Gozar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb gozar means to enjoy, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Gozar almost always takes de before the thing enjoyed: gozar de buena salud, gozar de unas vacaciones. It suggests deep, full enjoyment or the possession of something good, and it is a little more formal than disfrutar in many contexts. Like every Spanish verb, gozar 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 Yo gozo de unas vacaciones en la playa — "I enjoy a holiday at the beach". 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.

The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is gocé and the present subjunctive yo form is goce.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: gozar
  • English: to enjoy
  • Verb type: spelling-changing -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: gozando
  • Past participle: gozado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + gozado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gozo | | tú | gozas | | él/ella/Ud. | goza | | nosotros/as | gozamos | | vosotros/as | gozáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gozan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gocé | | tú | gozaste | | él/ella/Ud. | gozó | | nosotros/as | gozamos | | vosotros/as | gozasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gozaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gozaba | | tú | gozabas | | él/ella/Ud. | gozaba | | nosotros/as | gozábamos | | vosotros/as | gozabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gozaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gozaré | | tú | gozarás | | él/ella/Ud. | gozará | | nosotros/as | gozaremos | | vosotros/as | gozaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gozarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gozaría | | tú | gozarías | | él/ella/Ud. | gozaría | | nosotros/as | gozaríamos | | vosotros/as | gozaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gozarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | goce | | tú | goces | | él/ella/Ud. | goce | | nosotros/as | gocemos | | vosotros/as | gocéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gocen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gozara | | tú | gozaras | | él/ella/Ud. | gozara | | nosotros/as | gozáramos | | vosotros/as | gozarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gozaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | goza | | él/ella/Ud. | goce | | nosotros/as | gocemos | | vosotros/as | gozad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gocen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | goces | | él/ella/Ud. | goce | | nosotros/as | gocemos | | vosotros/as | gocéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gocen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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 gozar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo gozo de unas vacaciones en la playa — "I enjoy a holiday at the beach".

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. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is gocé and the present subjunctive yo form is goce. For gozar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo gocé de buena salud — "Yesterday, I enjoyed good health".

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 gozar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo gozaba de la música en directo — "As a child, I used to enjoy live music".

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 gozar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo gozaré del tiempo libre con su familia — "Tomorrow, I will enjoy free time with his family".

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 gozar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo gozaría de unas vacaciones en la playa si pudiera — "I would enjoy a holiday at the beach 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 gozar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he gozado de buena salud — "Today, I have enjoyed good health".

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 gozar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había gozado de la música en directo antes de salir — "I already had enjoyed live music 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 gozar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré gozado del tiempo libre con su familia — "By tomorrow, I will have enjoyed free time with his family".

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 gozar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría gozado de unas vacaciones en la playa con más tiempo — "I would have enjoyed a holiday at the beach 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. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is gocé and the present subjunctive yo form is goce. For gozar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él goce de buena salud — "I hope he enjoys good health".

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 gozar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo gozara de la música en directo, todo cambiaría — "If I enjoyed live music, 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. For gozar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Goza del tiempo libre con su familia. — "Enjoy free time with his family.".

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 gozar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No goces de unas vacaciones en la playa. — "Do not enjoy a holiday at the beach.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo gozo de unas vacaciones en la playa — "I enjoy a holiday at the beach"
  2. Mi amigo goza de buena salud — "My friend enjoys good health"
  3. Ayer, yo gocé de la música en directo — "Yesterday, I enjoyed live music"
  4. Antes, nosotros gozábamos del tiempo libre con su familia — "Before, we used to enjoy free time with his family"
  5. Mañana, tú gozarás de un buen café por la mañana — "Tomorrow, you will enjoy a good coffee in the morning"
  6. Yo gozaría de unas vacaciones en la playa si tuviera más tiempo — "I would enjoy a holiday at the beach if I had more time"
  7. Él ha gozado de buena salud — "He has enjoyed good health"
  8. Espero que él goce de la música en directo — "I hope he enjoys live music"
  9. Yo ya había gozado del tiempo libre con su familia antes de salir — "I already had enjoyed free time with his family before leaving"
  10. Ellos gozaban de un buen café por la mañana cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to enjoy a good coffee in the morning when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Ayer, yo gozé de la música en directo. — Right: Ayer, yo gocé de la música en directo. — The z of gozar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is gocé, never gozé.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él goza de buena salud — Right: Espero que él goce de buena salud — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él goce de buena salud — not the indicative Espero que él goza de buena salud.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo gozo de la música en directo — Right: Ayer, yo gocé de la música en directo — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo gocé de la música en directo.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo gocé del tiempo libre con su familia todos los días — Right: De niño, yo gozaba del tiempo libre con su familia todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo gozaba del tiempo libre con su familia todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo gozo unas vacaciones en la playa. — Right: Yo gozo de unas vacaciones en la playa. — gozar takes de before this complement: Yo gozo de unas vacaciones en la playa. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de unas vacaciones en la playa — "I enjoy a holiday at the beach" (present) A. goza B. gozamos C. gozo D. gozas

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ de buena salud — "He enjoyed good health" (preterite) A. gozó B. gocé C. gozaste D. gozamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ de la música en directo — "We used to enjoy live music" (imperfect) A. gozabas B. gozabais C. gozábamos D. gozaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ del tiempo libre con su familia — "You will enjoy free time with his family" (future) A. gozará B. gozaremos C. gozarás D. gozaré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de un buen café por la mañana — "I would enjoy a good coffee in the morning" (conditional) A. gozaríais B. gozaría C. gozarías D. gozaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ de unas vacaciones en la playa — "I hope he enjoys a holiday at the beach" (present subjunctive) A. gocemos B. gocéis C. goce D. goces

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ de buena salud, todo cambiaría — "If I enjoyed good health, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. gozara B. gozaras C. gozáramos D. gozarais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ de la música en directo — "We have enjoyed live music" (present perfect) A. has gozado B. ha gozado C. hemos gozado D. he gozado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ del tiempo libre con su familia. — "Do not enjoy free time with his family." (negative imperative) A. gocemos B. gocéis C. goces D. goce

  10. Which is the gerund of gozar, used with estar for the progressive? A. gozado B. gozo C. gocé D. gozando

Answer key

  1. gozo — The present form for yo is gozo.
  2. gozó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is gozó.
  3. gozábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is gozábamos.
  4. gozarás — The future form for tú is gozarás.
  5. gozaría — The conditional form for yo is gozaría.
  6. goce — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is goce.
  7. gozara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is gozara.
  8. hemos gozado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos gozado.
  9. goces — The negative imperative form is goces.
  10. gozando — The gerund of gozar is gozando: estoy gozando. The participle gozado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does gozar mean in English?

gozar means to enjoy. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo gozo de unas vacaciones en la playa — "I enjoy a holiday at the beach". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is gozar regular?

Almost. gozar is a spelling-changing -ar verb. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is gocé and the present subjunctive yo form is goce. Apart from that change, it follows the regular endings.

What is the gerund and the past participle of gozar?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo gocé de buena salud — "Yesterday, I enjoyed good health". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo gozaba de la música en directo — "As a child, I used to enjoy live music". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he gozado de buena salud — "Today, I have enjoyed good health".

What is the difference between gozar and disfrutar?

Disfrutar is the everyday verb for enjoying something. Gozar often implies a benefit or pleasure you possess, as in gozar de buena salud, and it almost always takes de. Gozar almost always takes de before the thing enjoyed: gozar de buena salud, gozar de unas vacaciones. It suggests deep, full enjoyment or the possession of something good, and it is a little more formal than disfrutar in many contexts.

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