Espiar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb espiar means to spy on, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Espiar means to spy on someone: espiar a su vecino por la ventana. It takes a person as its object and often adds por or desde for how the spying happens. Like every Spanish verb, espiar 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 espío a su vecino por la ventana — "I spy on his neighbour through the window". 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: espiar
  • English: to spy on
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: espiando
  • Past participle: espiado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + espiado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | espío | | tú | espías | | él/ella/Ud. | espía | | nosotros/as | espiamos | | vosotros/as | espiáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | espían |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | espié | | tú | espiaste | | él/ella/Ud. | espió | | nosotros/as | espiamos | | vosotros/as | espiasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | espiaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | espiaba | | tú | espiabas | | él/ella/Ud. | espiaba | | nosotros/as | espiábamos | | vosotros/as | espiabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | espiaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | espiaré | | tú | espiarás | | él/ella/Ud. | espiará | | nosotros/as | espiaremos | | vosotros/as | espiaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | espiarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | espiaría | | tú | espiarías | | él/ella/Ud. | espiaría | | nosotros/as | espiaríamos | | vosotros/as | espiaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | espiarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | espíe | | tú | espíes | | él/ella/Ud. | espíe | | nosotros/as | espiemos | | vosotros/as | espiéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | espíen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | espiara | | tú | espiaras | | él/ella/Ud. | espiara | | nosotros/as | espiáramos | | vosotros/as | espiarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | espiaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | espía | | él/ella/Ud. | espíe | | nosotros/as | espiemos | | vosotros/as | espiad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | espíen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | espíes | | él/ella/Ud. | espíe | | nosotros/as | espiemos | | vosotros/as | espiéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | espíen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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 espiar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo espío a su vecino por la ventana — "I spy on his neighbour through the window".

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 espiar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo espié a su rival en el trabajo — "Yesterday, I spied on his rival at work".

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 espiar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo espiaba al enemigo desde la colina — "As a child, I used to spy on the enemy from the hill".

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 espiar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo espiaré a su hermano en el jardín — "Tomorrow, I will spy on his brother in the garden".

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 espiar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo espiaría a su vecino por la ventana si pudiera — "I would spy on his neighbour through the window 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 espiar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he espiado a su rival en el trabajo — "Today, I have spied on his rival at work".

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 espiar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había espiado al enemigo desde la colina antes de salir — "I already had spied on the enemy from the hill 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 espiar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré espiado a su hermano en el jardín — "By tomorrow, I will have spied on his brother in the garden".

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 espiar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría espiado a su vecino por la ventana con más tiempo — "I would have spied on his neighbour through the window with more time".

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 espiar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él espíe a su rival en el trabajo — "I hope he spies on his rival at work".

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 espiar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo espiara al enemigo desde la colina, todo cambiaría — "If I spied on the enemy from the hill, everything would change".

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 espiar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Espía a su hermano en el jardín. — "Spy on his brother in the garden.".

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 espiar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No espíes a su vecino por la ventana. — "Do not spy on his neighbour through the window.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo espío a su vecino por la ventana — "I spy on his neighbour through the window"
  2. Mi amigo espía a su rival en el trabajo — "My friend spies on his rival at work"
  3. Ayer, yo espié al enemigo desde la colina — "Yesterday, I spied on the enemy from the hill"
  4. Antes, nosotros espiábamos a su hermano en el jardín — "Before, we used to spy on his brother in the garden"
  5. Mañana, tú espiarás las conversaciones de sus hijos — "Tomorrow, you will spy on his children's conversations"
  6. Yo espiaría a su vecino por la ventana si tuviera más tiempo — "I would spy on his neighbour through the window if I had more time"
  7. Él ha espiado a su rival en el trabajo — "He has spied on his rival at work"
  8. Espero que él espíe al enemigo desde la colina — "I hope he spies on the enemy from the hill"
  9. Yo ya había espiado a su hermano en el jardín antes de salir — "I already had spied on his brother in the garden before leaving"
  10. Ellos espiaban las conversaciones de sus hijos cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to spy on his children's conversations when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él espía a su rival en el trabajo — Right: Espero que él espíe a su rival en el trabajo — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él espíe a su rival en el trabajo — not the indicative Espero que él espía a su rival en el trabajo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo espío al enemigo desde la colina — Right: Ayer, yo espié al enemigo desde la colina — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo espié al enemigo desde la colina.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo espié a su hermano en el jardín todos los días — Right: De niño, yo espiaba a su hermano en el jardín todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo espiaba a su hermano en el jardín todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo espío su vecino por la ventana. — Right: Yo espío a su vecino por la ventana. — espiar takes a before this complement: Yo espío a su vecino por la ventana. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros espiais las conversaciones de sus hijos. — Right: Vosotros espiáis las conversaciones de sus hijos. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: espiáis, not espiais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su vecino por la ventana — "I spy on his neighbour through the window" (present) A. espío B. espías C. espía D. espiamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su rival en el trabajo — "He spied on his rival at work" (preterite) A. espió B. espié C. espiaste D. espiamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ al enemigo desde la colina — "We used to spy on the enemy from the hill" (imperfect) A. espiaba B. espiabas C. espiabais D. espiábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ a su hermano en el jardín — "You will spy on his brother in the garden" (future) A. espiaré B. espiará C. espiaremos D. espiarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ las conversaciones de sus hijos — "I would spy on his children's conversations" (conditional) A. espiarías B. espiaríamos C. espiaríais D. espiaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ a su vecino por la ventana — "I hope he spies on his neighbour through the window" (present subjunctive) A. espíes B. espiemos C. espiéis D. espíe

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ a su rival en el trabajo, todo cambiaría — "If I spied on his rival at work, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. espiara B. espiaras C. espiáramos D. espiarais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ al enemigo desde la colina — "We have spied on the enemy from the hill" (present perfect) A. he espiado B. has espiado C. ha espiado D. hemos espiado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ a su hermano en el jardín. — "Do not spy on his brother in the garden." (negative imperative) A. espíe B. espiemos C. espiéis D. espíes

  10. Which is the gerund of espiar, used with estar for the progressive? A. espío B. espié C. espiando D. espiado

Answer key

  1. espío — The present form for yo is espío.
  2. espió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is espió.
  3. espiábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is espiábamos.
  4. espiarás — The future form for tú is espiarás.
  5. espiaría — The conditional form for yo is espiaría.
  6. espíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is espíe.
  7. espiara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is espiara.
  8. hemos espiado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos espiado.
  9. espíes — The negative imperative form is espíes.
  10. espiando — The gerund of espiar is espiando: estoy espiando. The participle espiado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does espiar mean in English?

espiar means to spy on. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo espío a su vecino por la ventana — "I spy on his neighbour through the window". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is espiar regular?

Yes. espiar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as espiáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of espiar?

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

How do I say "I spy on" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo espié a su rival en el trabajo — "Yesterday, I spied on his rival at work". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo espiaba al enemigo desde la colina — "As a child, I used to spy on the enemy from the hill". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he espiado a su rival en el trabajo — "Today, I have spied on his rival at work".

What is the difference between espiar and vigilar?

Vigilar is to watch over something or someone, often openly and for protection. Espiar is to watch secretly. Espiar means to spy on someone: espiar a su vecino por la ventana. It takes a person as its object and often adds por or desde for how the spying happens.

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