Generar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb generar means to generate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. It is a regular -ar verb verb: the stem is gener and the endings follow the -ar pattern, with the exceptions noted in the tables below. 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 genero todos los días», which means «I generate every day». 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: generar
  • English: to generate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: generando
  • Past participle: generado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + generado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Gerund: generando · Past participle: generado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo genero
tú generas
él/ella/Ud. genera
nosotros/as generamos
vosotros/as generáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. generan

Use the present of generar for things that happen regularly and for things that are true in general. The yo form genero is the anchor of the table: the other persons follow the regular -ar endings from it. When you talk about yourself right now, this is the form you need.

Preterite

Person Form
yo generé
tú generaste
él/ella/Ud. generó
nosotros/as generamos
vosotros/as generasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. generaron

Use the preterite of generar for a single finished event: something that happened once and is over. The yo form is generé. If you can put a finished time expression with it — ayer, la semana pasada, anoche — the preterite is usually right.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo generaba
tú generabas
él/ella/Ud. generaba
nosotros/as generábamos
vosotros/as generabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. generaban

Use the imperfect of generar for what used to happen and for what was going on when something else happened. The yo form is generaba. If the action has no clear beginning or end in the story, the imperfect is the right choice.

Future

Person Form
yo generaré
tú generarás
él/ella/Ud. generará
nosotros/as generaremos
vosotros/as generaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. generarán

Use the future of generar for plans, promises and predictions. The yo form is generaré, built on the infinitive plus the future endings. For a firm plan, the future sounds more formal than ir a + infinitive; for a casual plan, either works.

Conditional

Person Form
yo generaría
tú generarías
él/ella/Ud. generaría
nosotros/as generaríamos
vosotros/as generaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. generarían

Use the conditional of generar for hypothetical situations and for softening requests. The yo form is generaría. It appears after si-clauses with the imperfect subjunctive and on its own for polite suggestions.

Present Perfect

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

Use the present perfect of generar for recent events with present relevance. The yo form is he generado — haber in the present plus generado. Time expressions like hoy, esta semana and últimamente are its natural partners.

Pluperfect

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

Use the pluperfect of generar when you need two layers of past: one event already finished before another past event began. The yo form is había generado. It is the tense of «had already done».

Future Perfect

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

Use the future perfect of generar to say that something will be finished by a future moment. The yo form is habré generado. It pairs naturally with deadlines: para mañana, para el viernes, para entonces.

Conditional Perfect

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

Use the conditional perfect of generar for the past that did not happen: what would have been done with more time or a different choice. The yo form is habría generado. It follows si-clauses with the pluperfect subjunctive.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo genere
tú generes
él/ella/Ud. genere
nosotros/as generemos
vosotros/as generéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. generen

Use the present subjunctive of generar when the main clause expresses a wish, a doubt, an emotion or an impersonal judgement. The yo form is genere. After espero que, ojalá que and no creo que, the subjunctive is required, not optional.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo generara
tú generaras
él/ella/Ud. generara
nosotros/as generáramos
vosotros/as generarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. generaran

Use the imperfect subjunctive of generar after past-tense wishes and doubts, and in si-clauses that set up a hypothetical present. The yo form is generara. It is built on the third-person plural preterite stem, which is why it looks different from the present subjunctive.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú genera
él/ella/Ud. genere
nosotros/as generemos
vosotros/as generad
ellos/ellas/Uds. generen

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

Use the affirmative imperative of generar to tell someone to do something: instructions, invitations and requests. The tú form is genera. For a polite command, use the usted form genere instead of the tú form.

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú generes
él/ella/Ud. genere
nosotros/as generemos
vosotros/as generéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. generen

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

Use the negative imperative of generar to forbid or to warn: «¡No generes!». The tú form is generes, taken from the present subjunctive. The word no always comes first, and the form never changes for emphasis.

Example sentences

  1. Yo genero todos los días. — I generate every day.
  2. Ayer yo generé por la tarde. — Yesterday I generated in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo generaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to generate every day.
  4. Mañana yo generaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will generate without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo generaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would generate right now.
  6. Hoy yo he generado dos veces. — Today I have generated twice.
  7. Espero que tú generes pronto. — I hope You generate soon.
  8. Si yo generara, todo sería distinto. — If I generated, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy generando. — Right now I am generating.
  10. ¡genera, por favor! — Generate, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo generaba.

Right: Ayer yo generé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, generé. The imperfect generaba 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 generas.

Right: Espero que tú generes.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No genera.

Right: No generes.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo generar todos los días.

Right: Yo genero todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He generando.

Right: He generado.

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

Quiz

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

1. What is the tú form of generar in the present indicative?

- (a) genero
- (b) generas
- (c) generamos
- (d) genera

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of generar in the preterite?

- (a) generaste
- (b) generó
- (c) generamos
- (d) generé

3. What is the nosotros/as form of generar in the imperfect?

- (a) generábamos
- (b) generaba
- (c) generaba
- (d) generabas

4. What is the vosotros/as form of generar in the future?

- (a) generará
- (b) generarás
- (c) generaré
- (d) generaréis

5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of generar in the conditional?

- (a) generaría
- (b) generarían
- (c) generaría
- (d) generarías

6. What is the yo form of generar in the present perfect?

- (a) hemos generado
- (b) he generado
- (c) has generado
- (d) ha generado

7. What is the tú form of generar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) generes
- (b) genere
- (c) generemos
- (d) genere

8. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of generar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) generara
- (b) generáramos
- (c) generaras
- (d) generara

9. What is the gerund of generar?

- (a) genero
- (b) generando
- (c) generar
- (d) generado

10. What is the past participle of generar?

- (a) generando
- (b) generé
- (c) generado
- (d) generar

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of generar is generas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the preterite, the él/ella/Ud. form of generar is generó. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the imperfect, the nosotros/as form of generar is generábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the future, the vosotros/as form of generar is generaréis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the conditional, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of generar is generarían. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present perfect, the yo form of generar is he generado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — In the present subjunctive, the tú form of generar is generes. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the él/ella/Ud. form of generar is generara. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (b) — The gerund of generar is generando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy generando». 10. (c) — The past participle of generar is generado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he generado».

Frequently asked questions

Is generar regular or irregular?

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

What are the gerund and past participle of generar?

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

How do I say «I generate» in Spanish?

Say «Yo genero 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 generar?

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

When do I use the subjunctive with generar?

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

How do I use generar in the present perfect?

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

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