Inquirir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb inquirir means to inquire, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Inquirir is a formal verb meaning to inquire about something: inquirir sobre el horario, inquirir por la salud de alguien. It conjugates like adquirir, with i becoming ie in the present. Like every Spanish verb, inquirir 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 inquiero sobre el horario del tren — "I inquire about the train timetable". 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: inquiero, inquieres, inquiere and inquieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: inquirimos, inquirís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: inquirió, inquirieron, and the gerund is inquiriendo.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: inquirir
  • English: to inquire
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (i → ie)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: inquiriendo
  • Past participle: inquirido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + inquirido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | inquiero | | tú | inquieres | | él/ella/Ud. | inquiere | | nosotros/as | inquirimos | | vosotros/as | inquirís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | inquieren |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | inquirí | | tú | inquiriste | | él/ella/Ud. | inquirió | | nosotros/as | inquirimos | | vosotros/as | inquiristeis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | inquirieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | inquiría | | tú | inquirías | | él/ella/Ud. | inquiría | | nosotros/as | inquiríamos | | vosotros/as | inquiríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | inquirían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | inquiriré | | tú | inquirirás | | él/ella/Ud. | inquirirá | | nosotros/as | inquiriremos | | vosotros/as | inquiriréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | inquirirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | inquiriría | | tú | inquirirías | | él/ella/Ud. | inquiriría | | nosotros/as | inquiriríamos | | vosotros/as | inquiriríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | inquirirían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | inquiera | | tú | inquieras | | él/ella/Ud. | inquiera | | nosotros/as | inquiramos | | vosotros/as | inquiráis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | inquieran |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | inquiriera | | tú | inquirieras | | él/ella/Ud. | inquiriera | | nosotros/as | inquiriéramos | | vosotros/as | inquirierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | inquirieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | inquiere | | él/ella/Ud. | inquiera | | nosotros/as | inquiramos | | vosotros/as | inquirid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | inquieran |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | inquieras | | él/ella/Ud. | inquiera | | nosotros/as | inquiramos | | vosotros/as | inquiráis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | inquieran |

Gerund and past participle

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

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: inquiero, inquieres, inquiere and inquieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: inquirimos, inquirís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: inquirió, inquirieron, and the gerund is inquiriendo. For inquirir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo inquiero sobre el horario del tren — "I inquire about the train timetable".

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: inquirió, inquirieron. The gerund changes too: inquiriendo. For inquirir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo inquirí por el estado del paciente — "Yesterday, I inquired about the patient's condition".

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 inquirir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo inquiría acerca de los precios — "As a child, I used to inquire about the prices".

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 inquirir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo inquiriré sobre la causa del retraso — "Tomorrow, I will inquire about the cause of the delay".

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 inquirir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo inquiriría sobre el horario del tren si pudiera — "I would inquire about the train timetable 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 inquirir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he inquirido por el estado del paciente — "Today, I have inquired about the patient's condition".

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 inquirir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había inquirido acerca de los precios antes de salir — "I already had inquired about the prices 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 inquirir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré inquirido sobre la causa del retraso — "By tomorrow, I will have inquired about the cause of the delay".

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 inquirir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría inquirido sobre el horario del tren con más tiempo — "I would have inquired about the train timetable 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: inquiero, inquieres, inquiere and inquieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: inquirimos, inquirís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: inquirió, inquirieron, and the gerund is inquiriendo. For inquirir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él inquiera por el estado del paciente — "I hope he inquires about the patient's condition".

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 inquirir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo inquiriera acerca de los precios, todo cambiaría — "If I inquired about the prices, 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: inquiero, inquieres, inquiere and inquieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: inquirimos, inquirís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: inquirió, inquirieron, and the gerund is inquiriendo. For inquirir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Inquiere sobre la causa del retraso. — "Inquire about the cause of the delay.".

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: inquiero, inquieres, inquiere and inquieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: inquirimos, inquirís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: inquirió, inquirieron, and the gerund is inquiriendo. For inquirir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No inquieras sobre el horario del tren. — "Do not inquire about the train timetable.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo inquiero sobre el horario del tren — "I inquire about the train timetable"
  2. Mi amigo inquiere por el estado del paciente — "My friend inquires about the patient's condition"
  3. Ayer, yo inquirí acerca de los precios — "Yesterday, I inquired about the prices"
  4. Antes, nosotros inquiríamos sobre la causa del retraso — "Before, we used to inquire about the cause of the delay"
  5. Mañana, tú inquirirás por la salud de su madre — "Tomorrow, you will inquire about his mother's health"
  6. Yo inquiriría sobre el horario del tren si tuviera más tiempo — "I would inquire about the train timetable if I had more time"
  7. Él ha inquirido por el estado del paciente — "He has inquired about the patient's condition"
  8. Espero que él inquiera acerca de los precios — "I hope he inquires about the prices"
  9. Yo ya había inquirido sobre la causa del retraso antes de salir — "I already had inquired about the cause of the delay before leaving"
  10. Ellos inquirían por la salud de su madre cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to inquire about his mother's health when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo inquiro por el estado del paciente. — Right: Yo inquiero por el estado del paciente. — inquirir is a stem-changing verb (i → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is inquiero, not inquiro.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él inquiere por el estado del paciente — Right: Espero que él inquiera por el estado del paciente — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él inquiera por el estado del paciente — not the indicative Espero que él inquiere por el estado del paciente.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo inquiero acerca de los precios — Right: Ayer, yo inquirí acerca de los precios — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo inquirí acerca de los precios.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo inquirí sobre la causa del retraso todos los días — Right: De niño, yo inquiría sobre la causa del retraso todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo inquiría sobre la causa del retraso todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo inquiero en sobre el horario del tren. — Right: Yo inquiero sobre el horario del tren. — inquirir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo inquiero sobre el horario del tren.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ sobre el horario del tren — "I inquire about the train timetable" (present) A. inquiere B. inquirimos C. inquiero D. inquieres

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ por el estado del paciente — "He inquired about the patient's condition" (preterite) A. inquirí B. inquiriste C. inquirimos D. inquirió

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ acerca de los precios — "We used to inquire about the prices" (imperfect) A. inquiríamos B. inquiría C. inquirías D. inquiríais

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ sobre la causa del retraso — "You will inquire about the cause of the delay" (future) A. inquiriremos B. inquirirás C. inquiriré D. inquirirá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ por la salud de su madre — "I would inquire about his mother's health" (conditional) A. inquiriría B. inquirirías C. inquiriríamos D. inquiriríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ sobre el horario del tren — "I hope he inquires about the train timetable" (present subjunctive) A. inquiramos B. inquiráis C. inquiera D. inquieras

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ por el estado del paciente, todo cambiaría — "If I inquired about the patient's condition, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. inquirieras B. inquiriéramos C. inquirierais D. inquiriera

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ acerca de los precios — "We have inquired about the prices" (present perfect) A. ha inquirido B. hemos inquirido C. he inquirido D. has inquirido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ sobre la causa del retraso. — "Do not inquire about the cause of the delay." (negative imperative) A. inquiráis B. inquieras C. inquiera D. inquiramos

  10. Which is the gerund of inquirir, used with estar for the progressive? A. inquirido B. inquiero C. inquirí D. inquiriendo

Answer key

  1. inquiero — The present form for yo is inquiero.
  2. inquirió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is inquirió.
  3. inquiríamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is inquiríamos.
  4. inquirirás — The future form for tú is inquirirás.
  5. inquiriría — The conditional form for yo is inquiriría.
  6. inquiera — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is inquiera.
  7. inquiriera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is inquiriera.
  8. hemos inquirido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos inquirido.
  9. inquieras — The negative imperative form is inquieras.
  10. inquiriendo — The gerund of inquirir is inquiriendo: estoy inquiriendo. The participle inquirido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does inquirir mean in English?

inquirir means to inquire. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo inquiero sobre el horario del tren — "I inquire about the train timetable". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is inquirir regular?

No. inquirir is a stem-changing -ir verb (i → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: inquiero, inquieres, inquiere and inquieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: inquirimos, inquirís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: inquirió, inquirieron, and the gerund is inquiriendo. 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 inquirir?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo inquirí por el estado del paciente — "Yesterday, I inquired about the patient's condition". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo inquiría acerca de los precios — "As a child, I used to inquire about the prices". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he inquirido por el estado del paciente — "Today, I have inquired about the patient's condition".

What is the difference between inquirir and preguntar?

Preguntar is the everyday verb for asking a question. Inquirir is formal and usually means to make inquiries about a matter. Inquirir is a formal verb meaning to inquire about something: inquirir sobre el horario, inquirir por la salud de alguien. It conjugates like adquirir, with i becoming ie in the present.

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