Fluctuar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb fluctuar means to fluctuate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Fluctuar means to fluctuate: prices, temperatures and currencies fluctúan. It is a formal verb, used in economics and weather reports, and its subject is usually a price or a level. Like every Spanish verb, fluctuar 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 Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter". 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: fluctuar
  • English: to fluctuate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: fluctuando
  • Past participle: fluctuado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + fluctuado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fluctúo | | tú | fluctúas | | él/ella/Ud. | fluctúa | | nosotros/as | fluctuamos | | vosotros/as | fluctuáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fluctúan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fluctué | | tú | fluctuaste | | él/ella/Ud. | fluctuó | | nosotros/as | fluctuamos | | vosotros/as | fluctuasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fluctuaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fluctuaba | | tú | fluctuabas | | él/ella/Ud. | fluctuaba | | nosotros/as | fluctuábamos | | vosotros/as | fluctuabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fluctuaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fluctuaré | | tú | fluctuarás | | él/ella/Ud. | fluctuará | | nosotros/as | fluctuaremos | | vosotros/as | fluctuaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fluctuarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fluctuaría | | tú | fluctuarías | | él/ella/Ud. | fluctuaría | | nosotros/as | fluctuaríamos | | vosotros/as | fluctuaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fluctuarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fluctúe | | tú | fluctúes | | él/ella/Ud. | fluctúe | | nosotros/as | fluctuemos | | vosotros/as | fluctuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fluctúen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fluctuara | | tú | fluctuaras | | él/ella/Ud. | fluctuara | | nosotros/as | fluctuáramos | | vosotros/as | fluctuarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fluctuaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | fluctúa | | él/ella/Ud. | fluctúe | | nosotros/as | fluctuemos | | vosotros/as | fluctuad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fluctúen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | fluctúes | | él/ella/Ud. | fluctúe | | nosotros/as | fluctuemos | | vosotros/as | fluctuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fluctúen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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 fluctuar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter".

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 fluctuar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, la temperatura durante el día fluctuó cada día — "Yesterday, the temperature during the day fluctuated every day".

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 fluctuar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, el dólar en el mercado fluctuaba con el mercado — "As a child, the dollar on the market used to fluctuate with the market".

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 fluctuar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, las ventas en Navidad fluctuarán según la estación — "Tomorrow, sales at Christmas will fluctuate with the season".

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 fluctuar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Los precios del petróleo fluctuarían mucho en invierno si pudiera — "Oil prices would fluctuate a lot in winter 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 fluctuar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, la temperatura durante el día ha fluctuado cada día — "Today, the temperature during the day has fluctuated every day".

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 fluctuar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: El dólar en el mercado ya había fluctuado con el mercado antes de salir — "The dollar on the market had already fluctuated with the market 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 fluctuar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, las ventas en Navidad habrán fluctuado según la estación — "By tomorrow, sales at Christmas will have fluctuated with the season".

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 fluctuar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Los precios del petróleo habrían fluctuado mucho en invierno con más tiempo — "Oil prices would have fluctuated a lot in winter 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 fluctuar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que la temperatura durante el día fluctúe cada día — "I hope the temperature during the day fluctuates every day".

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 fluctuar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si el dólar en el mercado fluctuara con el mercado, todo cambiaría — "If the dollar on the market fluctuated with the market, 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.

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.

Example sentences

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

  1. Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter"
  2. La temperatura durante el día fluctúa cada día — "The temperature during the day fluctuates every day"
  3. Ayer, el dólar en el mercado fluctuó con el mercado — "Yesterday, the dollar on the market fluctuated with the market"
  4. Antes, las ventas en Navidad fluctuaban según la estación — "Before, sales at Christmas used to fluctuate with the season"
  5. Mañana, el nivel del río fluctuará de un mes a otro — "Tomorrow, the river level will fluctuate from one month to the next"
  6. Los precios del petróleo fluctuarían mucho en invierno si tuviera más tiempo — "Oil prices would fluctuate a lot in winter if I had more time"
  7. La temperatura durante el día ha fluctuado cada día — "The temperature during the day has fluctuated every day"
  8. Espero que el dólar en el mercado fluctúe con el mercado — "I hope the dollar on the market fluctuates with the market"
  9. Las ventas en Navidad ya habían fluctuado según la estación antes de salir — "Sales at Christmas had already fluctuated with the season before leaving"
  10. El nivel del río fluctuaba de un mes a otro cuando eran jóvenes — "The river level used to fluctuate from one month to the next when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Los precios del petróleo fluctúa mucho en invierno. — Right: Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno. — The verb agrees with its subject: los precios del petróleo is plural, so it is fluctúan, not fluctúa.
  2. Wrong: Espero que la temperatura durante el día fluctúa cada día — Right: Espero que la temperatura durante el día fluctúe cada día — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que la temperatura durante el día fluctúe cada día — not the indicative Espero que la temperatura durante el día fluctúa cada día.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, el dólar en el mercado fluctúa con el mercado — Right: Ayer, el dólar en el mercado fluctuó con el mercado — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, el dólar en el mercado fluctuó con el mercado.
  4. Wrong: De niño, las ventas en Navidad fluctuaron según la estación todos los días — Right: De niño, las ventas en Navidad fluctuaban según la estación todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, las ventas en Navidad fluctuaban según la estación todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo soy fluctuado las ventas en Navidad. — Right: Yo he fluctuado las ventas en Navidad. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: Yo he fluctuado las ventas en Navidad. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Los precios del petróleo ______ mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter" (present) A. fluctuó B. fluctúan C. fluctúa D. fluctuaron

  2. Complete the sentence: La temperatura durante el día ______ cada día — "The temperature during the day fluctuated every day" (preterite) A. fluctuaron B. fluctuaba C. fluctuaban D. fluctuó

  3. Complete the sentence: El dólar en el mercado ______ con el mercado — "The dollar on the market used to fluctuate with the market" (imperfect) A. fluctuaba B. fluctuaban C. fluctuó D. fluctuaron

  4. Complete the sentence: Las ventas en Navidad ______ según la estación — "Sales at Christmas will fluctuate with the season" (future) A. fluctuaron B. fluctuó C. fluctuarán D. fluctuará

  5. Complete the sentence: El nivel del río ______ de un mes a otro — "The river level would fluctuate from one month to the next" (conditional) A. fluctuaría B. fluctuarían C. fluctuó D. fluctuaron

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que los precios del petróleo ______ mucho en invierno — "I hope oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter" (present subjunctive) A. fluctuó B. fluctúen C. fluctúe D. fluctuaron

  7. Complete the sentence: Si la temperatura durante el día ______ cada día, todo cambiaría — "If the temperature during the day fluctuated every day, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. fluctuó B. fluctuaron C. fluctuara D. fluctuaran

  8. Complete the sentence: El dólar en el mercado ______ con el mercado — "The dollar on the market has fluctuated with the market" (present perfect) A. fluctuaron B. ha fluctuado C. han fluctuado D. fluctuó

  9. Complete the sentence: Las ventas en Navidad ______ según la estación — "Sales at Christmas will have fluctuated with the season" (future perfect) A. fluctuó B. habrán fluctuado C. habrá fluctuado D. fluctuaron

  10. Which is the gerund of fluctuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. fluctuando B. fluctuado C. fluctúo D. fluctué

Answer key

  1. fluctúan — The present form is fluctúan.
  2. fluctuó — The preterite form is fluctuó.
  3. fluctuaba — The imperfect form is fluctuaba.
  4. fluctuarán — The future form is fluctuarán.
  5. fluctuaría — The conditional form is fluctuaría.
  6. fluctúen — The present subjunctive form is fluctúen.
  7. fluctuara — The imperfect subjunctive form is fluctuara.
  8. ha fluctuado — The present perfect form is ha fluctuado.
  9. habrán fluctuado — The future perfect form is habrán fluctuado.
  10. fluctuando — The gerund of fluctuar is fluctuando: estoy fluctuando. The participle fluctuado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does fluctuar mean in English?

fluctuar means to fluctuate. It is used in everyday situations such as Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is fluctuar regular?

Yes. fluctuar 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 fluctuáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of fluctuar?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, la temperatura durante el día fluctuó cada día — "Yesterday, the temperature during the day fluctuated every day". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, el dólar en el mercado fluctuaba con el mercado — "As a child, the dollar on the market used to fluctuate with the market". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, la temperatura durante el día ha fluctuado cada día — "Today, the temperature during the day has fluctuated every day".

What is the difference between fluctuar and oscilar?

Oscilar is the near-synonym for fluctuating, and it also means to swing. Fluctuar is the more technical verb for prices and levels. Fluctuar means to fluctuate: prices, temperatures and currencies fluctúan. It is a formal verb, used in economics and weather reports, and its subject is usually a price or a level.

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