Introduction

equivaler means “to be equivalent to”. It belongs to the group of Spanish verbs that express “to be equivalent to”, and once you can conjugate it you can say a surprising amount with a single verb. This page is the complete reference for equivaler: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, with notes on usage, real example sentences, common mistakes, a quiz and frequently asked questions. equivaler is a irregular -er verb. If it is irregular in a tense, the note under that table says so plainly, and the forms in the table are the correct ones — copy them, do not guess them from the infinitive. A first example to fix the verb in your mind: “Este bono equivale a diez euros todos los días.” — “This voucher is equivalent to ten euros.”

Quick facts
Infinitive equivaler
English to be equivalent to
Verb type Irregular -er verb
Gerund equivaliendo
Past participle equivalido
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: equivaliendo · Past participle: equivalido

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo equivalgo
tú equivales
él/ella/Ud. equivale
nosotros/as equivalemos
vosotros/as equivaléis
ellos/ellas/Uds. equivalen

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For equivaler, the yo form is equivalgo, as in “Este bono equivale a diez euros.” — “This voucher is equivalent to ten euros.” This is one of the tenses where equivaler does not follow the regular -er pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Preterite

Person Form
yo equivalí
tú equivaliste
él/ella/Ud. equivalió
nosotros/as equivalimos
vosotros/as equivalisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. equivalieron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For equivaler, the yo form is equivalí, as in “Este bono equivalió a diez euros.” — “This voucher was equivalent to ten euros.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo equivalía
tú equivalías
él/ella/Ud. equivalía
nosotros/as equivalíamos
vosotros/as equivalíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. equivalían

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For equivaler, the yo form is equivalía, as in “Este bono equivalía a diez euros.” — “This voucher used to be equivalent to ten euros.”

Future

Person Form
yo equivaldré
tú equivaldrás
él/ella/Ud. equivaldrá
nosotros/as equivaldremos
vosotros/as equivaldréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. equivaldrán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For equivaler, the yo form is equivaldré, as in “Este bono equivaldrá a diez euros.” — “This voucher will be equivalent to ten euros.” This is one of the tenses where equivaler does not follow the regular -er pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Conditional

Person Form
yo equivaldría
tú equivaldrías
él/ella/Ud. equivaldría
nosotros/as equivaldríamos
vosotros/as equivaldríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. equivaldrían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For equivaler, the yo form is equivaldría, as in “Este bono equivaldría a diez euros.” — “This voucher would be equivalent to ten euros.” This is one of the tenses where equivaler does not follow the regular -er pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For equivaler, the yo form is he equivalido, as in “Este bono ha equivalido a diez euros.” — “This voucher has been equivalent to ten euros.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For equivaler, the yo form is había equivalido, as in “Este bono había equivalido a diez euros.” — “This voucher had been equivalent to ten euros.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For equivaler, the yo form is habré equivalido, as in “Este bono habrá equivalido a diez euros.” — “This voucher will have been equivalent to ten euros.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For equivaler, the yo form is habría equivalido, as in “Este bono habría equivalido a diez euros.” — “This voucher would have been equivalent to ten euros.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo equivalga
tú equivalgas
él/ella/Ud. equivalga
nosotros/as equivalgamos
vosotros/as equivalgáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. equivalgan

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For equivaler, the yo form is equivalga, as in “Espero que este bono equivalga a diez euros.” — “I hope that this voucher is equivalent to ten euros.” This is one of the tenses where equivaler does not follow the regular -er pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo equivaliera
tú equivalieras
él/ella/Ud. equivaliera
nosotros/as equivaliéramos
vosotros/as equivalierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. equivalieran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For equivaler, the yo form is equivaliera, as in “Si este bono equivaliera a diez euros, ...” — “If This voucher was equivalent to ten euros, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: equivaliera becomes equivaliese, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú equivale
Ud. equivalga
nosotros/as equivalgamos
vosotros/as equivaled
Uds. equivalgan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú equivalgas
Ud. equivalga
nosotros/as equivalgamos
vosotros/as equivalgáis
Uds. equivalgan

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is equivale, as in “¡Equivale a diez euros” — “Be equivalent to ten euros” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no equivalgas. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with equivaler. This is one of the tenses where equivaler does not follow the regular -er pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with equivaler, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Este bono equivale a diez euros cada día.” — “This voucher is equivalent to ten euros.”
  2. “Este bono equivale a diez euros todos los días.” — “This voucher is equivalent to ten euros.”
  3. “Este bono equivalió a diez euros ayer.” — “This voucher was equivalent to ten euros.”
  4. “Este bono equivalió a diez euros ayer.” — “This voucher was equivalent to ten euros.”
  5. “Este bono equivalía a diez euros cuando era joven.” — “This voucher used to be equivalent to ten euros.”
  6. “Este bono equivaldrá a diez euros mañana.” — “This voucher will be equivalent to ten euros.”
  7. “Si pudiera, este bono equivaldría a diez euros.” — “If I could, this voucher would be equivalent to ten euros.”
  8. “Este bono ha equivalido a diez euros hoy.” — “This voucher has been equivalent to ten euros.”
  9. “Espero que este bono equivalga a diez euros.” — “I hope that this voucher is equivalent to ten euros.”
  10. “Este bono está equivaliendo a diez euros ahora mismo.” — “This voucher is being equivalent to ten euros.”

Common mistakes

Using the unchanged stem

Learners often write equivalo for the yo form, keeping the infinitive stem unchanged. The correct form is equivalgo. Because equivaler changes its stem vowel, the change appears in the stressed syllables of the present: say the correct form out loud a few times — yo equivalgo a diez euros — until the changed stem feels natural.

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is equivalí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — equivali — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of equivaler.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he equivalido a diez euros. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy equivalido is not the present perfect of equivaler — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing equivaler with cubrir

equivaler and cubrir look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of equivaler — be equivalent to — the sentence needs equivaler; if it needs the meaning of cubrir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo equivalga a diez euros. Using the indicative — Espero que yo equivalgo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with equivaler. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

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

1. What is the yo form of equivaler in the present?

  • A. equivales
  • B. equivale
  • C. equivalemos
  • D. equivalgo

2. What is the tu form of equivaler in the preterite?

  • A. equivalimos
  • B. equivaliste
  • C. equivalí
  • D. equivalió

3. What is the el form of equivaler in the imperfect?

  • A. equivalías
  • B. equivalíamos
  • C. equivalíais
  • D. equivalía

4. What is the nosotros form of equivaler in the future?

  • A. equivaldrá
  • B. equivaldremos
  • C. equivaldré
  • D. equivaldrás

5. What is the vosotros form of equivaler in the present perfect?

  • A. he equivalido
  • B. has equivalido
  • C. ha equivalido
  • D. habéis equivalido

6. What is the ellos form of equivaler in the present subjunctive?

  • A. equivalga
  • B. equivalgan
  • C. equivalga
  • D. equivalgas

7. What is the yo form of equivaler in the preterite?

  • A. equivaliste
  • B. equivalió
  • C. equivalimos
  • D. equivalí

8. What is the tu form of equivaler in the imperfect?

  • A. equivalíamos
  • B. equivalías
  • C. equivalía
  • D. equivalía

9. What is the el form of equivaler in the future?

  • A. equivaldré
  • B. equivaldrás
  • C. equivaldremos
  • D. equivaldrá

10. What is the nosotros form of equivaler in the conditional?

  • A. equivaldría
  • B. equivaldríamos
  • C. equivaldría
  • D. equivaldrías

Answer key

  1. equivalgo — The present table gives yo = equivalgo.
  2. equivaliste — The preterite table gives tu = equivaliste.
  3. equivalía — The imperfect table gives el = equivalía.
  4. equivaldremos — The future table gives nosotros = equivaldremos.
  5. habéis equivalido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis equivalido.
  6. equivalgan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = equivalgan.
  7. equivalí — The preterite table gives yo = equivalí.
  8. equivalías — The imperfect table gives tu = equivalías.
  9. equivaldrá — The future table gives el = equivaldrá.
  10. equivaldríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = equivaldríamos.

Frequently asked questions

Is equivaler regular or irregular?

equivaler is a irregular -er verb. It is irregular in these tenses: present, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of equivaler?

The past participle of equivaler is equivalido. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he equivalido, había equivalido, habré equivalido — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund equivaliendo and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of equivaler?

The gerund of equivaler is equivaliendo. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy equivaliendo, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle equivalido, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of equivaler in the present?

The yo form is equivalgo — “Este bono equivale a diez euros.” means “This voucher is equivalent to ten euros.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú equivales, él equivale, nosotros equivalemos, ellos equivalen.

What is the difference between equivaler and cubrir?

equivaler means “to be equivalent to”, while cubrir means “to cover”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to be equivalent to”, use equivaler; if it is about the meaning of cubrir, use cubrir instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

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