Germinar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb germinar means to germinate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Germinar is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of germinar 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, in the present tense you say En primavera, yo germino — "In spring, I germinate" — and in the preterite you say Yo germiné las semillas — "I germinated the seeds". 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: germinar
- English: to germinate
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: germinando
- Past participle: germinado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + germinado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for germinar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for germinar. 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.
Gerund: germinando · Past participle: germinado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | germino |
| tú | germinas |
| él/ella/Ud. | germina |
| nosotros/as | germinamos |
| vosotros/as | germináis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | germinan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | germiné |
| tú | germinaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | germinó |
| nosotros/as | germinamos |
| vosotros/as | germinasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | germinaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | germinaba |
| tú | germinabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | germinaba |
| nosotros/as | germinábamos |
| vosotros/as | germinabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | germinaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | germinaré |
| tú | germinarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | germinará |
| nosotros/as | germinaremos |
| vosotros/as | germinaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | germinarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | germinaría |
| tú | germinarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | germinaría |
| nosotros/as | germinaríamos |
| vosotros/as | germinaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | germinarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he germinado |
| tú | has germinado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha germinado |
| nosotros/as | hemos germinado |
| vosotros/as | habéis germinado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han germinado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había germinado |
| tú | habías germinado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había germinado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos germinado |
| vosotros/as | habíais germinado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían germinado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré germinado |
| tú | habrás germinado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá germinado |
| nosotros/as | habremos germinado |
| vosotros/as | habréis germinado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán germinado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría germinado |
| tú | habrías germinado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría germinado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos germinado |
| vosotros/as | habríais germinado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían germinado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | germine |
| tú | germines |
| él/ella/Ud. | germine |
| nosotros/as | germinemos |
| vosotros/as | germinéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | germinen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | germinara |
| tú | germinaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | germinara |
| nosotros/as | germináramos |
| vosotros/as | germinarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | germinaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | germina |
| él/ella/Ud. | germine |
| nosotros/as | germinemos |
| vosotros/as | germinad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | germinen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | germines |
| él/ella/Ud. | germine |
| nosotros/as | germinemos |
| vosotros/as | germinéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | germinen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | germinando | with estar for the progressive: estoy germinando |
| Past participle | germinado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he germinado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For germinar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo germino las semillas — "I germinate the seeds". Learn the present indicative 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 in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For germinar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo germiné con calor — "I germinated with warmth". 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 words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For germinar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: En primavera, yo germinaba — "In spring, I used to germinate". 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. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For germinar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo germinaré las semillas — "I will germinate the seeds". 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 in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For germinar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo germinaría con calor — "I would germinate with warmth". 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. It connects the past with the present moment. For germinar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: En primavera, yo he germinado — "In spring, I have germinated". 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. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For germinar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había germinado las semillas — "I had germinated the seeds". 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, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For germinar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré germinado con calor — "I will have germinated with warmth". 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. It looks back at a past that never happened. For germinar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: En primavera, yo habría germinado — "In spring, I would have germinated". 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. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For germinar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él germine las semillas — "I hope he germinates the seeds". 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 germinar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo germinara con calor, todo cambiaría — "If I germinated with warmth, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) 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. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For germinar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Germine en primavera — "Let him germinate in spring". Learn the imperative (affirmative) 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. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For germinar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No germines las semillas — "Don't germinate the seeds". Learn the imperative (negative) 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 germinar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo germino con calor — "I germinate with warmth"
- En primavera, él germina — "In spring, he germinates"
- Yo germiné las semillas — "I germinated the seeds"
- Yo germinaba con calor — "I used to germinate with warmth"
- En primavera, tú germinarás — "In spring, you will germinate"
- Yo germinaría las semillas — "I would germinate the seeds"
- Él ha germinado con calor — "He has germinated with warmth"
- Espero que él germine en primavera — "I hope he germinates in spring"
- Yo había germinado las semillas — "I had germinated the seeds"
- Ellos germinaban con calor — "They used to germinate with warmth"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos germina en primavera — Right: En primavera, ellos germinan — Ellos needs the ellos form germinan. The singular germina belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo germino — Right: Ayer, yo germiné — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to germiné.
- Wrong: De niño, yo germiné todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo germinaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (germinaba), not the preterite. The preterite (germiné) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy germinado las semillas. — Right: Yo he germinado las semillas. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he germinado, has germinado, ha germinado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él germina en primavera. — Right: Espero que él germine en primavera. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: germine. The indicative germina is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on germinar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las semillas. (present tense) A. germino B. habríais germinado C. habían germinado D. germinaran
Complete the sentence: Él ___ las semillas. (preterite) A. germinó B. germinaríais C. habéis germinado D. he germinado
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las semillas. (imperfect) A. germinaran B. he germinado C. germinaré D. germinábamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ las semillas. (future) A. germine B. habré germinado C. germinarás D. germinarían
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las semillas. (conditional) A. germinaría B. habríais germinado C. germine D. germinaste
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ las semillas. (present subjunctive) A. germinen B. germine C. germina D. habríais germinado
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ las semillas, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. germinara B. germinaban C. habéis germinado D. habían germinado
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las semillas. (present perfect) A. habíais germinado B. germinemos C. germinad D. hemos germinado
Complete the command: No ___ las semillas. (negative imperative, tú) A. germinéis B. germinen C. germines D. germine
Which is the gerund of germinar, used with estar for the progressive? A. germinando B. germiné C. germinaba D. germinaré
Answer key
- germino — The yo present tense of germinar is germino.
- germinó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of germinar is germinó.
- germinábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of germinar is germinábamos.
- germinarás — The tú future of germinar is germinarás.
- germinaría — The yo conditional of germinar is germinaría.
- germine — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of germinar is germine.
- germinara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of germinar is germinara.
- hemos germinado — The nosotros/as present perfect of germinar is hemos germinado.
- germines — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: germines.
- germinando — The gerund of germinar is germinando: estoy germinando. The participle germinado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does germinar mean in English?
Germinar means to germinate. It is used in everyday situations such as En primavera, yo germino. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is germinar regular?
Yes. Germinar is a regular -ar verb: germino, germinas, germina. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ar verb.
What is the gerund and the past participle of germinar?
The gerund is germinando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy germinando. The past participle is germinado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he germinado.
How do I say “I germinate” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo germiné las semillas. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo germinaba con calor. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: En primavera, yo he germinado.
How do I practise germinar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the germinar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Germinar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for germinar.
- Germinar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for germinar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Podar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with germinar.
- Arar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with germinar.
- Pastar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with germinar.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.