Heredar Conjugation in Spanish

Learning to conjugate heredar — «to inherit» — opens up a whole set of sentences you will use every day. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page covers it completely: thirteen tenses, the gerund heredando and the past participle heredado, example sentences in every tense, the common mistakes and a quiz with an answer key. A good first sentence to learn is «Yo heredo todos los días» — I inherit every day. Once you can say that, the rest of the table falls into place person by person.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: heredar
  • English: to inherit
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: heredando
  • Past participle: heredado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + heredado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Gerund: heredando · Past participle: heredado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo heredo
tú heredas
él/ella/Ud. hereda
nosotros/as heredamos
vosotros/as heredáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. heredan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For heredar, the yo form is heredo, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future.

Preterite

Person Form
yo heredé
tú heredaste
él/ella/Ud. heredó
nosotros/as heredamos
vosotros/as heredasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. heredaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo heredé» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo heredaba
tú heredabas
él/ella/Ud. heredaba
nosotros/as heredábamos
vosotros/as heredabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. heredaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo heredaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Form
yo heredaré
tú heredarás
él/ella/Ud. heredará
nosotros/as heredaremos
vosotros/as heredaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. heredarán

The future tense states what will happen. For heredar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo heredaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.

Conditional

Person Form
yo heredaría
tú heredarías
él/ella/Ud. heredaría
nosotros/as heredaríamos
vosotros/as heredaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. heredarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo heredaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he heredado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había heredado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré heredado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría heredado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo herede
tú heredes
él/ella/Ud. herede
nosotros/as heredemos
vosotros/as heredéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. hereden

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él herede». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo heredara
tú heredaras
él/ella/Ud. heredara
nosotros/as heredáramos
vosotros/as heredarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. heredaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él heredara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú hereda
él/ella/Ud. herede
nosotros/as heredemos
vosotros/as heredad
ellos/ellas/Uds. hereden

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡hereda!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú heredes
él/ella/Ud. herede
nosotros/as heredemos
vosotros/as heredéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. hereden

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No heredes!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.

Example sentences

  1. Yo heredo todos los días. — I inherit every day.
  2. Ayer yo heredé por la tarde. — Yesterday I inheritted in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo heredaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to inherit every day.
  4. Mañana yo heredaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will inherit without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo heredaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would inherit right now.
  6. Hoy yo he heredado dos veces. — Today I have inheritted twice.
  7. Espero que tú heredes pronto. — I hope You inherit soon.
  8. Si yo heredara, todo sería distinto. — If I inheritted, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy heredando. — Right now I am inheritting.
  10. ¡hereda, por favor! — Inherit, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo heredaba.

Right: Ayer yo heredé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, heredé. The imperfect heredaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú heredas.

Right: Espero que tú heredes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: heredes, not the indicative heredas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No hereda.

Right: No heredes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no heredes. The affirmative hereda can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo heredar todos los días.

Right: Yo heredo todos los días.

The infinitive heredar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo heredo.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He heredando.

Right: He heredado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he heredado. The gerund heredando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy heredando»), never with haber.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of heredar in the present indicative?

- (a) heredo
- (b) hereda
- (c) heredas
- (d) heredamos

2. What is the tú form of heredar in the preterite?

- (a) heredamos
- (b) heredé
- (c) heredaste
- (d) heredó

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of heredar in the imperfect?

- (a) heredaba
- (b) heredabas
- (c) heredábamos
- (d) heredaba

4. What is the nosotros/as form of heredar in the future?

- (a) heredaremos
- (b) heredará
- (c) heredaré
- (d) heredarás

5. What is the vosotros/as form of heredar in the conditional?

- (a) heredaríais
- (b) heredaría
- (c) heredaría
- (d) heredarías

6. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of heredar in the present perfect?

- (a) han heredado
- (b) he heredado
- (c) ha heredado
- (d) has heredado

7. What is the yo form of heredar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) herede
- (b) heredes
- (c) heredemos
- (d) herede

8. What is the tú form of heredar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) heredara
- (b) heredáramos
- (c) heredara
- (d) heredaras

9. What is the gerund of heredar?

- (a) heredar
- (b) heredado
- (c) heredando
- (d) heredo

10. What is the past participle of heredar?

- (a) heredar
- (b) heredado
- (c) heredé
- (d) heredando

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of heredar is heredo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the tú form of heredar is heredaste. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of heredar is heredaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the future, the nosotros/as form of heredar is heredaremos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the vosotros/as form of heredar is heredaríais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present perfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of heredar is han heredado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — In the present subjunctive, the yo form of heredar is herede. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (d) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the tú form of heredar is heredaras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (c) — The gerund of heredar is heredando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy heredando». 10. (b) — The past participle of heredar is heredado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he heredado».

Frequently asked questions

Is heredar regular or irregular?

Yes — heredar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem hered unchanged throughout.

What are the gerund and past participle of heredar?

The gerund is heredando and the past participle is heredado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy heredando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he heredado»).

How do I say «I inherit» in Spanish?

Say «Yo heredo todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of heredar?

Use the preterite (heredé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (heredaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo heredé» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo heredaba» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with heredar?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú heredes». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

How do I use heredar in the present perfect?

Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he heredado». The participle heredado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.

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