Graduar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb graduar means to graduate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Graduarse means to graduate: graduarse en medicina, graduarse con honores. Without se, graduar means to adjust or grade something, such as graduar la vista for an eye test. Like every Spanish verb, graduar 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 gradúo en medicina en junio — "I graduate in medicine in June". 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: graduar
  • English: to graduate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: graduando
  • Past participle: graduado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + graduado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gradúo | | tú | gradúas | | él/ella/Ud. | gradúa | | nosotros/as | graduamos | | vosotros/as | graduáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gradúan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gradué | | tú | graduaste | | él/ella/Ud. | graduó | | nosotros/as | graduamos | | vosotros/as | graduasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | graduaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | graduaba | | tú | graduabas | | él/ella/Ud. | graduaba | | nosotros/as | graduábamos | | vosotros/as | graduabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | graduaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | graduaré | | tú | graduarás | | él/ella/Ud. | graduará | | nosotros/as | graduaremos | | vosotros/as | graduaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | graduarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | graduaría | | tú | graduarías | | él/ella/Ud. | graduaría | | nosotros/as | graduaríamos | | vosotros/as | graduaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | graduarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gradúe | | tú | gradúes | | él/ella/Ud. | gradúe | | nosotros/as | graduemos | | vosotros/as | graduéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gradúen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | graduara | | tú | graduaras | | él/ella/Ud. | graduara | | nosotros/as | graduáramos | | vosotros/as | graduarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | graduaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | gradúa | | él/ella/Ud. | gradúe | | nosotros/as | graduemos | | vosotros/as | graduad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gradúen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | gradúes | | él/ella/Ud. | gradúe | | nosotros/as | graduemos | | vosotros/as | graduéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gradúen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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 graduar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo gradúo en medicina en junio — "I graduate in medicine in June".

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 graduar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo gradué con honores de la universidad — "Yesterday, I graduated with honours from university".

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 graduar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo graduaba en derecho el año pasado — "As a child, I used to graduate in law last year".

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 graduar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo graduaré en ingeniería este mes — "Tomorrow, I will graduate in engineering this month".

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 graduar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo graduaría en medicina en junio si pudiera — "I would graduate in medicine in June 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 graduar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he graduado con honores de la universidad — "Today, I have graduated with honours from university".

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 graduar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había graduado en derecho el año pasado antes de salir — "I already had graduated in law last year 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 graduar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré graduado en ingeniería este mes — "By tomorrow, I will have graduated in engineering this month".

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 graduar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría graduado en medicina en junio con más tiempo — "I would have graduated in medicine in June 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. For graduar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él gradúe con honores de la universidad — "I hope he graduates with honours from university".

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 graduar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo graduara en derecho el año pasado, todo cambiaría — "If I graduated in law last year, 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 graduar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Gradúa en ingeniería este mes. — "Graduate in engineering this month.".

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 graduar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No gradúes en medicina en junio. — "Do not graduate in medicine in June.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo gradúo en medicina en junio — "I graduate in medicine in June"
  2. Mi amigo gradúa con honores de la universidad — "My friend graduates with honours from university"
  3. Ayer, yo gradué en derecho el año pasado — "Yesterday, I graduated in law last year"
  4. Antes, nosotros graduábamos en ingeniería este mes — "Before, we used to graduate in engineering this month"
  5. Mañana, tú graduarás con las mejores notas — "Tomorrow, you will graduate with the best marks"
  6. Yo graduaría en medicina en junio si tuviera más tiempo — "I would graduate in medicine in June if I had more time"
  7. Él ha graduado con honores de la universidad — "He has graduated with honours from university"
  8. Espero que él gradúe en derecho el año pasado — "I hope he graduates in law last year"
  9. Yo ya había graduado en ingeniería este mes antes de salir — "I already had graduated in engineering this month before leaving"
  10. Ellos graduaban con las mejores notas cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to graduate with the best marks when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él gradúa con honores de la universidad — Right: Espero que él gradúe con honores de la universidad — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él gradúe con honores de la universidad — not the indicative Espero que él gradúa con honores de la universidad.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo gradúo en derecho el año pasado — Right: Ayer, yo gradué en derecho el año pasado — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo gradué en derecho el año pasado.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo gradué en ingeniería este mes todos los días — Right: De niño, yo graduaba en ingeniería este mes todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo graduaba en ingeniería este mes todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo gradúo medicina en junio. — Right: Yo gradúo en medicina en junio. — graduar takes en before this complement: Yo gradúo en medicina en junio. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros graduais con las mejores notas. — Right: Vosotros graduáis con las mejores notas. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: graduáis, not graduais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en medicina en junio — "I graduate in medicine in June" (present) A. gradúa B. graduamos C. gradúo D. gradúas

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ con honores de la universidad — "He graduated with honours from university" (preterite) A. gradué B. graduaste C. graduamos D. graduó

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ en derecho el año pasado — "We used to graduate in law last year" (imperfect) A. graduabas B. graduabais C. graduábamos D. graduaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ en ingeniería este mes — "You will graduate in engineering this month" (future) A. graduaremos B. graduarás C. graduaré D. graduará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ con las mejores notas — "I would graduate with the best marks" (conditional) A. graduaría B. graduarías C. graduaríamos D. graduaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ en medicina en junio — "I hope he graduates in medicine in June" (present subjunctive) A. graduemos B. graduéis C. gradúe D. gradúes

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ con honores de la universidad, todo cambiaría — "If I graduated with honours from university, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. graduaras B. graduáramos C. graduarais D. graduara

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ en derecho el año pasado — "We have graduated in law last year" (present perfect) A. he graduado B. has graduado C. ha graduado D. hemos graduado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ en ingeniería este mes. — "Do not graduate in engineering this month." (negative imperative) A. graduéis B. gradúes C. gradúe D. graduemos

  10. Which is the gerund of graduar, used with estar for the progressive? A. graduando B. graduado C. gradúo D. gradué

Answer key

  1. gradúo — The present form for yo is gradúo.
  2. graduó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is graduó.
  3. graduábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is graduábamos.
  4. graduarás — The future form for tú is graduarás.
  5. graduaría — The conditional form for yo is graduaría.
  6. gradúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is gradúe.
  7. graduara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is graduara.
  8. hemos graduado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos graduado.
  9. gradúes — The negative imperative form is gradúes.
  10. graduando — The gerund of graduar is graduando: estoy graduando. The participle graduado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does graduar mean in English?

graduar means to graduate. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo gradúo en medicina en junio — "I graduate in medicine in June". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is graduar regular?

Yes. graduar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as graduáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of graduar?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo gradué con honores de la universidad — "Yesterday, I graduated with honours from university". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo graduaba en derecho el año pasado — "As a child, I used to graduate in law last year". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he graduado con honores de la universidad — "Today, I have graduated with honours from university".

What is the difference between graduar and licenciarse?

Licenciarse is the verb for graduating with a licenciatura degree. Graduarse is the general verb for graduating. Graduarse means to graduate: graduarse en medicina, graduarse con honores. Without se, graduar means to adjust or grade something, such as graduar la vista for an eye test.

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