Expedir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb expedir means to dispatch, to issue, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Expedir is a formal verb for issuing official documents: expedir un pasaporte, expedir un certificado. It is the verb you meet in administrative Spanish. Like every Spanish verb, expedir 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 expido un pasaporte nuevo — "I issue a new passport". 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.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: expido, expides, expide and expiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: expedimos, expedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: expidió, expidieron, and the gerund is expidiendo.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: expedir
  • English: to dispatch, to issue
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: expidiendo
  • Past participle: expedido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + expedido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | expido | | tú | expides | | él/ella/Ud. | expide | | nosotros/as | expedimos | | vosotros/as | expedís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | expiden |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | expedí | | tú | expediste | | él/ella/Ud. | expidió | | nosotros/as | expedimos | | vosotros/as | expedisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | expidieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | expedía | | tú | expedías | | él/ella/Ud. | expedía | | nosotros/as | expedíamos | | vosotros/as | expedíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | expedían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | expediré | | tú | expedirás | | él/ella/Ud. | expedirá | | nosotros/as | expediremos | | vosotros/as | expediréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | expedirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | expediría | | tú | expedirías | | él/ella/Ud. | expediría | | nosotros/as | expediríamos | | vosotros/as | expediríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | expedirían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | expida | | tú | expidas | | él/ella/Ud. | expida | | nosotros/as | expidamos | | vosotros/as | expidáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | expidan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | expidiera | | tú | expidieras | | él/ella/Ud. | expidiera | | nosotros/as | expidiéramos | | vosotros/as | expidierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | expidieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | expide | | él/ella/Ud. | expida | | nosotros/as | expidamos | | vosotros/as | expedid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | expidan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | expidas | | él/ella/Ud. | expida | | nosotros/as | expidamos | | vosotros/as | expidáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | expidan |

Gerund and past participle

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

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: expido, expides, expide and expiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: expedimos, expedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: expidió, expidieron, and the gerund is expidiendo. For expedir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo expido un pasaporte nuevo — "I issue a new passport".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: expidió, expidieron. The gerund changes too: expidiendo. For expedir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo expedí una factura al cliente — "Yesterday, I issued an invoice to the client".

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 expedir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo expedía un certificado oficial — "As a child, I used to issue an official certificate".

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 expedir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo expediré un visado urgente — "Tomorrow, I will issue an urgent visa".

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 expedir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo expediría un pasaporte nuevo si pudiera — "I would issue a new passport 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 expedir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he expedido una factura al cliente — "Today, I have issued an invoice to the client".

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 expedir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había expedido un certificado oficial antes de salir — "I already had issued an official certificate 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 expedir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré expedido un visado urgente — "By tomorrow, I will have issued an urgent visa".

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 expedir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría expedido un pasaporte nuevo con más tiempo — "I would have issued a new passport with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: expido, expides, expide and expiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: expedimos, expedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: expidió, expidieron, and the gerund is expidiendo. For expedir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él expida una factura al cliente — "I hope he issues an invoice to the client".

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 irregular — see the table above. For expedir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo expidiera un certificado oficial, todo cambiaría — "If I issued an official certificate, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: expido, expides, expide and expiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: expedimos, expedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: expidió, expidieron, and the gerund is expidiendo. For expedir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Expide un visado urgente. — "Issue an urgent visa.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: expido, expides, expide and expiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: expedimos, expedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: expidió, expidieron, and the gerund is expidiendo. For expedir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No expidas un pasaporte nuevo. — "Do not issue a new passport.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo expido un pasaporte nuevo — "I issue a new passport"
  2. Mi amigo expide una factura al cliente — "My friend issues an invoice to the client"
  3. Ayer, yo expedí un certificado oficial — "Yesterday, I issued an official certificate"
  4. Antes, nosotros expedíamos un visado urgente — "Before, we used to issue an urgent visa"
  5. Mañana, tú expedirás una licencia de conducir — "Tomorrow, you will issue a driving licence"
  6. Yo expediría un pasaporte nuevo si tuviera más tiempo — "I would issue a new passport if I had more time"
  7. Él ha expedido una factura al cliente — "He has issued an invoice to the client"
  8. Espero que él expida un certificado oficial — "I hope he issues an official certificate"
  9. Yo ya había expedido un visado urgente antes de salir — "I already had issued an urgent visa before leaving"
  10. Ellos expedían una licencia de conducir cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to issue a driving licence when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo expedo una factura al cliente. — Right: Yo expido una factura al cliente. — expedir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is expido, not expedo.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él expide una factura al cliente — Right: Espero que él expida una factura al cliente — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él expida una factura al cliente — not the indicative Espero que él expide una factura al cliente.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo expido un certificado oficial — Right: Ayer, yo expedí un certificado oficial — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo expedí un certificado oficial.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo expedí un visado urgente todos los días — Right: De niño, yo expedía un visado urgente todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo expedía un visado urgente todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo expido en un pasaporte nuevo. — Right: Yo expido un pasaporte nuevo. — expedir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo expido un pasaporte nuevo.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ un pasaporte nuevo — "I issue a new passport" (present) A. expides B. expide C. expedimos D. expido

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ una factura al cliente — "He issued an invoice to the client" (preterite) A. expedí B. expediste C. expedimos D. expidió

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ un certificado oficial — "We used to issue an official certificate" (imperfect) A. expedía B. expedías C. expedíais D. expedíamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ un visado urgente — "You will issue an urgent visa" (future) A. expediré B. expedirá C. expediremos D. expedirás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ una licencia de conducir — "I would issue a driving licence" (conditional) A. expediría B. expedirías C. expediríamos D. expediríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ un pasaporte nuevo — "I hope he issues a new passport" (present subjunctive) A. expidas B. expidamos C. expidáis D. expida

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ una factura al cliente, todo cambiaría — "If I issued an invoice to the client, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. expidieras B. expidiéramos C. expidierais D. expidiera

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ un certificado oficial — "We have issued an official certificate" (present perfect) A. hemos expedido B. he expedido C. has expedido D. ha expedido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ un visado urgente. — "Do not issue an urgent visa." (negative imperative) A. expida B. expidamos C. expidáis D. expidas

  10. Which is the gerund of expedir, used with estar for the progressive? A. expedí B. expidiendo C. expedido D. expido

Answer key

  1. expido — The present form for yo is expido.
  2. expidió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is expidió.
  3. expedíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is expedíamos.
  4. expedirás — The future form for tú is expedirás.
  5. expediría — The conditional form for yo is expediría.
  6. expida — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is expida.
  7. expidiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is expidiera.
  8. hemos expedido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos expedido.
  9. expidas — The negative imperative form is expidas.
  10. expidiendo — The gerund of expedir is expidiendo: estoy expidiendo. The participle expedido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does expedir mean in English?

expedir means to dispatch, to issue. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo expido un pasaporte nuevo — "I issue a new passport". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is expedir regular?

No. expedir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: expido, expides, expide and expiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: expedimos, expedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: expidió, expidieron, and the gerund is expidiendo. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of expedir?

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

How do I say "I issue" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo expedí una factura al cliente — "Yesterday, I issued an invoice to the client". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo expedía un certificado oficial — "As a child, I used to issue an official certificate". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he expedido una factura al cliente — "Today, I have issued an invoice to the client".

What is the difference between expedir and enviar?

Enviar is to send something by post or message. Expedir is to issue it officially in the first place, such as a passport or a certificate. Expedir is a formal verb for issuing official documents: expedir un pasaporte, expedir un certificado. It is the verb you meet in administrative Spanish.

Related links