Indultar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb indultar means to pardon, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Indultar means to pardon, to grant an official pardon that frees a prisoner or cancels a punishment. It is a formal legal verb, used for governments and heads of state, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, indultar 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 indulto al preso después de veinte años, and in the preterite you say indulté al reo por buena conducta. 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: indultar
- English: to pardon
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: indultando
- Past participle: indultado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + indultado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for indultar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Indultar is fully regular: indulto, indulta. It is an official, legal pardon, while perdonar is the everyday act of forgiving someone.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for indultar. 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 | indulto |
| tú | indultas |
| él/ella/Ud. | indulta |
| nosotros/as | indultamos |
| vosotros/as | indultáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | indultan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | indulté |
| tú | indultaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | indultó |
| nosotros/as | indultamos |
| vosotros/as | indultasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | indultaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | indultaba |
| tú | indultabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | indultaba |
| nosotros/as | indultábamos |
| vosotros/as | indultabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | indultaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | indultaré |
| tú | indultarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | indultará |
| nosotros/as | indultaremos |
| vosotros/as | indultaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | indultarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | indultaría |
| tú | indultarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | indultaría |
| nosotros/as | indultaríamos |
| vosotros/as | indultaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | indultarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he indultado |
| tú | has indultado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha indultado |
| nosotros/as | hemos indultado |
| vosotros/as | habéis indultado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han indultado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había indultado |
| tú | habías indultado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había indultado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos indultado |
| vosotros/as | habíais indultado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían indultado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré indultado |
| tú | habrás indultado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá indultado |
| nosotros/as | habremos indultado |
| vosotros/as | habréis indultado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán indultado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría indultado |
| tú | habrías indultado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría indultado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos indultado |
| vosotros/as | habríais indultado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían indultado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | indulte |
| tú | indultes |
| él/ella/Ud. | indulte |
| nosotros/as | indultemos |
| vosotros/as | indultéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | indulten |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | indultara |
| tú | indultaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | indultara |
| nosotros/as | indultáramos |
| vosotros/as | indultarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | indultaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | indulta |
| él/ella/Ud. | indulte |
| nosotros/as | indultemos |
| vosotros/as | indultad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | indulten |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | indultes |
| él/ella/Ud. | indulte |
| nosotros/as | indultemos |
| vosotros/as | indultéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | indulten |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | indultando | with estar for the progressive: estoy indultando |
| Past participle | indultado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he indultado |
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 indultar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Indulto al preso después de veinte años. 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 indultar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, indulté a los condenados en Navidad. 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 indultar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, indultaba al reo por buena conducta. 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 indultar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, indultaré a los prisioneros de guerra. 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 indultar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Indultaría al preso después de veinte años 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 indultar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he indultado a los condenados en Navidad. 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 indultar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había indultado al reo por buena conducta 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 indultar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré indultado a los prisioneros de guerra. 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 indultar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría indultado al preso después de veinte años 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 indultar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él indulte a los condenados en Navidad. 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 indultar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él indultara al reo por buena conducta, 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 indultar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Indulta a los prisioneros de guerra! 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 indultar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No indultes al preso después de veinte años. 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 indultar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Indulto al preso después de veinte años. — I pardon the prisoner after twenty years.
- Indulta a los condenados en Navidad. — He/she pardons those convicted at Christmas.
- Ayer, indulté al reo por buena conducta. — Yesterday, I pardoned the offender for good behaviour.
- Antes, nosotros indultábamos a los prisioneros de guerra. — Before, we used to pardon the prisoners of war.
- Mañana, tú indultarás al preso después de veinte años. — Tomorrow, you will pardon the prisoner after twenty years.
- Yo indultaría a los condenados en Navidad si tuviera más tiempo. — I would pardon those convicted at Christmas if I had more time.
- Él ha indultado al reo por buena conducta. — He has pardoned the offender for good behaviour.
- Espero que él indulte a los prisioneros de guerra. — I hope he pardons the prisoners of war.
- Yo ya había indultado al preso después de veinte años antes de salir. — I had already pardoned the prisoner after twenty years before leaving.
- Ellos indultaban a los condenados en Navidad cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to pardon those convicted at Christmas when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo indulta al preso después de veinte años. — Right: Yo indulto al preso después de veinte años. — The person matters: indulta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is indulto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo indulto a los condenados en Navidad. — Right: Ayer yo indulté a los condenados en Navidad. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: indulto is happening now, while indulté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating indultar and perdonar as identical in every context. — Right: Indultar means to pardon, while perdonar means to forgive, in everyday life. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: indultar fits sentences such as Indulto al preso después de veinte años, while perdonar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy indultado a los condenados en Navidad. — Right: Yo he indultado a los condenados en Navidad. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he indultado, has indultado, ha indultado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo indulté al reo por buena conducta todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo indultaba al reo por buena conducta todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (indultaba), not the preterite. The preterite (indulté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on indultar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al preso después de veinte años. (present tense) A. indulto B. indultas C. indulta D. indultamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a los condenados en Navidad. (preterite) A. indulté B. indultaste C. indultaron D. indultó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ al reo por buena conducta. (imperfect) A. indultabas B. indultaban C. indultábamos D. indultaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a los prisioneros de guerra. (future) A. indultaremos B. indultarás C. indultaré D. indultará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al preso después de veinte años si pudiera. (conditional) A. indultaría B. indultarías C. indultarían D. indulto
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los condenados en Navidad. (present subjunctive) A. indultes B. indultemos C. indulto D. indulte
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ al reo por buena conducta, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. indultáramos B. indulto C. indultara D. indultaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a los prisioneros de guerra. (present perfect) A. han indultado B. hemos indultado C. he indultado D. has indultado
Complete the command: ¡___ al preso después de veinte años! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. indulta B. indulte C. indultemos D. indultad
Which is the gerund of indultar, used with estar for the progressive? A. indultado B. indulto C. indulté D. indultando
Answer key
- indulto — The first-person present of indultar is indulto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- indultó — The third-person preterite of indultar is indultó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- indultábamos — The nosotros imperfect of indultar is indultábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- indultarás — The second-person future of indultar is indultarás.
- indultaría — The first-person conditional of indultar is indultaría, the form for what would happen.
- indulte — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of indultar is indulte.
- indultara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of indultar is indultara.
- hemos indultado — The nosotros present perfect of indultar is hemos indultado: hemos + indultado.
- indulta — The affirmative tú imperative of indultar is indulta.
- indultando — The gerund of indultar is indultando: estoy indultando. The participle indultado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does indultar mean in English?
Indultar means to pardon. It is used in everyday situations such as Indulto al preso después de veinte años. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is indultar regular or irregular?
Indultar is a fully regular -ar 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 indulto in the present and indulté in the preterite.
What is the difference between indultar and perdonar?
Indultar means to pardon, while perdonar means to forgive, in everyday life. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use indultar when you mean to pardon, as in Indulto al preso después de veinte años, and use perdonar for to forgive, in everyday life. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I pardon” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo indulté a los condenados en Navidad. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo indultaba al reo por buena conducta. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he indultado a los condenados en Navidad.
How do I practise indultar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the indultar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Indultar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for indultar.
- Indultar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for indultar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Condenar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with indultar.
- Declarar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with indultar.
- Empatar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with indultar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.