecí
tú envejeciste
él/ella/Ud. envejeció
nosotros/as envejecimos
vosotros/as envejecisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. envejecieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo envejecía
tú envejecías
él/ella/Ud. envejecía
nosotros/as envejecíamos
vosotros/as envejecíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. envejecían

Future

Person Form
yo envejeceré
tú envejecerás
él/ella/Ud. envejecerá
nosotros/as envejeceremos
vosotros/as envejeceréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. envejecerán

Conditional

Person Form
yo envejecería
tú envejecerías
él/ella/Ud. envejecería
nosotros/as envejeceríamos
vosotros/as envejeceríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. envejecerían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo envejezca
tú envejezcas
él/ella/Ud. envejezca
nosotros/as envejezcamos
vosotros/as envejecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. envejezcan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo envejeciera
tú envejecieras
él/ella/Ud. envejeciera
nosotros/as envejeciéramos
vosotros/as envejecierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. envejecieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú envejece
él/ella/Ud. envejezca
nosotros/as envejezcamos
vosotros/as envejeced
ellos/ellas/Uds. envejezcan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú envejezcas
él/ella/Ud. envejezca
nosotros/as envejezcamos
vosotros/as envejecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. envejezcan

Gerund and past participle

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

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 envejecer, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Envejezco con dignidad y buen humor. 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 envejecer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, envejecí en el pueblo donde nació. 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 envejecer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, envejecía poco a poco, como todos. 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 envejecer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, envejeceré bien gracias al ejercicio. 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 envejecer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Envejecería con dignidad y buen humor 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 envejecer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he envejecido en el pueblo donde nació. 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 envejecer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había envejecido poco a poco, como todos 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 envejecer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré envejecido bien gracias al ejercicio. 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 envejecer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría envejecido con dignidad y buen humor 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 envejecer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él envejezca en el pueblo donde nació. 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 envejecer, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él envejeciera poco a poco, como todos, 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 envejecer, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Envejece bien gracias al ejercicio! 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 envejecer, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No envejezcas con dignidad y buen humor. 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 envejecer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Envejezco con dignidad y buen humor. — I grow old with dignity and good humour.
  2. Envejece en el pueblo donde nació. — He/she grows old in the village where he was born.
  3. Ayer, envejecí poco a poco, como todos. — Yesterday, I grew old little by little, like everyone.
  4. Antes, nosotros envejecíamos bien gracias al ejercicio. — Before, we used to grow old well, thanks to exercise.
  5. Mañana, tú envejecerás con dignidad y buen humor. — Tomorrow, you will grow old with dignity and good humour.
  6. Yo envejecería en el pueblo donde nació si tuviera más tiempo. — I would grow old in the village where he was born if I had more time.
  7. Él ha envejecido poco a poco, como todos. — He has grown old little by little, like everyone.
  8. Espero que él envejezca bien gracias al ejercicio. — I hope he grows old well, thanks to exercise.
  9. Yo ya había envejecido con dignidad y buen humor antes de salir. — I had already grown old with dignity and good humour before leaving.
  10. Ellos envejecían en el pueblo donde nació cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to grow old in the village where he was born when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo envejece con dignidad y buen humor. — Right: Yo envejezco con dignidad y buen humor. — The person matters: envejece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is envejezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo envejezo con dignidad y buen humor. — Right: Yo envejezco con dignidad y buen humor. — Verbs ending in -cer take -zc- before o and a: yo envejezco and the subjunctive envejezca.
  3. Wrong: Treating envejecer and crecer as identical in every context. — Right: Envejecer means to grow old, while crecer means to grow up, for children becoming adults. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: envejecer fits sentences such as Envejezco con dignidad y buen humor, while crecer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy envejecido en el pueblo donde nació. — Right: Yo he envejecido en el pueblo donde nació. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he envejecido, has envejecido, ha envejecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo envejecí poco a poco, como todos todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo envejecía poco a poco, como todos todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (envejecía), not the preterite. The preterite (envejecí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con dignidad y buen humor. (present tense) A. envejezco B. envejeces C. envejece D. envejecemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en el pueblo donde nació. (preterite) A. envejecí B. envejeciste C. envejecieron D. envejeció

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ poco a poco, como todos. (imperfect) A. envejecías B. envejecían C. envejecíamos D. envejecía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ bien gracias al ejercicio. (future) A. envejeceremos B. envejecerás C. envejeceré D. envejecerá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con dignidad y buen humor si pudiera. (conditional) A. envejecería B. envejecerías C. envejecerían D. envejezco

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el pueblo donde nació. (present subjunctive) A. envejezcas B. envejezcamos C. envejezco D. envejezca

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ poco a poco, como todos, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. envejeciéramos B. envejezco C. envejeciera D. envejecieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ bien gracias al ejercicio. (present perfect) A. han envejecido B. hemos envejecido C. he envejecido D. has envejecido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ con dignidad y buen humor! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. envejece B. envejezca C. envejezcamos D. envejeced

  10. Which is the gerund of envejecer, used with estar for the progressive? A. envejecido B. envejezco C. envejecí D. envejeciendo

Answer key

  1. envejezco — The first-person present of envejecer is envejezco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. envejeció — The third-person preterite of envejecer is envejeció, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. envejecíamos — The nosotros imperfect of envejecer is envejecíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. envejecerás — The second-person future of envejecer is envejecerás.
  5. envejecería — The first-person conditional of envejecer is envejecería, the form for what would happen.
  6. envejezca — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of envejecer is envejezca.
  7. envejeciera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of envejecer is envejeciera.
  8. hemos envejecido — The nosotros present perfect of envejecer is hemos envejecido: hemos + envejecido.
  9. envejece — The affirmative tú imperative of envejecer is envejece.
  10. envejeciendo — The gerund of envejecer is envejeciendo: estoy envejeciendo. The participle envejecido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does envejecer mean in English?

Envejecer means to grow old. It is used in everyday situations such as Envejezco con dignidad y buen humor. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is envejecer regular or irregular?

Envejecer is a fully regular -er 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 envejezco in the present and envejecí in the preterite.

What is the difference between envejecer and crecer?

Envejecer means to grow old, while crecer means to grow up, for children becoming adults. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use envejecer when you mean to grow old, as in Envejezco con dignidad y buen humor, and use crecer for to grow up, for children becoming adults. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I grow old” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo envejecí en el pueblo donde nació. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo envejecía poco a poco, como todos. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he envejecido en el pueblo donde nació.

How do I practise envejecer?

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

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