Estornudar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb estornudar means to sneeze, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Estornudar is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of estornudar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example, in the present tense you say Yo estornudo tres veces — "I sneeze three times" — and in the preterite you say En primavera, yo estornudé — "In spring, I sneezed". 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: estornudar
- English: to sneeze
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: estornudando
- Past participle: estornudado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + estornudado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for estornudar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for estornudar. 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.
Gerund: estornudando · Past participle: estornudado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estornudo |
| tú | estornudas |
| él/ella/Ud. | estornuda |
| nosotros/as | estornudamos |
| vosotros/as | estornudáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estornudan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estornudé |
| tú | estornudaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | estornudó |
| nosotros/as | estornudamos |
| vosotros/as | estornudasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estornudaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estornudaba |
| tú | estornudabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | estornudaba |
| nosotros/as | estornudábamos |
| vosotros/as | estornudabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estornudaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estornudaré |
| tú | estornudarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | estornudará |
| nosotros/as | estornudaremos |
| vosotros/as | estornudaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estornudarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estornudaría |
| tú | estornudarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | estornudaría |
| nosotros/as | estornudaríamos |
| vosotros/as | estornudaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estornudarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he estornudado |
| tú | has estornudado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha estornudado |
| nosotros/as | hemos estornudado |
| vosotros/as | habéis estornudado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han estornudado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había estornudado |
| tú | habías estornudado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había estornudado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos estornudado |
| vosotros/as | habíais estornudado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían estornudado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré estornudado |
| tú | habrás estornudado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá estornudado |
| nosotros/as | habremos estornudado |
| vosotros/as | habréis estornudado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán estornudado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría estornudado |
| tú | habrías estornudado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría estornudado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos estornudado |
| vosotros/as | habríais estornudado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían estornudado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estornude |
| tú | estornudes |
| él/ella/Ud. | estornude |
| nosotros/as | estornudemos |
| vosotros/as | estornudéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estornuden |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estornudara |
| tú | estornudaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | estornudara |
| nosotros/as | estornudáramos |
| vosotros/as | estornudarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estornudaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | estornuda |
| él/ella/Ud. | estornude |
| nosotros/as | estornudemos |
| vosotros/as | estornudad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estornuden |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | estornudes |
| él/ella/Ud. | estornude |
| nosotros/as | estornudemos |
| vosotros/as | estornudéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estornuden |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | estornudando | with estar for the progressive: estoy estornudando |
| Past participle | estornudado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he estornudado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For estornudar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: En primavera, yo estornudo — "In spring, I sneeze". Learn the present indicative 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 in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For estornudar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo estornudé por el polvo — "I sneezed because of the dust". 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 words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For estornudar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo estornudaba tres veces — "I used to sneeze three times". 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. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For estornudar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: En primavera, yo estornudaré — "In spring, I will sneeze". 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 in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For estornudar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo estornudaría por el polvo — "I would sneeze because of the dust". 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. It connects the past with the present moment. For estornudar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he estornudado tres veces — "I have sneezed three times". 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. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For estornudar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: En primavera, yo había estornudado — "In spring, I had sneezed". 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, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For estornudar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré estornudado por el polvo — "I will have sneezed because of the dust". 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. It looks back at a past that never happened. For estornudar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría estornudado tres veces — "I would have sneezed three times". 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. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For estornudar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él estornude en primavera — "I hope he sneezes in spring". 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 estornudar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo estornudara por el polvo, todo cambiaría — "If I sneezed because of the dust, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) 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. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For estornudar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Estornude tres veces — "Let him sneeze three times". Learn the imperative (affirmative) 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. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For estornudar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No estornudes en primavera — "Don't sneeze in spring". Learn the imperative (negative) 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 estornudar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo estornudo por el polvo — "I sneeze because of the dust"
- Él estornuda tres veces — "He sneezes three times"
- En primavera, yo estornudé — "In spring, I sneezed"
- Yo estornudaba por el polvo — "I used to sneeze because of the dust"
- Tú estornudarás tres veces — "You will sneeze three times"
- En primavera, yo estornudaría — "In spring, I would sneeze"
- Él ha estornudado por el polvo — "He has sneezed because of the dust"
- Espero que él estornude tres veces — "I hope he sneezes three times"
- En primavera, yo había estornudado — "In spring, I had sneezed"
- Ellos estornudaban por el polvo — "They used to sneeze because of the dust"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos estornuda tres veces — Right: Ellos estornudan tres veces — Ellos needs the ellos form estornudan. The singular estornuda belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo estornudo — Right: Ayer, yo estornudé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to estornudé.
- Wrong: De niño, yo estornudé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo estornudaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (estornudaba), not the preterite. The preterite (estornudé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy estornudado en primavera. — Right: Yo he estornudado en primavera. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he estornudado, has estornudado, ha estornudado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él estornuda tres veces. — Right: Espero que él estornude tres veces. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: estornude. The indicative estornuda is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on estornudar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ tres veces. (present tense) A. estornudaron B. estornudo C. estornudan D. estornudabas
Complete the sentence: Él ___ tres veces. (preterite) A. estornudó B. estornudáramos C. estornudaste D. estornudas
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ tres veces. (imperfect) A. habéis estornudado B. estornudaremos C. estornudábamos D. estornuda
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ tres veces. (future) A. estornudarías B. habría estornudado C. estornudarás D. habías estornudado
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ tres veces. (conditional) A. estornudo B. estornudabas C. estornudaría D. habríamos estornudado
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ tres veces. (present subjunctive) A. estornude B. habrías estornudado C. estornudáis D. estornudé
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ tres veces, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. estornudarías B. estornudara C. estornudarais D. habías estornudado
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ tres veces. (present perfect) A. habremos estornudado B. habéis estornudado C. habías estornudado D. hemos estornudado
Complete the command: No ___ tres veces. (negative imperative, tú) A. estornude B. estornudéis C. estornudemos D. estornudes
Which is the gerund of estornudar, used with estar for the progressive? A. estornudaré B. estornudé C. estornudo D. estornudando
Answer key
- estornudo — The yo present tense of estornudar is estornudo.
- estornudó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of estornudar is estornudó.
- estornudábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of estornudar is estornudábamos.
- estornudarás — The tú future of estornudar is estornudarás.
- estornudaría — The yo conditional of estornudar is estornudaría.
- estornude — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of estornudar is estornude.
- estornudara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of estornudar is estornudara.
- hemos estornudado — The nosotros/as present perfect of estornudar is hemos estornudado.
- estornudes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: estornudes.
- estornudando — The gerund of estornudar is estornudando: estoy estornudando. The participle estornudado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does estornudar mean in English?
Estornudar means to sneeze. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo estornudo tres veces. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is estornudar regular?
Yes. Estornudar is a regular -ar verb: estornudo, estornudas, estornuda. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ar verb.
What is the gerund and the past participle of estornudar?
The gerund is estornudando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy estornudando. The past participle is estornudado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he estornudado.
How do I say “I sneeze” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: En primavera, yo estornudé. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo estornudaba por el polvo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he estornudado tres veces.
How do I practise estornudar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the estornudar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Estornudar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for estornudar.
- Estornudar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for estornudar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Bostezar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with estornudar.
- Eructar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with estornudar.
- Vomitar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with estornudar.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.