Grabar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb grabar means to record, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Grabar means to record, and it covers recording a video, a song, a message and a programme on television. It also means to engrave a name on a ring or a plaque. It is a fully regular -ar verb. Like every Spanish verb, grabar 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 grabo un vídeo del concierto, and in the preterite you say grabé un mensaje para la familia. 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: grabar
- English: to record
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: grabando
- Past participle: grabado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + grabado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for grabar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Grabar is fully regular: grabé, grababa, grabaré. Grabar un vídeo is to record video; fotografiar is to take still photos.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for grabar. 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 | grabo |
| tú | grabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | graba |
| nosotros/as | grabamos |
| vosotros/as | grabáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | graban |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | grabé |
| tú | grabaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | grabó |
| nosotros/as | grabamos |
| vosotros/as | grabasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | grabaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | grababa |
| tú | grababas |
| él/ella/Ud. | grababa |
| nosotros/as | grabábamos |
| vosotros/as | grababais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | grababan |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | grabaré |
| tú | grabarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | grabará |
| nosotros/as | grabaremos |
| vosotros/as | grabaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | grabarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | grabaría |
| tú | grabarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | grabaría |
| nosotros/as | grabaríamos |
| vosotros/as | grabaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | grabarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he grabado |
| tú | has grabado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha grabado |
| nosotros/as | hemos grabado |
| vosotros/as | habéis grabado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han grabado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había grabado |
| tú | habías grabado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había grabado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos grabado |
| vosotros/as | habíais grabado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían grabado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré grabado |
| tú | habrás grabado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá grabado |
| nosotros/as | habremos grabado |
| vosotros/as | habréis grabado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán grabado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría grabado |
| tú | habrías grabado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría grabado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos grabado |
| vosotros/as | habríais grabado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían grabado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | grabe |
| tú | grabes |
| él/ella/Ud. | grabe |
| nosotros/as | grabemos |
| vosotros/as | grabéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | graben |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | grabara |
| tú | grabaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | grabara |
| nosotros/as | grabáramos |
| vosotros/as | grabarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | grabaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | graba |
| él/ella/Ud. | grabe |
| nosotros/as | grabemos |
| vosotros/as | grabad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | graben |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | grabes |
| él/ella/Ud. | grabe |
| nosotros/as | grabemos |
| vosotros/as | grabéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | graben |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | grabando | with estar for the progressive: estoy grabando |
| Past participle | grabado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he grabado |
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 grabar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Grabo un vídeo del concierto. 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 grabar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, grabé la canción en el estudio. 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 grabar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, grababa un mensaje para la familia. 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 grabar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, grabaré el programa de anoche. 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 grabar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Grabaría un vídeo del concierto 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 grabar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he grabado la canción en el estudio. 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 grabar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había grabado un mensaje para la familia 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 grabar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré grabado el programa de anoche. 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 grabar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría grabado un vídeo del concierto 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 grabar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él grabe la canción en el estudio. 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 grabar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él grabara un mensaje para la familia, 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 grabar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Graba el programa de anoche! 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 grabar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No grabes un vídeo del concierto. 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 grabar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Grabo un vídeo del concierto. — I record a video of the concert.
- Graba la canción en el estudio. — He/she records the song in the studio.
- Ayer, grabé un mensaje para la familia. — Yesterday, I recorded a message for the family.
- Antes, nosotros grabábamos el programa de anoche. — Before, we used to record last night's programme.
- Mañana, tú grabarás un vídeo del concierto. — Tomorrow, you will record a video of the concert.
- Yo grabaría la canción en el estudio si tuviera más tiempo. — I would record the song in the studio if I had more time.
- Él ha grabado un mensaje para la familia. — He has recorded a message for the family.
- Espero que él grabe el programa de anoche. — I hope he records last night's programme.
- Yo ya había grabado un vídeo del concierto antes de salir. — I had already recorded a video of the concert before leaving.
- Ellos grababan la canción en el estudio cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to record the song in the studio when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo graba un vídeo del concierto. — Right: Yo grabo un vídeo del concierto. — The person matters: graba is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is grabo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Vosotros grabais la canción en el estudio. — Right: Vosotros grabáis la canción en el estudio. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: grabáis, not grabais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
- Wrong: Treating grabar and fotografiar as identical in every context. — Right: Grabar means to record, while fotografiar means to photograph, for still images. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: grabar fits sentences such as Grabo un vídeo del concierto, while fotografiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy grabado la canción en el estudio. — Right: Yo he grabado la canción en el estudio. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he grabado, has grabado, ha grabado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo grabé un mensaje para la familia todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo grababa un mensaje para la familia todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (grababa), not the preterite. The preterite (grabé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on grabar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ un vídeo del concierto. (present tense) A. grabo B. grabas C. graba D. grabamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la canción en el estudio. (preterite) A. grabé B. grabaste C. grabaron D. grabó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ un mensaje para la familia. (imperfect) A. grababas B. grababan C. grabábamos D. grababa
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el programa de anoche. (future) A. grabaremos B. grabarás C. grabaré D. grabará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ un vídeo del concierto si pudiera. (conditional) A. grabaría B. grabarías C. grabarían D. grabo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la canción en el estudio. (present subjunctive) A. grabes B. grabemos C. grabo D. grabe
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ un mensaje para la familia, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. grabáramos B. grabo C. grabara D. grabaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el programa de anoche. (present perfect) A. han grabado B. hemos grabado C. he grabado D. has grabado
Complete the command: ¡___ un vídeo del concierto! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. graba B. grabe C. grabemos D. grabad
Which is the gerund of grabar, used with estar for the progressive? A. grabado B. grabo C. grabé D. grabando
Answer key
- grabo — The first-person present of grabar is grabo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- grabó — The third-person preterite of grabar is grabó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- grabábamos — The nosotros imperfect of grabar is grabábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- grabarás — The second-person future of grabar is grabarás.
- grabaría — The first-person conditional of grabar is grabaría, the form for what would happen.
- grabe — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of grabar is grabe.
- grabara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of grabar is grabara.
- hemos grabado — The nosotros present perfect of grabar is hemos grabado: hemos + grabado.
- graba — The affirmative tú imperative of grabar is graba.
- grabando — The gerund of grabar is grabando: estoy grabando. The participle grabado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does grabar mean in English?
Grabar means to record. It is used in everyday situations such as Grabo un vídeo del concierto. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is grabar regular or irregular?
Grabar 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 grabo in the present and grabé in the preterite.
What is the difference between grabar and fotografiar?
Grabar means to record, while fotografiar means to photograph, for still images. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use grabar when you mean to record, as in Grabo un vídeo del concierto, and use fotografiar for to photograph, for still images. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I record” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo grabé la canción en el estudio. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo grababa un mensaje para la familia. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he grabado la canción en el estudio.
How do I practise grabar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the grabar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Grabar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for grabar.
- Grabar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for grabar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Actuar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with grabar.
- Fotografiar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with grabar.
- Interpretar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with grabar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.