Gruñir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb gruñir means to grunt, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Gruñir means to grunt, the low sound a pig makes, and also the sound a person makes when annoyed. It is an animal-sound verb used on farms and, figuratively, for grumpy people, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, gruñir 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 gruño en el corral por la mañana, and in the preterite you say gruñí todo el día sin parar. 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: gruñir
- English: to grunt
- Verb type: regular -ir verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: gruñiendo
- Past participle: gruñido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + gruñido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for gruñir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Gruñir is fully regular: gruño, gruñe. Pigs gruñen; lions rugen.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for gruñir. 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 | gruño |
| tú | gruñes |
| él/ella/Ud. | gruñe |
| nosotros/as | gruñimos |
| vosotros/as | gruñís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | gruñen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | gruñí |
| tú | gruñiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | gruñió |
| nosotros/as | gruñimos |
| vosotros/as | gruñisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | gruñieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | gruñía |
| tú | gruñías |
| él/ella/Ud. | gruñía |
| nosotros/as | gruñíamos |
| vosotros/as | gruñíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | gruñían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | gruñiré |
| tú | gruñirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | gruñirá |
| nosotros/as | gruñiremos |
| vosotros/as | gruñiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | gruñirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | gruñiría |
| tú | gruñirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | gruñiría |
| nosotros/as | gruñiríamos |
| vosotros/as | gruñiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | gruñirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he gruñido |
| tú | has gruñido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha gruñido |
| nosotros/as | hemos gruñido |
| vosotros/as | habéis gruñido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han gruñido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había gruñido |
| tú | habías gruñido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había gruñido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos gruñido |
| vosotros/as | habíais gruñido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían gruñido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré gruñido |
| tú | habrás gruñido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá gruñido |
| nosotros/as | habremos gruñido |
| vosotros/as | habréis gruñido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán gruñido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría gruñido |
| tú | habrías gruñido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría gruñido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos gruñido |
| vosotros/as | habríais gruñido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían gruñido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | gruña |
| tú | gruñas |
| él/ella/Ud. | gruña |
| nosotros/as | gruñamos |
| vosotros/as | gruñáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | gruñan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | gruñiera |
| tú | gruñieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | gruñiera |
| nosotros/as | gruñiéramos |
| vosotros/as | gruñierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | gruñieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | gruñe |
| él/ella/Ud. | gruña |
| nosotros/as | gruñamos |
| vosotros/as | gruñid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | gruñan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | gruñas |
| él/ella/Ud. | gruña |
| nosotros/as | gruñamos |
| vosotros/as | gruñáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | gruñan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | gruñiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy gruñiendo |
| Past participle | gruñido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he gruñido |
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 gruñir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Gruño en el corral por la mañana. 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 gruñir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, gruñí cuando tiene hambre. 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 gruñir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, gruñía todo el día sin parar. 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 gruñir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, gruñiré enfadado por el ruido. 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 gruñir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Gruñiría en el corral por la mañana 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 gruñir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he gruñido cuando tiene hambre. 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 gruñir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había gruñido todo el día sin parar 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 gruñir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré gruñido enfadado por el ruido. 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 gruñir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría gruñido en el corral por la mañana 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 gruñir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él gruña cuando tiene hambre. 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 gruñir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él gruñiera todo el día sin parar, 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 gruñir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Gruñe enfadado por el ruido! 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 gruñir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No gruñas en el corral por la mañana. 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 gruñir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Gruño en el corral por la mañana. — I grunt in the pen in the morning.
- Gruñe cuando tiene hambre. — He/she grunts when it is hungry.
- Ayer, gruñí todo el día sin parar. — Yesterday, I grunted all day without stopping.
- Antes, nosotros gruñíamos enfadado por el ruido. — Before, we used to grunt annoyed by the noise.
- Mañana, tú gruñirás en el corral por la mañana. — Tomorrow, you will grunt in the pen in the morning.
- Yo gruñiría cuando tiene hambre si tuviera más tiempo. — I would grunt when it is hungry if I had more time.
- Él ha gruñido todo el día sin parar. — He has grunted all day without stopping.
- Espero que él gruña enfadado por el ruido. — I hope he grunts annoyed by the noise.
- Yo ya había gruñido en el corral por la mañana antes de salir. — I had already grunted in the pen in the morning before leaving.
- Ellos gruñían cuando tiene hambre cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to grunt when it is hungry when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo gruñe en el corral por la mañana. — Right: Yo gruño en el corral por la mañana. — The person matters: gruñe is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is gruño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo gruño cuando tiene hambre. — Right: Ayer yo gruñí cuando tiene hambre. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: gruño is happening now, while gruñí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating gruñir and rugir as identical in every context. — Right: Gruñir means to grunt, while rugir means to roar. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: gruñir fits sentences such as Gruño en el corral por la mañana, while rugir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy gruñido cuando tiene hambre. — Right: Yo he gruñido cuando tiene hambre. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he gruñido, has gruñido, ha gruñido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo gruñí todo el día sin parar todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo gruñía todo el día sin parar todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (gruñía), not the preterite. The preterite (gruñí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on gruñir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el corral por la mañana. (present tense) A. gruño B. gruñes C. gruñe D. gruñimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ cuando tiene hambre. (preterite) A. gruñí B. gruñiste C. gruñieron D. gruñió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ todo el día sin parar. (imperfect) A. gruñías B. gruñían C. gruñíamos D. gruñía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ enfadado por el ruido. (future) A. gruñiremos B. gruñirás C. gruñiré D. gruñirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el corral por la mañana si pudiera. (conditional) A. gruñiría B. gruñirías C. gruñirían D. gruño
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ cuando tiene hambre. (present subjunctive) A. gruñas B. gruñamos C. gruño D. gruña
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ todo el día sin parar, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. gruñiéramos B. gruño C. gruñiera D. gruñieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ enfadado por el ruido. (present perfect) A. han gruñido B. hemos gruñido C. he gruñido D. has gruñido
Complete the command: ¡___ en el corral por la mañana! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. gruñe B. gruña C. gruñamos D. gruñid
Which is the gerund of gruñir, used with estar for the progressive? A. gruñido B. gruño C. gruñí D. gruñiendo
Answer key
- gruño — The first-person present of gruñir is gruño. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- gruñió — The third-person preterite of gruñir is gruñió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- gruñíamos — The nosotros imperfect of gruñir is gruñíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- gruñirás — The second-person future of gruñir is gruñirás.
- gruñiría — The first-person conditional of gruñir is gruñiría, the form for what would happen.
- gruña — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of gruñir is gruña.
- gruñiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of gruñir is gruñiera.
- hemos gruñido — The nosotros present perfect of gruñir is hemos gruñido: hemos + gruñido.
- gruñe — The affirmative tú imperative of gruñir is gruñe.
- gruñiendo — The gerund of gruñir is gruñiendo: estoy gruñiendo. The participle gruñido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does gruñir mean in English?
Gruñir means to grunt. It is used in everyday situations such as Gruño en el corral por la mañana. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is gruñir regular or irregular?
Gruñir is a fully regular -ir 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 gruño in the present and gruñí in the preterite.
What is the difference between gruñir and rugir?
Gruñir means to grunt, while rugir means to roar. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use gruñir when you mean to grunt, as in Gruño en el corral por la mañana, and use rugir for to roar. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I grunt” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo gruñí cuando tiene hambre. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo gruñía todo el día sin parar. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he gruñido cuando tiene hambre.
How do I practise gruñir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the gruñir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Gruñir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for gruñir.
- Gruñir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for gruñir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Mugir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with gruñir.
- Pulir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with gruñir.
- Aducir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with gruñir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.