Fabricar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb fabricar means to manufacture, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Fabricar means to manufacture, and it covers manufacturing cars in a plant, making wooden furniture, making toys for Christmas and baking bread in a wood-fired oven. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. Like every Spanish verb, fabricar 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 fabrico coches en la planta de Valencia, and in the preterite you say fabriqué juguetes para Navidad. 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: fabricar
- English: to manufacture
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: fabricando
- Past participle: fabricado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + fabricado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for fabricar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is fabriqué and the subjunctive is fabrique.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for fabricar. 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 | fabrico |
| tú | fabricas |
| él/ella/Ud. | fabrica |
| nosotros/as | fabricamos |
| vosotros/as | fabricáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fabrican |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fabriqué |
| tú | fabricaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | fabricó |
| nosotros/as | fabricamos |
| vosotros/as | fabricasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fabricaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fabricaba |
| tú | fabricabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | fabricaba |
| nosotros/as | fabricábamos |
| vosotros/as | fabricabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fabricaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fabricaré |
| tú | fabricarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | fabricará |
| nosotros/as | fabricaremos |
| vosotros/as | fabricaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fabricarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fabricaría |
| tú | fabricarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | fabricaría |
| nosotros/as | fabricaríamos |
| vosotros/as | fabricaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fabricarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he fabricado |
| tú | has fabricado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha fabricado |
| nosotros/as | hemos fabricado |
| vosotros/as | habéis fabricado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han fabricado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había fabricado |
| tú | habías fabricado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había fabricado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos fabricado |
| vosotros/as | habíais fabricado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían fabricado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré fabricado |
| tú | habrás fabricado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá fabricado |
| nosotros/as | habremos fabricado |
| vosotros/as | habréis fabricado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán fabricado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría fabricado |
| tú | habrías fabricado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría fabricado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos fabricado |
| vosotros/as | habríais fabricado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían fabricado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fabrique |
| tú | fabriques |
| él/ella/Ud. | fabrique |
| nosotros/as | fabriquemos |
| vosotros/as | fabriquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fabriquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fabricara |
| tú | fabricaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | fabricara |
| nosotros/as | fabricáramos |
| vosotros/as | fabricarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fabricaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | fabrica |
| él/ella/Ud. | fabrique |
| nosotros/as | fabriquemos |
| vosotros/as | fabricad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fabriquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | fabriques |
| él/ella/Ud. | fabrique |
| nosotros/as | fabriquemos |
| vosotros/as | fabriquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fabriquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | fabricando | with estar for the progressive: estoy fabricando |
| Past participle | fabricado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he fabricado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For fabricar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Fabrico coches en la planta de Valencia. 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. Note the spelling change in the first person: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is fabriqué. For fabricar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, fabriqué muebles de madera. 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 fabricar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, fabricaba juguetes para Navidad. 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 fabricar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, fabricaré pan en el horno de leña. 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 fabricar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Fabricaría coches en la planta de Valencia 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 fabricar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he fabricado muebles de madera. 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 fabricar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había fabricado juguetes para Navidad 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 fabricar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré fabricado pan en el horno de leña. 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 fabricar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría fabricado coches en la planta de Valencia 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For fabricar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él fabrique muebles de madera. 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 fabricar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él fabricara juguetes para Navidad, 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For fabricar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Fabrica pan en el horno de leña! 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For fabricar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No fabriques coches en la planta de Valencia. 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 fabricar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Fabrico coches en la planta de Valencia. — I manufacture cars at the Valencia plant.
- Fabrica muebles de madera. — He/she manufactures wooden furniture.
- Ayer, fabriqué juguetes para Navidad. — Yesterday, I manufactured toys for Christmas.
- Antes, nosotros fabricábamos pan en el horno de leña. — Before, we used to manufacture bread in the wood-fired oven.
- Mañana, tú fabricarás coches en la planta de Valencia. — Tomorrow, you will manufacture cars at the Valencia plant.
- Yo fabricaría muebles de madera si tuviera más tiempo. — I would manufacture wooden furniture if I had more time.
- Él ha fabricado juguetes para Navidad. — He has manufactured toys for Christmas.
- Espero que él fabrique pan en el horno de leña. — I hope he manufactures bread in the wood-fired oven.
- Yo ya había fabricado coches en la planta de Valencia antes de salir. — I had already manufactured cars at the Valencia plant before leaving.
- Ellos fabricaban muebles de madera cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to manufacture wooden furniture when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo fabrica coches en la planta de Valencia. — Right: Yo fabrico coches en la planta de Valencia. — The person matters: fabrica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is fabrico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo fabricé muebles de madera. — Right: Yo fabriqué muebles de madera. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is fabriqué, not fabricé. fabricar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
- Wrong: Treating fabricar and producir as identical in every context. — Right: Fabricar means to manufacture, while producir means to produce, the formal synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: fabricar fits sentences such as Fabrico coches en la planta de Valencia, while producir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy fabricado muebles de madera. — Right: Yo he fabricado muebles de madera. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he fabricado, has fabricado, ha fabricado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo fabriqué juguetes para Navidad todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo fabricaba juguetes para Navidad todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (fabricaba), not the preterite. The preterite (fabriqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on fabricar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ coches en la planta de Valencia. (present tense) A. fabrico B. fabricas C. fabrica D. fabricamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ muebles de madera. (preterite) A. fabriqué B. fabricaste C. fabricaron D. fabricó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ juguetes para Navidad. (imperfect) A. fabricabas B. fabricaban C. fabricábamos D. fabricaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ pan en el horno de leña. (future) A. fabricaremos B. fabricarás C. fabricaré D. fabricará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ coches en la planta de Valencia si pudiera. (conditional) A. fabricaría B. fabricarías C. fabricarían D. fabrico
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ muebles de madera. (present subjunctive) A. fabriques B. fabriquemos C. fabrico D. fabrique
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ juguetes para Navidad, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. fabricáramos B. fabrico C. fabricara D. fabricaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ pan en el horno de leña. (present perfect) A. han fabricado B. hemos fabricado C. he fabricado D. has fabricado
Complete the command: ¡___ coches en la planta de Valencia! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. fabrica B. fabrique C. fabriquemos D. fabricad
Which is the gerund of fabricar, used with estar for the progressive? A. fabricado B. fabrico C. fabriqué D. fabricando
Answer key
- fabrico — The first-person present of fabricar is fabrico. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- fabricó — The third-person preterite of fabricar is fabricó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- fabricábamos — The nosotros imperfect of fabricar is fabricábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- fabricarás — The second-person future of fabricar is fabricarás.
- fabricaría — The first-person conditional of fabricar is fabricaría, the form for what would happen.
- fabrique — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of fabricar is fabrique.
- fabricara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of fabricar is fabricara.
- hemos fabricado — The nosotros present perfect of fabricar is hemos fabricado: hemos + fabricado.
- fabrica — The affirmative tú imperative of fabricar is fabrica.
- fabricando — The gerund of fabricar is fabricando: estoy fabricando. The participle fabricado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does fabricar mean in English?
Fabricar means to manufacture. It is used in everyday situations such as Fabrico coches en la planta de Valencia. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is fabricar regular or irregular?
Fabricar 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 fabrico in the present and fabriqué in the preterite.
What is the difference between fabricar and producir?
Fabricar means to manufacture, while producir means to produce, the formal synonym. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use fabricar when you mean to manufacture, as in Fabrico coches en la planta de Valencia, and use producir for to produce, the formal synonym. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I manufacture” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo fabriqué muebles de madera. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo fabricaba juguetes para Navidad. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he fabricado muebles de madera.
How do I practise fabricar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the fabricar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Fabricar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for fabricar.
- Fabricar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for fabricar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Practicar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with fabricar.
- Ubicar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with fabricar.
- Criticar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with fabricar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.