Introduction

Learning to conjugate inclinarse — “to lean, to bow” — opens up a whole set of sentences you will use in real Spanish. Whether you are talking about what you do every day, what happened yesterday, or what you plan to do tomorrow, inclinarse is one of the verbs that carries those sentences, especially when the topic is before the king. On this page you will find the full conjugation of inclinarse in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. inclinarse is a reflexive -ar verb; the gerund is inclinando and the past participle is inclinado, and both appear in the tables and examples below. For example: “Yo me inclino ante el rey todos los días.” — “I lean before the king.” Read the tables first, then the notes, and finish with the quiz to check what you have learned.

Quick facts
Infinitive inclinarse
English to lean, to bow
Verb type Reflexive -ar verb
Gerund inclinando
Past participle inclinado
Auxiliary verb haber
  • Reflexive: yes — always use it with the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nos, os, se.

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: inclinando · Past participle: inclinado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo inclino
tú inclinas
él/ella/Ud. inclina
nosotros/as inclinamos
vosotros/as inclináis
ellos/ellas/Uds. inclinan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For inclinarse, the yo form is inclino, as in “Yo me inclino ante el rey.” — “I lean before the king.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo incliné
tú inclinaste
él/ella/Ud. inclinó
nosotros/as inclinamos
vosotros/as inclinasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. inclinaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For inclinarse, the yo form is incliné, as in “Yo me incliné ante el rey.” — “I leaned before the king.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo inclinaba
tú inclinabas
él/ella/Ud. inclinaba
nosotros/as inclinábamos
vosotros/as inclinabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. inclinaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For inclinarse, the yo form is inclinaba, as in “Yo me inclinaba ante el rey.” — “I used to lean before the king.”

Future

Person Form
yo inclinaré
tú inclinarás
él/ella/Ud. inclinará
nosotros/as inclinaremos
vosotros/as inclinaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. inclinarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For inclinarse, the yo form is inclinaré, as in “Yo me inclinaré ante el rey.” — “I will lean before the king.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo inclinaría
tú inclinarías
él/ella/Ud. inclinaría
nosotros/as inclinaríamos
vosotros/as inclinaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. inclinarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For inclinarse, the yo form is inclinaría, as in “Yo me inclinaría ante el rey.” — “I would lean before the king.”

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For inclinarse, the yo form is he inclinado, as in “Yo me he inclinado ante el rey.” — “I have leaned before the king.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For inclinarse, the yo form is había inclinado, as in “Yo me había inclinado ante el rey.” — “I had leaned before the king.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For inclinarse, the yo form is habré inclinado, as in “Yo me habré inclinado ante el rey.” — “I will have leaned before the king.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For inclinarse, the yo form is habría inclinado, as in “Yo me habría inclinado ante el rey.” — “I would have leaned before the king.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo incline
tú inclines
él/ella/Ud. incline
nosotros/as inclinemos
vosotros/as inclinéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. inclinen

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For inclinarse, the yo form is incline, as in “Espero que yo me incline ante el rey.” — “I hope that I lean before the king.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo inclinara
tú inclinaras
él/ella/Ud. inclinara
nosotros/as inclináramos
vosotros/as inclinarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. inclinaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For inclinarse, the yo form is inclinara, as in “Si yo me inclinara ante el rey, ...” — “If I leaned before the king, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: inclinara becomes inclinase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú inclina
Ud. incline
nosotros/as inclinemos
vosotros/as inclinad
Uds. inclinen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú inclines
Ud. incline
nosotros/as inclinemos
vosotros/as inclinéis
Uds. inclinen

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is inclina, as in “No te inclines ante el rey” — “Do not lean before the king” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no inclines. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with inclinarse.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with inclinarse, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo me inclino ante el rey cada día.” — “I lean before the king.”
  2. “Él se inclina ante el rey todos los días.” — “He leans before the king.”
  3. “Yo me incliné ante el rey ayer.” — “I leaned before the king.”
  4. “Él se inclinó ante el rey ayer.” — “He leaned before the king.”
  5. “Yo me inclinaba ante el rey cuando era joven.” — “I used to lean before the king.”
  6. “Nosotros nos inclinaremos ante el rey mañana.” — “We will lean before the king.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo me inclinaría ante el rey.” — “If I could, i would lean before the king.”
  8. “Yo me he inclinado ante el rey hoy.” — “I have leaned before the king.”
  9. “Espero que yo me incline ante el rey.” — “I hope that I lean before the king.”
  10. “Me estoy inclinando ante el rey ahora mismo.” — “I am leaning before the king.”

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is incliné, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — incline — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of inclinarse.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For inclinarse, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: inclinamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Because inclinarse is reflexive, it always needs its pronoun: yo me inclino ante el rey, not yo inclino ante el rey. Without me, the sentence either means something else or means nothing at all. The pronouns are me, te, se, nos, os, se — learn them with the verb, not as an afterthought.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he inclinado ante el rey. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy inclinado is not the present perfect of inclinarse — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing inclinarse with reducir

inclinarse and reducir look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of inclinarse — lean — the sentence needs inclinarse; if it needs the meaning of reducir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo incline ante el rey. Using the indicative — Espero que yo inclino — is one of the most frequent learner errors with inclinarse. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

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

1. What is the yo form of inclinarse in the present?

  • A. inclinas
  • B. inclina
  • C. inclinamos
  • D. inclino

2. What is the tu form of inclinarse in the preterite?

  • A. inclinamos
  • B. inclinaste
  • C. incliné
  • D. inclinó

3. What is the el form of inclinarse in the imperfect?

  • A. inclinabas
  • B. inclinábamos
  • C. inclinabais
  • D. inclinaba

4. What is the nosotros form of inclinarse in the future?

  • A. inclinará
  • B. inclinaremos
  • C. inclinaré
  • D. inclinarás

5. What is the vosotros form of inclinarse in the present perfect?

  • A. he inclinado
  • B. has inclinado
  • C. ha inclinado
  • D. habéis inclinado

6. What is the ellos form of inclinarse in the present subjunctive?

  • A. incline
  • B. inclinen
  • C. incline
  • D. inclines

7. What is the yo form of inclinarse in the preterite?

  • A. inclinaste
  • B. inclinó
  • C. inclinamos
  • D. incliné

8. What is the tu form of inclinarse in the imperfect?

  • A. inclinábamos
  • B. inclinabas
  • C. inclinaba
  • D. inclinaba

9. What is the el form of inclinarse in the future?

  • A. inclinaré
  • B. inclinarás
  • C. inclinaremos
  • D. inclinará

10. What is the nosotros form of inclinarse in the conditional?

  • A. inclinaría
  • B. inclinaríamos
  • C. inclinaría
  • D. inclinarías

Answer key

  1. inclino — The present table gives yo = inclino.
  2. inclinaste — The preterite table gives tu = inclinaste.
  3. inclinaba — The imperfect table gives el = inclinaba.
  4. inclinaremos — The future table gives nosotros = inclinaremos.
  5. habéis inclinado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis inclinado.
  6. inclinen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = inclinen.
  7. incliné — The preterite table gives yo = incliné.
  8. inclinabas — The imperfect table gives tu = inclinabas.
  9. inclinará — The future table gives el = inclinará.
  10. inclinaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = inclinaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

Is inclinarse regular or irregular?

inclinarse is a reflexive -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of inclinarse?

The past participle of inclinarse is inclinado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he inclinado, había inclinado, habré inclinado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund inclinando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of inclinarse?

The gerund of inclinarse is inclinando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy inclinando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle inclinado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of inclinarse in the present?

The yo form is inclino — “Yo me inclino ante el rey.” means “I lean before the king.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú inclinas, él inclina, nosotros inclinamos, ellos inclinan.

What is the difference between inclinarse and reducir?

inclinarse means “to lean, to bow”, while reducir means “to reduce”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to lean, to bow”, use inclinarse; if it is about the meaning of reducir, use reducir instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

Do I always need the pronoun with inclinarse?

Yes. inclinarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: me, te, se, nos, os, se. You say yo me inclino, tú te inclinas, él se inclina. Leaving the pronoun out changes the meaning or makes the sentence wrong, so learn the pronoun together with each form.

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