Esquiar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb esquiar means to ski, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Esquiar means to ski, and it is used for skiing down a mountain, in a resort or on a school trip. It is fully regular, and it pairs with en la nieve, en los Pirineos and con los esquís. Like every Spanish verb, esquiar 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 esquío en los Pirineos en invierno, and in the preterite you say esquié por la pista azul. 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: esquiar
- English: to ski
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: esquiando
- Past participle: esquiado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + esquiado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for esquiar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Esquiar is fully regular: esquié, esquiaba, esquiaré. Do not confuse it with patinar, which is on ice or wheels.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for esquiar. 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 | esquío |
| tú | esquías |
| él/ella/Ud. | esquía |
| nosotros/as | esquiamos |
| vosotros/as | esquiáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esquían |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esquié |
| tú | esquiaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | esquió |
| nosotros/as | esquiamos |
| vosotros/as | esquiasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esquiaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esquiaba |
| tú | esquiabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | esquiaba |
| nosotros/as | esquiábamos |
| vosotros/as | esquiabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esquiaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esquiaré |
| tú | esquiarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | esquiará |
| nosotros/as | esquiaremos |
| vosotros/as | esquiaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esquiarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esquiaría |
| tú | esquiarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | esquiaría |
| nosotros/as | esquiaríamos |
| vosotros/as | esquiaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esquiarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he esquiado |
| tú | has esquiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha esquiado |
| nosotros/as | hemos esquiado |
| vosotros/as | habéis esquiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han esquiado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había esquiado |
| tú | habías esquiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había esquiado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos esquiado |
| vosotros/as | habíais esquiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían esquiado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré esquiado |
| tú | habrás esquiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá esquiado |
| nosotros/as | habremos esquiado |
| vosotros/as | habréis esquiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán esquiado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría esquiado |
| tú | habrías esquiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría esquiado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos esquiado |
| vosotros/as | habríais esquiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían esquiado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esquíe |
| tú | esquíes |
| él/ella/Ud. | esquíe |
| nosotros/as | esquiemos |
| vosotros/as | esquiéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esquíen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | esquiara |
| tú | esquiaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | esquiara |
| nosotros/as | esquiáramos |
| vosotros/as | esquiarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esquiaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | esquía |
| él/ella/Ud. | esquíe |
| nosotros/as | esquiemos |
| vosotros/as | esquiad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esquíen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | esquíes |
| él/ella/Ud. | esquíe |
| nosotros/as | esquiemos |
| vosotros/as | esquiéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | esquíen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | esquiando | with estar for the progressive: estoy esquiando |
| Past participle | esquiado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he esquiado |
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 esquiar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Esquío en los Pirineos en invierno. 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 esquiar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, esquié con los amigos en la estación. 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 esquiar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, esquiaba por la pista azul. 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 esquiar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, esquiaré en la nieve por la mañana. 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 esquiar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Esquiaría en los Pirineos en invierno 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 esquiar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he esquiado con los amigos en la estación. 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 esquiar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había esquiado por la pista azul 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 esquiar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré esquiado en la nieve por la mañana. 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 esquiar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría esquiado en los Pirineos en invierno 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 esquiar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él esquíe con los amigos en la estación. 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 esquiar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él esquiara por la pista azul, 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 esquiar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Esquía en la nieve por la mañana! 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 esquiar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No esquíes en los Pirineos en invierno. 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 esquiar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Esquío en los Pirineos en invierno. — I ski in the Pyrenees in winter.
- Esquía con los amigos en la estación. — He/she skis with friends at the resort.
- Ayer, esquié por la pista azul. — Yesterday, I skied down the blue slope.
- Antes, nosotros esquiábamos en la nieve por la mañana. — Before, we used to ski in the snow in the morning.
- Mañana, tú esquiarás en los Pirineos en invierno. — Tomorrow, you will ski in the Pyrenees in winter.
- Yo esquiaría con los amigos en la estación si tuviera más tiempo. — I would ski with friends at the resort if I had more time.
- Él ha esquiado por la pista azul. — He has skied down the blue slope.
- Espero que él esquíe en la nieve por la mañana. — I hope he skis in the snow in the morning.
- Yo ya había esquiado en los Pirineos en invierno antes de salir. — I had already skied in the Pyrenees in winter before leaving.
- Ellos esquiaban con los amigos en la estación cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to ski with friends at the resort when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo esquía en los Pirineos en invierno. — Right: Yo esquío en los Pirineos en invierno. — The person matters: esquía is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is esquío. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo esquío con los amigos en la estación. — Right: Ayer yo esquié con los amigos en la estación. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: esquío is happening now, while esquié is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating esquiar and patinar as identical in every context. — Right: Esquiar means to ski, while patinar means to skate. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: esquiar fits sentences such as Esquío en los Pirineos en invierno, while patinar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy esquiado con los amigos en la estación. — Right: Yo he esquiado con los amigos en la estación. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he esquiado, has esquiado, ha esquiado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo esquié por la pista azul todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo esquiaba por la pista azul todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (esquiaba), not the preterite. The preterite (esquié) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on esquiar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en los Pirineos en invierno. (present tense) A. esquío B. esquías C. esquía D. esquiamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ con los amigos en la estación. (preterite) A. esquié B. esquiaste C. esquiaron D. esquió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ por la pista azul. (imperfect) A. esquiabas B. esquiaban C. esquiábamos D. esquiaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en la nieve por la mañana. (future) A. esquiaremos B. esquiarás C. esquiaré D. esquiará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en los Pirineos en invierno si pudiera. (conditional) A. esquiaría B. esquiarías C. esquiarían D. esquío
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con los amigos en la estación. (present subjunctive) A. esquíes B. esquiemos C. esquío D. esquíe
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ por la pista azul, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. esquiáramos B. esquío C. esquiara D. esquiaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en la nieve por la mañana. (present perfect) A. han esquiado B. hemos esquiado C. he esquiado D. has esquiado
Complete the command: ¡___ en los Pirineos en invierno! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. esquía B. esquíe C. esquiemos D. esquiad
Which is the gerund of esquiar, used with estar for the progressive? A. esquiado B. esquío C. esquié D. esquiando
Answer key
- esquío — The first-person present of esquiar is esquío. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- esquió — The third-person preterite of esquiar is esquió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- esquiábamos — The nosotros imperfect of esquiar is esquiábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- esquiarás — The second-person future of esquiar is esquiarás.
- esquiaría — The first-person conditional of esquiar is esquiaría, the form for what would happen.
- esquíe — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of esquiar is esquíe.
- esquiara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of esquiar is esquiara.
- hemos esquiado — The nosotros present perfect of esquiar is hemos esquiado: hemos + esquiado.
- esquía — The affirmative tú imperative of esquiar is esquía.
- esquiando — The gerund of esquiar is esquiando: estoy esquiando. The participle esquiado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does esquiar mean in English?
Esquiar means to ski. It is used in everyday situations such as Esquío en los Pirineos en invierno. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is esquiar regular or irregular?
Esquiar 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 esquío in the present and esquié in the preterite.
What is the difference between esquiar and patinar?
Esquiar means to ski, while patinar means to skate. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use esquiar when you mean to ski, as in Esquío en los Pirineos en invierno, and use patinar for to skate. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I ski” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo esquié con los amigos en la estación. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo esquiaba por la pista azul. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he esquiado con los amigos en la estación.
How do I practise esquiar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the esquiar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Esquiar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for esquiar.
- Esquiar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for esquiar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Bucear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with esquiar.
- Patinar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with esquiar.
- Montar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with esquiar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.