Fotografiar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb fotografiar means to photograph, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Fotografiar means to photograph, and it is used for taking photos of people, places and events, with a camera or a phone. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and it takes a direct object for the subject of the photo. Like every Spanish verb, fotografiar 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 fotografío la puesta de sol en la playa, and in the preterite you say fotografié el paisaje desde la ventana. 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: fotografiar
- English: to photograph
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: fotografiando
- Past participle: fotografiado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + fotografiado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for fotografiar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Fotografiar is fully regular: fotografié, fotografiaba, fotografiaré. The accent on fotografié marks the stressed i.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for fotografiar. 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 | fotografío |
| tú | fotografías |
| él/ella/Ud. | fotografía |
| nosotros/as | fotografiamos |
| vosotros/as | fotografiáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fotografían |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fotografié |
| tú | fotografiaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | fotografió |
| nosotros/as | fotografiamos |
| vosotros/as | fotografiasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fotografiaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fotografiaba |
| tú | fotografiabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | fotografiaba |
| nosotros/as | fotografiábamos |
| vosotros/as | fotografiabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fotografiaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fotografiaré |
| tú | fotografiarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | fotografiará |
| nosotros/as | fotografiaremos |
| vosotros/as | fotografiaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fotografiarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fotografiaría |
| tú | fotografiarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | fotografiaría |
| nosotros/as | fotografiaríamos |
| vosotros/as | fotografiaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fotografiarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he fotografiado |
| tú | has fotografiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha fotografiado |
| nosotros/as | hemos fotografiado |
| vosotros/as | habéis fotografiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han fotografiado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había fotografiado |
| tú | habías fotografiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había fotografiado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos fotografiado |
| vosotros/as | habíais fotografiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían fotografiado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré fotografiado |
| tú | habrás fotografiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá fotografiado |
| nosotros/as | habremos fotografiado |
| vosotros/as | habréis fotografiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán fotografiado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría fotografiado |
| tú | habrías fotografiado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría fotografiado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos fotografiado |
| vosotros/as | habríais fotografiado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían fotografiado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fotografíe |
| tú | fotografíes |
| él/ella/Ud. | fotografíe |
| nosotros/as | fotografiemos |
| vosotros/as | fotografiéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fotografíen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fotografiara |
| tú | fotografiaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | fotografiara |
| nosotros/as | fotografiáramos |
| vosotros/as | fotografiarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fotografiaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | fotografía |
| él/ella/Ud. | fotografíe |
| nosotros/as | fotografiemos |
| vosotros/as | fotografiad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fotografíen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | fotografíes |
| él/ella/Ud. | fotografíe |
| nosotros/as | fotografiemos |
| vosotros/as | fotografiéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fotografíen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | fotografiando | with estar for the progressive: estoy fotografiando |
| Past participle | fotografiado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he fotografiado |
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 fotografiar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Fotografío la puesta de sol en la playa. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fotografiar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, fotografié a los niños en el parque. 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 fotografiar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, fotografiaba el paisaje desde la ventana. 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 fotografiar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, fotografiaré con la cámara nueva. 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 fotografiar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Fotografiaría la puesta de sol en la playa 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 fotografiar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he fotografiado a los niños en el parque. 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 fotografiar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había fotografiado el paisaje desde la ventana 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 fotografiar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré fotografiado con la cámara nueva. 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 fotografiar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría fotografiado la puesta de sol en la playa 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fotografiar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él fotografíe a los niños en el parque. 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 fotografiar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él fotografiara el paisaje desde la ventana, 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fotografiar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Fotografía con la cámara nueva! 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fotografiar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No fotografíes la puesta de sol en la playa. 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 fotografiar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Fotografío la puesta de sol en la playa. — I photograph the sunset on the beach.
- Fotografía a los niños en el parque. — He/she photographs the children in the park.
- Ayer, fotografié el paisaje desde la ventana. — Yesterday, I photographed the landscape from the window.
- Antes, nosotros fotografiábamos con la cámara nueva. — Before, we used to photograph with the new camera.
- Mañana, tú fotografiarás la puesta de sol en la playa. — Tomorrow, you will photograph the sunset on the beach.
- Yo fotografiaría a los niños en el parque si tuviera más tiempo. — I would photograph the children in the park if I had more time.
- Él ha fotografiado el paisaje desde la ventana. — He has photographed the landscape from the window.
- Espero que él fotografíe con la cámara nueva. — I hope he photographs with the new camera.
- Yo ya había fotografiado la puesta de sol en la playa antes de salir. — I had already photographed the sunset on the beach before leaving.
- Ellos fotografiaban a los niños en el parque cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to photograph the children in the park when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo fotografía la puesta de sol en la playa. — Right: Yo fotografío la puesta de sol en la playa. — The person matters: fotografía is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is fotografío. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo fotografio a los niños en el parque. — Right: Yo fotografío a los niños en el parque. — In the present, the correct first-person form is fotografío, not fotografio. The present of fotografiar does not follow the regular pattern here, so learn the form from the table.
- Wrong: Treating fotografiar and grabar as identical in every context. — Right: Fotografiar means to photograph, while grabar means to record, for video and sound. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: fotografiar fits sentences such as Fotografío la puesta de sol en la playa, while grabar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy fotografiado a los niños en el parque. — Right: Yo he fotografiado a los niños en el parque. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he fotografiado, has fotografiado, ha fotografiado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo fotografié el paisaje desde la ventana todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo fotografiaba el paisaje desde la ventana todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (fotografiaba), not the preterite. The preterite (fotografié) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on fotografiar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la puesta de sol en la playa. (present tense) A. fotografío B. fotografías C. fotografía D. fotografiamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a los niños en el parque. (preterite) A. fotografié B. fotografiaste C. fotografiaron D. fotografió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el paisaje desde la ventana. (imperfect) A. fotografiabas B. fotografiaban C. fotografiábamos D. fotografiaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ con la cámara nueva. (future) A. fotografiaremos B. fotografiarás C. fotografiaré D. fotografiará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la puesta de sol en la playa si pudiera. (conditional) A. fotografiaría B. fotografiarías C. fotografiarían D. fotografío
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los niños en el parque. (present subjunctive) A. fotografíes B. fotografiemos C. fotografío D. fotografíe
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el paisaje desde la ventana, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. fotografiáramos B. fotografío C. fotografiara D. fotografiaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con la cámara nueva. (present perfect) A. han fotografiado B. hemos fotografiado C. he fotografiado D. has fotografiado
Complete the command: ¡___ la puesta de sol en la playa! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. fotografía B. fotografíe C. fotografiemos D. fotografiad
Which is the gerund of fotografiar, used with estar for the progressive? A. fotografiado B. fotografío C. fotografié D. fotografiando
Answer key
- fotografío — The first-person present of fotografiar is fotografío. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- fotografió — The third-person preterite of fotografiar is fotografió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- fotografiábamos — The nosotros imperfect of fotografiar is fotografiábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- fotografiarás — The second-person future of fotografiar is fotografiarás.
- fotografiaría — The first-person conditional of fotografiar is fotografiaría, the form for what would happen.
- fotografíe — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of fotografiar is fotografíe.
- fotografiara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of fotografiar is fotografiara.
- hemos fotografiado — The nosotros present perfect of fotografiar is hemos fotografiado: hemos + fotografiado.
- fotografía — The affirmative tú imperative of fotografiar is fotografía.
- fotografiando — The gerund of fotografiar is fotografiando: estoy fotografiando. The participle fotografiado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does fotografiar mean in English?
Fotografiar means to photograph. It is used in everyday situations such as Fotografío la puesta de sol en la playa. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is fotografiar regular or irregular?
Fotografiar 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 fotografío in the present and fotografié in the preterite.
What is the difference between fotografiar and grabar?
Fotografiar means to photograph, while grabar means to record, for video and sound. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use fotografiar when you mean to photograph, as in Fotografío la puesta de sol en la playa, and use grabar for to record, for video and sound. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I photograph” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo fotografié a los niños en el parque. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo fotografiaba el paisaje desde la ventana. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he fotografiado a los niños en el parque.
How do I practise fotografiar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the fotografiar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Fotografiar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for fotografiar.
- Fotografiar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for fotografiar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Grabar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with fotografiar.
- Actuar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with fotografiar.
- Bordar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with fotografiar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.