Fundar Conjugation in Spanish

fundar means «to found». It is a regular -ar verb verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of fundar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo fundo todos los días» — I found every day.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: fundar
  • English: to found
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: fundando
  • Past participle: fundado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + fundado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Gerund: fundando · Past participle: fundado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo fundo
tú fundas
él/ella/Ud. funda
nosotros/as fundamos
vosotros/as fundáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. fundan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For fundar, the yo form is fundo, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future.

Preterite

Person Form
yo fundé
tú fundaste
él/ella/Ud. fundó
nosotros/as fundamos
vosotros/as fundasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. fundaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo fundé» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo fundaba
tú fundabas
él/ella/Ud. fundaba
nosotros/as fundábamos
vosotros/as fundabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. fundaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo fundaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Form
yo fundaré
tú fundarás
él/ella/Ud. fundará
nosotros/as fundaremos
vosotros/as fundaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. fundarán

The future tense states what will happen. For fundar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo fundaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.

Conditional

Person Form
yo fundaría
tú fundarías
él/ella/Ud. fundaría
nosotros/as fundaríamos
vosotros/as fundaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. fundarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo fundaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he fundado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había fundado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré fundado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría fundado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo funde
tú fundes
él/ella/Ud. funde
nosotros/as fundemos
vosotros/as fundéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. funden

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él funde». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo fundara
tú fundaras
él/ella/Ud. fundara
nosotros/as fundáramos
vosotros/as fundarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. fundaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él fundara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú funda
él/ella/Ud. funde
nosotros/as fundemos
vosotros/as fundad
ellos/ellas/Uds. funden

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡funda!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú fundes
él/ella/Ud. funde
nosotros/as fundemos
vosotros/as fundéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. funden

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No fundes!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.

Example sentences

  1. Yo fundo todos los días. — I found every day.
  2. Ayer yo fundé por la tarde. — Yesterday I founded in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo fundaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to found every day.
  4. Mañana yo fundaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will found without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo fundaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would found right now.
  6. Hoy yo he fundado dos veces. — Today I have founded twice.
  7. Espero que tú fundes pronto. — I hope You found soon.
  8. Si yo fundara, todo sería distinto. — If I founded, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy fundando. — Right now I am founding.
  10. ¡funda, por favor! — Found, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo fundaba.

Right: Ayer yo fundé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, fundé. The imperfect fundaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú fundas.

Right: Espero que tú fundes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: fundes, not the indicative fundas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No funda.

Right: No fundes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no fundes. The affirmative funda can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo fundar todos los días.

Right: Yo fundo todos los días.

The infinitive fundar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo fundo.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He fundando.

Right: He fundado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he fundado. The gerund fundando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy fundando»), never with haber.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of fundar in the present indicative?

- (a) fundas
- (b) fundamos
- (c) fundo
- (d) funda

2. What is the tú form of fundar in the preterite?

- (a) fundó
- (b) fundaste
- (c) fundamos
- (d) fundé

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of fundar in the imperfect?

- (a) fundaba
- (b) fundaba
- (c) fundabas
- (d) fundábamos

4. What is the nosotros/as form of fundar in the future?

- (a) fundarás
- (b) fundará
- (c) fundaremos
- (d) fundaré

5. What is the vosotros/as form of fundar in the conditional?

- (a) fundarías
- (b) fundaría
- (c) fundaría
- (d) fundaríais

6. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of fundar in the present perfect?

- (a) ha fundado
- (b) han fundado
- (c) he fundado
- (d) has fundado

7. What is the yo form of fundar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) fundes
- (b) funde
- (c) fundemos
- (d) funde

8. What is the tú form of fundar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) fundara
- (b) fundara
- (c) fundaras
- (d) fundáramos

9. What is the gerund of fundar?

- (a) fundar
- (b) fundando
- (c) fundo
- (d) fundado

10. What is the past participle of fundar?

- (a) fundar
- (b) fundado
- (c) fundé
- (d) fundando

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of fundar is fundo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the preterite, the tú form of fundar is fundaste. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of fundar is fundaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the future, the nosotros/as form of fundar is fundaremos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the conditional, the vosotros/as form of fundar is fundaríais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present perfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of fundar is han fundado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — In the present subjunctive, the yo form of fundar is funde. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (c) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the tú form of fundar is fundaras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (b) — The gerund of fundar is fundando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy fundando». 10. (b) — The past participle of fundar is fundado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he fundado».

Frequently asked questions

Is fundar regular or irregular?

Yes — fundar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem fund unchanged throughout.

What are the gerund and past participle of fundar?

The gerund is fundando and the past participle is fundado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy fundando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he fundado»).

How do I say «I found» in Spanish?

Say «Yo fundo todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of fundar?

Use the preterite (fundé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (fundaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo fundé» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo fundaba» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with fundar?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú fundes». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

How do I use fundar in the present perfect?

Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he fundado». The participle fundado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.

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