Impedir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb impedir means to prevent, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Impedir means to prevent something. With a que-clause it takes the subjunctive: impedir que su hijo salga. With a noun it is direct: impedir el progreso del proyecto. Like every Spanish verb, impedir 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 impido el paso por la carretera — "I prevent passage along the road". 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: impido, impides, impide and impiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: impedimos, impedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: impidió, impidieron, and the gerund is impidiendo.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: impedir
  • English: to prevent
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: impidiendo
  • Past participle: impedido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + impedido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | impido | | tú | impides | | él/ella/Ud. | impide | | nosotros/as | impedimos | | vosotros/as | impedís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | impiden |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | impedí | | tú | impediste | | él/ella/Ud. | impidió | | nosotros/as | impedimos | | vosotros/as | impedisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | impidieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | impedía | | tú | impedías | | él/ella/Ud. | impedía | | nosotros/as | impedíamos | | vosotros/as | impedíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | impedían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | impediré | | tú | impedirás | | él/ella/Ud. | impedirá | | nosotros/as | impediremos | | vosotros/as | impediréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | impedirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | impediría | | tú | impedirías | | él/ella/Ud. | impediría | | nosotros/as | impediríamos | | vosotros/as | impediríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | impedirían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | impida | | tú | impidas | | él/ella/Ud. | impida | | nosotros/as | impidamos | | vosotros/as | impidáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | impidan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | impidiera | | tú | impidieras | | él/ella/Ud. | impidiera | | nosotros/as | impidiéramos | | vosotros/as | impidierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | impidieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | impide | | él/ella/Ud. | impida | | nosotros/as | impidamos | | vosotros/as | impedid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | impidan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | impidas | | él/ella/Ud. | impida | | nosotros/as | impidamos | | vosotros/as | impidáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | impidan |

Gerund and past participle

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

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: impido, impides, impide and impiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: impedimos, impedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: impidió, impidieron, and the gerund is impidiendo. For impedir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo impido el paso por la carretera — "I prevent passage along the road".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: impidió, impidieron. The gerund changes too: impidiendo. For impedir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo impedí que su hijo salga de noche — "Yesterday, I prevented his son from going out at night".

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 impedir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo impedía la entrada a los visitantes — "As a child, I used to prevent visitors from entering".

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 impedir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo impediré el progreso del proyecto — "Tomorrow, I will prevent the project's progress".

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 impedir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo impediría el paso por la carretera si pudiera — "I would prevent passage along the road 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 impedir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he impedido que su hijo salga de noche — "Today, I have prevented his son from going out at night".

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 impedir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había impedido la entrada a los visitantes antes de salir — "I already had prevented visitors from entering 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 impedir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré impedido el progreso del proyecto — "By tomorrow, I will have prevented the project's progress".

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 impedir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría impedido el paso por la carretera con más tiempo — "I would have prevented passage along the road 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: impido, impides, impide and impiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: impedimos, impedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: impidió, impidieron, and the gerund is impidiendo. For impedir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él impida que su hijo salga de noche — "I hope he prevents his son from going out at night".

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 irregular — see the table above. For impedir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo impidiera la entrada a los visitantes, todo cambiaría — "If I prevented visitors from entering, 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: impido, impides, impide and impiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: impedimos, impedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: impidió, impidieron, and the gerund is impidiendo. For impedir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Impide el progreso del proyecto. — "Prevent the project's progress.".

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: impido, impides, impide and impiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: impedimos, impedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: impidió, impidieron, and the gerund is impidiendo. For impedir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No impidas el paso por la carretera. — "Do not prevent passage along the road.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo impido el paso por la carretera — "I prevent passage along the road"
  2. Mi amigo impide que su hijo salga de noche — "My friend prevents his son from going out at night"
  3. Ayer, yo impedí la entrada a los visitantes — "Yesterday, I prevented visitors from entering"
  4. Antes, nosotros impedíamos el progreso del proyecto — "Before, we used to prevent the project's progress"
  5. Mañana, tú impedirás que el agua entre en la casa — "Tomorrow, you will prevent water from entering the house"
  6. Yo impediría el paso por la carretera si tuviera más tiempo — "I would prevent passage along the road if I had more time"
  7. Él ha impedido que su hijo salga de noche — "He has prevented his son from going out at night"
  8. Espero que él impida la entrada a los visitantes — "I hope he prevents visitors from entering"
  9. Yo ya había impedido el progreso del proyecto antes de salir — "I already had prevented the project's progress before leaving"
  10. Ellos impedían que el agua entre en la casa cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to prevent water from entering the house when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo impedo que su hijo salga de noche. — Right: Yo impido que su hijo salga de noche. — impedir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is impido, not impedo.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él impide que su hijo salga de noche — Right: Espero que él impida que su hijo salga de noche — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él impida que su hijo salga de noche — not the indicative Espero que él impide que su hijo salga de noche.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo impido la entrada a los visitantes — Right: Ayer, yo impedí la entrada a los visitantes — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo impedí la entrada a los visitantes.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo impedí el progreso del proyecto todos los días — Right: De niño, yo impedía el progreso del proyecto todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo impedía el progreso del proyecto todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo impido en el paso por la carretera. — Right: Yo impido el paso por la carretera. — impedir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo impido el paso por la carretera.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el paso por la carretera — "I prevent passage along the road" (present) A. impides B. impide C. impedimos D. impido

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ que su hijo salga de noche — "He prevented his son from going out at night" (preterite) A. impedí B. impediste C. impedimos D. impidió

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la entrada a los visitantes — "We used to prevent visitors from entering" (imperfect) A. impedías B. impedíais C. impedíamos D. impedía

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el progreso del proyecto — "You will prevent the project's progress" (future) A. impediré B. impedirá C. impediremos D. impedirás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ que el agua entre en la casa — "I would prevent water from entering the house" (conditional) A. impediría B. impedirías C. impediríamos D. impediríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el paso por la carretera — "I hope he prevents passage along the road" (present subjunctive) A. impidas B. impidamos C. impidáis D. impida

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ que su hijo salga de noche, todo cambiaría — "If I prevented his son from going out at night, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. impidieras B. impidiéramos C. impidierais D. impidiera

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la entrada a los visitantes — "We have prevented visitors from entering" (present perfect) A. has impedido B. ha impedido C. hemos impedido D. he impedido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el progreso del proyecto. — "Do not prevent the project's progress." (negative imperative) A. impida B. impidamos C. impidáis D. impidas

  10. Which is the gerund of impedir, used with estar for the progressive? A. impidiendo B. impedido C. impido D. impedí

Answer key

  1. impido — The present form for yo is impido.
  2. impidió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is impidió.
  3. impedíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is impedíamos.
  4. impedirás — The future form for tú is impedirás.
  5. impediría — The conditional form for yo is impediría.
  6. impida — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is impida.
  7. impidiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is impidiera.
  8. hemos impedido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos impedido.
  9. impidas — The negative imperative form is impidas.
  10. impidiendo — The gerund of impedir is impidiendo: estoy impidiendo. The participle impedido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does impedir mean in English?

impedir means to prevent. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo impido el paso por la carretera — "I prevent passage along the road". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is impedir regular?

No. impedir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: impido, impides, impide and impiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: impedimos, impedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: impidió, impidieron, and the gerund is impidiendo. 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 impedir?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo impedí que su hijo salga de noche — "Yesterday, I prevented his son from going out at night". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo impedía la entrada a los visitantes — "As a child, I used to prevent visitors from entering". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he impedido que su hijo salga de noche — "Today, I have prevented his son from going out at night".

What is the difference between impedir and evitar?

Evitar is to avoid something yourself. Impedir is to stop something from happening, often to someone else. Impedir means to prevent something. With a que-clause it takes the subjunctive: impedir que su hijo salga. With a noun it is direct: impedir el progreso del proyecto.

Related links