Fiar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb fiar means to trust, to sell on credit, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Fiarse de means to trust someone or something: me fío de su amigo, me fío de su palabra. Without se, fiar means to sell on credit: fiar la mercancía a sus clientes. Like every Spanish verb, fiar 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 fío de su amigo en todo — "I trust his friend in everything". 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: fiar
  • English: to trust, to sell on credit
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: fiando
  • Past participle: fiado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + fiado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fío | | tú | fías | | él/ella/Ud. | fía | | nosotros/as | fiamos | | vosotros/as | fiáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fían |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fie | | tú | fiaste | | él/ella/Ud. | fio | | nosotros/as | fiamos | | vosotros/as | fiasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fiaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fiaba | | tú | fiabas | | él/ella/Ud. | fiaba | | nosotros/as | fiábamos | | vosotros/as | fiabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fiaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fiaré | | tú | fiarás | | él/ella/Ud. | fiará | | nosotros/as | fiaremos | | vosotros/as | fiaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fiarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fiaría | | tú | fiarías | | él/ella/Ud. | fiaría | | nosotros/as | fiaríamos | | vosotros/as | fiaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fiarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fíe | | tú | fíes | | él/ella/Ud. | fíe | | nosotros/as | fiemos | | vosotros/as | fiéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fíen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fiara | | tú | fiaras | | él/ella/Ud. | fiara | | nosotros/as | fiáramos | | vosotros/as | fiarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fiaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | fía | | él/ella/Ud. | fíe | | nosotros/as | fiemos | | vosotros/as | fiad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fíen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | fíes | | él/ella/Ud. | fíe | | nosotros/as | fiemos | | vosotros/as | fiéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fíen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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 fiar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo fío de su amigo en todo — "I trust his friend in everything".

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 fiar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo fie de su instinto en el examen — "Yesterday, I trusted his instinct in the exam".

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 fiar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo fiaba de la palabra de su jefe — "As a child, I used to trust his boss's word".

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 fiar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo fiaré de su hermano con el coche — "Tomorrow, I will trust his brother with the car".

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 fiar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo fiaría de su amigo en todo si pudiera — "I would trust his friend in everything 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 fiar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he fiado de su instinto en el examen — "Today, I have trusted his instinct in the exam".

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 fiar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había fiado de la palabra de su jefe antes de salir — "I already had trusted his boss's word 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 fiar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré fiado de su hermano con el coche — "By tomorrow, I will have trusted his brother with the car".

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 fiar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría fiado de su amigo en todo con más tiempo — "I would have trusted his friend in everything with more time".

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 fiar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él fíe de su instinto en el examen — "I hope he trusts his instinct in the exam".

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 regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fiar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo fiara de la palabra de su jefe, todo cambiaría — "If I trusted his boss's word, everything would change".

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 fiar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Fía de su hermano con el coche. — "Trust his brother with the car.".

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 fiar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No fíes de su amigo en todo. — "Do not trust his friend in everything.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo fío de su amigo en todo — "I trust his friend in everything"
  2. Mi amigo fía de su instinto en el examen — "My friend trusts his instinct in the exam"
  3. Ayer, yo fie de la palabra de su jefe — "Yesterday, I trusted his boss's word"
  4. Antes, nosotros fiábamos de su hermano con el coche — "Before, we used to trust his brother with the car"
  5. Mañana, tú fiarás de su memoria en la prueba — "Tomorrow, you will trust his memory in the test"
  6. Yo fiaría de su amigo en todo si tuviera más tiempo — "I would trust his friend in everything if I had more time"
  7. Él ha fiado de su instinto en el examen — "He has trusted his instinct in the exam"
  8. Espero que él fíe de la palabra de su jefe — "I hope he trusts his boss's word"
  9. Yo ya había fiado de su hermano con el coche antes de salir — "I already had trusted his brother with the car before leaving"
  10. Ellos fiaban de su memoria en la prueba cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to trust his memory in the test when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él fía de su instinto en el examen — Right: Espero que él fíe de su instinto en el examen — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él fíe de su instinto en el examen — not the indicative Espero que él fía de su instinto en el examen.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo fío de la palabra de su jefe — Right: Ayer, yo fie de la palabra de su jefe — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo fie de la palabra de su jefe.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo fie de su hermano con el coche todos los días — Right: De niño, yo fiaba de su hermano con el coche todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo fiaba de su hermano con el coche todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo fío su amigo en todo. — Right: Yo fío de su amigo en todo. — fiar takes de before this complement: Yo fío de su amigo en todo. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros fiais de su memoria en la prueba. — Right: Vosotros fiáis de su memoria en la prueba. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: fiáis, not fiais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de su amigo en todo — "I trust his friend in everything" (present) A. fiamos B. fío C. fías D. fía

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ de su instinto en el examen — "He trusted his instinct in the exam" (preterite) A. fiamos B. fio C. fie D. fiaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ de la palabra de su jefe — "We used to trust his boss's word" (imperfect) A. fiaba B. fiabas C. fiabais D. fiábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ de su hermano con el coche — "You will trust his brother with the car" (future) A. fiaremos B. fiarás C. fiaré D. fiará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de su memoria en la prueba — "I would trust his memory in the test" (conditional) A. fiarías B. fiaríamos C. fiaríais D. fiaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ de su amigo en todo — "I hope he trusts his friend in everything" (present subjunctive) A. fiéis B. fíe C. fíes D. fiemos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ de su instinto en el examen, todo cambiaría — "If I trusted his instinct in the exam, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. fiarais B. fiara C. fiaras D. fiáramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ de la palabra de su jefe — "We have trusted his boss's word" (present perfect) A. he fiado B. has fiado C. ha fiado D. hemos fiado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ de su hermano con el coche. — "Do not trust his brother with the car." (negative imperative) A. fiéis B. fíes C. fíe D. fiemos

  10. Which is the gerund of fiar, used with estar for the progressive? A. fiando B. fiado C. fío D. fie

Answer key

  1. fío — The present form for yo is fío.
  2. fio — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is fio.
  3. fiábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is fiábamos.
  4. fiarás — The future form for tú is fiarás.
  5. fiaría — The conditional form for yo is fiaría.
  6. fíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is fíe.
  7. fiara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is fiara.
  8. hemos fiado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos fiado.
  9. fíes — The negative imperative form is fíes.
  10. fiando — The gerund of fiar is fiando: estoy fiando. The participle fiado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does fiar mean in English?

fiar means to trust, to sell on credit. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo fío de su amigo en todo — "I trust his friend in everything". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is fiar regular?

Yes. fiar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as fiáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of fiar?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo fie de su instinto en el examen — "Yesterday, I trusted his instinct in the exam". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo fiaba de la palabra de su jefe — "As a child, I used to trust his boss's word". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he fiado de su instinto en el examen — "Today, I have trusted his instinct in the exam".

What is the difference between fiar and confiar?

Confiar is the standard verb for trusting someone: confío en ti. Fiarse de is the close synonym, and fiar without se means to sell on credit. Fiarse de means to trust someone or something: me fío de su amigo, me fío de su palabra. Without se, fiar means to sell on credit: fiar la mercancía a sus clientes.

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