Introduction
Estudiar means «to study». Estudiar means to study: Spanish, medicine, for an exam, at university. It is a regular -ar verb and one of the most common verbs in student life, used for subjects, exams, timetables and homework. It 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 estudiar 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: «Yo estudio español todos los días.» — I study Spanish every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | estudiar |
| English | to study |
| Verb type | Regular -ar verb |
| Gerund | estudiando |
| Past participle | estudiado |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: estudiando · Past participle: estudiado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estudio |
| tú | estudias |
| él/ella/Ud. | estudia |
| nosotros/as | estudiamos |
| vosotros/as | estudiáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estudian |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For estudiar, the yo form is estudio, as in «Yo estudio» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estudié |
| tú | estudiaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | estudió |
| nosotros/as | estudiamos |
| vosotros/as | estudiasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estudiaron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo estudié» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estudiaba |
| tú | estudiabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | estudiaba |
| nosotros/as | estudiábamos |
| vosotros/as | estudiabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estudiaban |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo estudiaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estudiaré |
| tú | estudiarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | estudiará |
| nosotros/as | estudiaremos |
| vosotros/as | estudiaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estudiarán |
The future tense states what will happen. For estudiar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo estudiaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estudiaría |
| tú | estudiarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | estudiaría |
| nosotros/as | estudiaríamos |
| vosotros/as | estudiaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estudiarían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo estudiaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he estudiado |
| tú | has estudiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha estudiado |
| nosotros/as | hemos estudiado |
| vosotros/as | habéis estudiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han estudiado |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he estudiado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había estudiado |
| tú | habías estudiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había estudiado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos estudiado |
| vosotros/as | habíais estudiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían estudiado |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había estudiado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré estudiado |
| tú | habrás estudiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá estudiado |
| nosotros/as | habremos estudiado |
| vosotros/as | habréis estudiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán estudiado |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré estudiado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría estudiado |
| tú | habrías estudiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría estudiado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos estudiado |
| vosotros/as | habríais estudiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían estudiado |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría estudiado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estudie |
| tú | estudies |
| él/ella/Ud. | estudie |
| nosotros/as | estudiemos |
| vosotros/as | estudiéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estudien |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él estudie». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estudiara |
| tú | estudiaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | estudiara |
| nosotros/as | estudiáramos |
| vosotros/as | estudiarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estudiaran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él estudiara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | estudia |
| él/ella/Ud. | estudie |
| nosotros/as | estudiemos |
| vosotros/as | estudiad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estudien |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Estudia!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | estudies |
| él/ella/Ud. | estudie |
| nosotros/as | estudiemos |
| vosotros/as | estudiéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estudien |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No estudies!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo estudio español todos los días. — I study Spanish every day.
- Mi hermana estudia español mucho. — My sister studies Spanish a lot.
- Ayer yo estudié español por la tarde. — Yesterday I studied Spanish in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo estudiaba español muchas veces. — As a child, I used to study Spanish often.
- Mañana yo estudiaré español sin falta. — Tomorrow I will study Spanish without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo estudiaría español ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would study Spanish right now.
- Hoy yo he estudiado para el examen dos veces. — Today I have studied for the exam twice.
- Espero que él estudie español pronto. — I hope he studies Spanish soon.
- ¡Estudia español todos los días! — Study Spanish every day!
- Ahora mismo estoy estudiando español. — Right now I am studying Spanish.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: estudie
Right: estudié
The yo preterite of estudiar carries a written accent: estudié. Without it, estudie is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo estudiaba español.
Right: Ayer yo estudié español.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, estudié. The imperfect estudiaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Estudio a español.
Right: Estudio español.
Estudiar takes a direct object with no preposition: estudiar español, estudiar medicina.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú estudias español.
Right: Espero que tú estudies español.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: estudies, not the indicative estudias. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No estudia español.
Right: No estudies español.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no estudies. The affirmative estudia can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of estudiar in the present tense?
- (a) estudia
- (b) estudiamos
- (c) estudias
- (d) estudio
2. What is the él/ella form of estudiar in the preterite?
- (a) estudiamos
- (b) estudiaste
- (c) estudié
- (d) estudió
3. What is the nosotros form of estudiar in the imperfect?
- (a) estudiaba
- (b) estudiabas
- (c) estudiábamos
4. What is the tú form of estudiar in the future tense?
- (a) estudiaremos
- (b) estudiará
- (c) estudiarás
- (d) estudiaré
5. What is the ellos form of estudiar in the conditional?
- (a) estudiaría
- (b) estudiarían
- (c) estudiarías
6. What is the yo form of estudiar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha estudiado
- (b) has estudiado
- (c) he estudiado
- (d) hemos estudiado
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of estudiar?
- (a) estudie
- (b) estudiemos
- (c) estudies
8. What is the nosotros form of estudiar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) estudiara
- (b) estudiáramos
- (c) estudiaras
9. What is the gerund of estudiar?
- (a) estudiado
- (b) estudiando
- (c) estudiar
- (d) estudio
10. What is the past participle of estudiar?
- (a) estudiado
- (b) estudiando
- (c) estudiar
- (d) estudié
Answer key
1. (d) estudio — In the present, the yo form of estudiar is estudio. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (d) estudió — In the preterite, the el form of estudiar is estudió. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (c) estudiábamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of estudiar is estudiábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) estudiarás — In the future, the tu form of estudiar is estudiarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) estudiarían — In the conditional, the ellos form of estudiar is estudiarían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he estudiado — In the present perfect, the yo form of estudiar is he estudiado. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) estudies — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of estudiar is estudies. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) estudiáramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of estudiar is estudiáramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (b) estudiando — The gerund of estudiar is estudiando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy estudiando».
10. (a) estudiado — The past participle of estudiar is estudiado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he estudiado».
Frequently asked questions
Is estudiar regular or irregular?
Yes, estudiar is a regular -ar verb. Every tense follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of estudiar?
The gerund is estudiando and the past participle is estudiado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy estudiando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he estudiado»).
What is the difference between estudiar and aprender?
Estudiar and aprender are often confused. Aprender is to learn (to gain the knowledge); estudiar is to study (to do the work).
How do I say «I study» in Spanish?
Say «Yo estudio». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with estudiar?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (estudié) for a single finished event and the imperfect (estudiaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: estudiar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: estudiar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: aprender
- Related verb: leer
- Related verb: enseñar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz