Helar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb helar means to freeze, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Helar is a weather verb, used almost only in the third person singular: hiela, heló, helaba. It means to freeze — the streets, the water, the plants. As a reflexive verb, helarse means for food or a person to freeze. Like every Spanish verb, helar 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 Hiela toda la noche en enero — "It freezes all night in January". 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 stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: hielo, hielas, hiela and hielan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: helamos, heláis. helar is a weather verb, so in practice you will meet it in the third person singular: hiela, heló, helaba. The tables below show the full paradigm the engine returns, but everyday use is impersonal.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: helar
  • English: to freeze
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: helando
  • Past participle: helado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + helado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | hielo | | tú | hielas | | él/ella/Ud. | hiela | | nosotros/as | helamos | | vosotros/as | heláis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | hielan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | helé | | tú | helaste | | él/ella/Ud. | heló | | nosotros/as | helamos | | vosotros/as | helasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | helaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | helaba | | tú | helabas | | él/ella/Ud. | helaba | | nosotros/as | helábamos | | vosotros/as | helabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | helaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | helaré | | tú | helarás | | él/ella/Ud. | helará | | nosotros/as | helaremos | | vosotros/as | helaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | helarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | helaría | | tú | helarías | | él/ella/Ud. | helaría | | nosotros/as | helaríamos | | vosotros/as | helaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | helarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | hiele | | tú | hieles | | él/ella/Ud. | hiele | | nosotros/as | helemos | | vosotros/as | heléis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | hielen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | helara | | tú | helaras | | él/ella/Ud. | helara | | nosotros/as | heláramos | | vosotros/as | helarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | helaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | hiela | | él/ella/Ud. | hiele | | nosotros/as | helemos | | vosotros/as | helad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | hielen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | hieles | | él/ella/Ud. | hiele | | nosotros/as | helemos | | vosotros/as | heléis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | hielen |

Gerund and past participle

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

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: hielo, hielas, hiela and hielan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: helamos, heláis. For helar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Hiela toda la noche en enero — "It freezes all night in January".

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 helar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, heló las calles de madrugada — "Yesterday, It froze the streets at dawn".

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 helar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, helaba en la sierra en invierno — "As a child, It used to freeze in the mountains in winter".

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 helar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, helará el agua del lago — "Tomorrow, It will freeze the water in the lake".

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 helar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Helaría toda la noche en enero si pudiera — "It would freeze all night in January 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 helar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, ha helado las calles de madrugada — "Today, It has frozen the streets at dawn".

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 helar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Ya había helado en la sierra en invierno antes de salir — "It had already frozen in the mountains in winter 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 helar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habrá helado el agua del lago — "By tomorrow, It will have frozen the water in the lake".

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 helar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría helado toda la noche en enero con más tiempo — "It would have frozen all night in January with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: hielo, hielas, hiela and hielan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: helamos, heláis. For helar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que hiele las calles de madrugada — "I hope It freezes the streets at dawn".

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 helar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si helara en la sierra en invierno, todo cambiaría — "If It froze in the mountains in winter, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: hielo, hielas, hiela and hielan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: helamos, heláis. For helar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Que hiele el agua del lago! — "I hope it freezes the water in the lake!".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: hielo, hielas, hiela and hielan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: helamos, heláis. For helar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Que no hiele toda la noche en enero! — "I hope it doesn't freeze all night in January!".

Example sentences

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

  1. Hiela toda la noche en enero — "It freezes all night in January"
  2. Hiela las calles de madrugada — "It freezes the streets at dawn"
  3. Ayer, heló en la sierra en invierno — "Yesterday, It froze in the mountains in winter"
  4. Antes, helaba el agua del lago — "Before, It used to freeze the water in the lake"
  5. Mañana, helará las plantas del jardín — "Tomorrow, It will freeze the garden plants"
  6. Helaría toda la noche en enero si tuviera más tiempo — "It would freeze all night in January if I had more time"
  7. Ha helado las calles de madrugada — "It has frozen the streets at dawn"
  8. Espero que hiele en la sierra en invierno — "I hope It freezes in the mountains in winter"
  9. Ya había helado el agua del lago antes de salir — "It had already frozen the water in the lake before leaving"
  10. Helaba las plantas del jardín cuando eran jóvenes — "It used to freeze the garden plants when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo hielo toda la noche en enero. — Right: Hiela toda la noche en enero — helar is a weather verb, used in the third person singular: Hiela toda la noche en enero. It has no personal subject.
  2. Wrong: Yo helo las calles de madrugada. — Right: Yo hielo las calles de madrugada. — helar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is hielo, not helo.
  3. Wrong: Espero que hiela las calles de madrugada — Right: Espero que hiele las calles de madrugada — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que hiele las calles de madrugada — not the indicative Espero que hiela las calles de madrugada.
  4. Wrong: Ayer, hiela en la sierra en invierno — Right: Ayer, heló en la sierra en invierno — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, heló en la sierra en invierno.
  5. Wrong: De niño, heló el agua del lago todos los días — Right: De niño, helaba el agua del lago todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, helaba el agua del lago todos los días.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: ______ toda la noche en enero — "It freezes all night in January" (present) A. hiela B. heló C. helaba D. helará

  2. Complete the sentence: ______ las calles de madrugada — "It froze the streets at dawn" (preterite) A. heló B. hiela C. helaba D. helará

  3. Complete the sentence: ______ en la sierra en invierno — "It used to freeze in the mountains in winter" (imperfect) A. heló B. helará C. helaba D. hiela

  4. Complete the sentence: ______ el agua del lago — "It will freeze the water in the lake" (future) A. hiela B. heló C. helaba D. helará

  5. Complete the sentence: ______ las plantas del jardín — "It would freeze the garden plants" (conditional) A. hiela B. heló C. helaba D. helaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que ______ toda la noche en enero — "I hope It freezes all night in January" (present subjunctive) A. hiele B. hiela C. heló D. helaba

  7. Complete the sentence: Si ______ las calles de madrugada, todo cambiaría — "If It froze the streets at dawn, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. hiela B. heló C. helaba D. helara

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ en la sierra en invierno — "It has frozen in the mountains in winter" (present perfect) A. ha helado B. hiela C. heló D. helaba

  9. Complete the sentence: ______ el agua del lago — "It will have frozen the water in the lake" (future perfect) A. hiela B. heló C. helaba D. habrá helado

  10. Which is the gerund of helar, used with estar for the progressive? A. hielo B. helé C. helando D. helado

Answer key

  1. hiela — The present form is hiela.
  2. heló — The preterite form is heló.
  3. helaba — The imperfect form is helaba.
  4. helará — The future form is helará.
  5. helaría — The conditional form is helaría.
  6. hiele — The present subjunctive form is hiele.
  7. helara — The imperfect subjunctive form is helara.
  8. ha helado — The present perfect form is ha helado.
  9. habrá helado — The future perfect form is habrá helado.
  10. helando — The gerund of helar is helando: estoy helando. The participle helado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does helar mean in English?

helar means to freeze. It is used in everyday situations such as Hiela toda la noche en enero — "It freezes all night in January". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is helar regular?

No. helar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: hielo, hielas, hiela and hielan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: helamos, heláis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of helar?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, heló las calles de madrugada — "Yesterday, It froze the streets at dawn". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, helaba en la sierra en invierno — "As a child, It used to freeze in the mountains in winter". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, ha helado las calles de madrugada — "Today, It has frozen the streets at dawn".

What is the difference between helar and congelar?

Congelar is to freeze something deliberately, such as food in a freezer. Helar is what the weather does — it freezes the streets and the water. Helar is a weather verb, used almost only in the third person singular: hiela, heló, helaba. It means to freeze — the streets, the water, the plants. As a reflexive verb, helarse means for food or a person to freeze.

Is helar only used in the third person?

In practice, yes. helar is a weather verb, so you will hear it as hiela or heló, with no personal subject. The tables show the full paradigm the engine returns, but everyday Spanish keeps weather verbs impersonal.

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