Intervenir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb intervenir means to intervene, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Intervenir means to intervene, and it is used for intervening in a discussion, a conflict or a medical operation. It follows the pattern of venir, with the present intervengo, the preterite intervine and the future intervendré. Like every Spanish verb, intervenir 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 intervengo en la discusión de la reunión, and in the preterite you say intervine en la operación del hospital. 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: intervenir
- English: to intervene
- Verb type: irregular verb, stem-changing (e → ie)
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: interviniendo
- Past participle: intervenido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + intervenido)
- Stem change: e → ie in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for intervenir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Intervenir follows venir: the present is intervengo, the preterite is intervine, and the future is intervendré.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for intervenir. 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 | intervengo |
| tú | intervienes |
| él/ella/Ud. | interviene |
| nosotros/as | intervenimos |
| vosotros/as | intervenís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intervienen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intervine |
| tú | interviniste |
| él/ella/Ud. | intervino |
| nosotros/as | intervinimos |
| vosotros/as | intervinisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intervinieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intervenía |
| tú | intervenías |
| él/ella/Ud. | intervenía |
| nosotros/as | interveníamos |
| vosotros/as | interveníais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intervenían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intervendré |
| tú | intervendrás |
| él/ella/Ud. | intervendrá |
| nosotros/as | intervendremos |
| vosotros/as | intervendréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intervendrán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intervendría |
| tú | intervendrías |
| él/ella/Ud. | intervendría |
| nosotros/as | intervendríamos |
| vosotros/as | intervendríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intervendrían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he intervenido |
| tú | has intervenido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha intervenido |
| nosotros/as | hemos intervenido |
| vosotros/as | habéis intervenido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han intervenido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había intervenido |
| tú | habías intervenido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había intervenido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos intervenido |
| vosotros/as | habíais intervenido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían intervenido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré intervenido |
| tú | habrás intervenido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá intervenido |
| nosotros/as | habremos intervenido |
| vosotros/as | habréis intervenido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán intervenido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría intervenido |
| tú | habrías intervenido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría intervenido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos intervenido |
| vosotros/as | habríais intervenido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían intervenido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intervenga |
| tú | intervengas |
| él/ella/Ud. | intervenga |
| nosotros/as | intervengamos |
| vosotros/as | intervengáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intervengan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | interviniera |
| tú | intervinieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | interviniera |
| nosotros/as | interviniéramos |
| vosotros/as | intervinierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intervinieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | intervén |
| él/ella/Ud. | intervenga |
| nosotros/as | intervengamos |
| vosotros/as | intervenid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intervengan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | intervengas |
| él/ella/Ud. | intervenga |
| nosotros/as | intervengamos |
| vosotros/as | intervengáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intervengan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | interviniendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy interviniendo |
| Past participle | intervenido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he intervenido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of venir, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -vin- stem), the future and conditional, and the subjunctive. Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For intervenir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Intervengo en la discusión de la reunión. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of venir, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -vin- stem), the future and conditional, and the subjunctive. Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For intervenir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, intervine en el conflicto de los vecinos. 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 intervenir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, intervenía en la operación del hospital. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of venir, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -vin- stem), the future and conditional, and the subjunctive. Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For intervenir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, intervendré a tiempo en el debate. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of venir, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -vin- stem), the future and conditional, and the subjunctive. Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For intervenir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Intervendría en la discusión de la reunión 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 intervenir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he intervenido en el conflicto de los vecinos. 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 intervenir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había intervenido en la operación del hospital 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 intervenir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré intervenido a tiempo en el debate. 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 intervenir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría intervenido en la discusión de la reunión 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of venir, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -vin- stem), the future and conditional, and the subjunctive. Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For intervenir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él intervenga en el conflicto de los vecinos. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of venir, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -vin- stem), the future and conditional, and the subjunctive. Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For intervenir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él interviniera en la operación del hospital, 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of venir, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -vin- stem), the future and conditional, and the subjunctive. Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For intervenir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Intervén a tiempo en el debate! 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of venir, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -vin- stem), the future and conditional, and the subjunctive. Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For intervenir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No intervengas en la discusión de la reunión. 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 intervenir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Intervengo en la discusión de la reunión. — I intervene in the discussion at the meeting.
- Interviene en el conflicto de los vecinos. — He/she intervenes in the neighbours' conflict.
- Ayer, intervine en la operación del hospital. — Yesterday, I intervened in the operation at the hospital.
- Antes, nosotros interveníamos a tiempo en el debate. — Before, we used to intervene in time in the debate.
- Mañana, tú intervendrás en la discusión de la reunión. — Tomorrow, you will intervene in the discussion at the meeting.
- Yo intervendría en el conflicto de los vecinos si tuviera más tiempo. — I would intervene in the neighbours' conflict if I had more time.
- Él ha intervenido en la operación del hospital. — He has intervened in the operation at the hospital.
- Espero que él intervenga a tiempo en el debate. — I hope he intervenes in time in the debate.
- Yo ya había intervenido en la discusión de la reunión antes de salir. — I had already intervened in the discussion at the meeting before leaving.
- Ellos intervenían en el conflicto de los vecinos cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to intervene in the neighbours' conflict when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo interviene en la discusión de la reunión. — Right: Yo intervengo en la discusión de la reunión. — The person matters: interviene is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is intervengo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo interveno en el conflicto de los vecinos. — Right: Yo intervengo en el conflicto de los vecinos. — Intervenir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
- Wrong: Treating intervenir and participar as identical in every context. — Right: Intervenir means to intervene, while participar means to take part. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: intervenir fits sentences such as Intervengo en la discusión de la reunión, while participar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy intervenido en el conflicto de los vecinos. — Right: Yo he intervenido en el conflicto de los vecinos. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he intervenido, has intervenido, ha intervenido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo intervine en la operación del hospital todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo intervenía en la operación del hospital todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (intervenía), not the preterite. The preterite (intervine) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on intervenir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la discusión de la reunión. (present tense) A. intervengo B. intervienes C. interviene D. intervenimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en el conflicto de los vecinos. (preterite) A. intervine B. interviniste C. intervinieron D. intervino
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en la operación del hospital. (imperfect) A. intervenías B. intervenían C. interveníamos D. intervenía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a tiempo en el debate. (future) A. intervendremos B. intervendrás C. intervendré D. intervendrá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la discusión de la reunión si pudiera. (conditional) A. intervendría B. intervendrías C. intervendrían D. intervengo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el conflicto de los vecinos. (present subjunctive) A. intervengas B. intervengamos C. intervengo D. intervenga
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en la operación del hospital, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. interviniéramos B. intervengo C. interviniera D. intervinieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a tiempo en el debate. (present perfect) A. han intervenido B. hemos intervenido C. he intervenido D. has intervenido
Complete the command: ¡___ en la discusión de la reunión! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. intervén B. intervenga C. intervengamos D. intervenid
Which is the gerund of intervenir, used with estar for the progressive? A. intervenido B. intervengo C. intervine D. interviniendo
Answer key
- intervengo — The first-person present of intervenir is intervengo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- intervino — The third-person preterite of intervenir is intervino, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- interveníamos — The nosotros imperfect of intervenir is interveníamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- intervendrás — The second-person future of intervenir is intervendrás.
- intervendría — The first-person conditional of intervenir is intervendría, the form for what would happen.
- intervenga — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of intervenir is intervenga.
- interviniera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of intervenir is interviniera.
- hemos intervenido — The nosotros present perfect of intervenir is hemos intervenido: hemos + intervenido.
- intervén — The affirmative tú imperative of intervenir is intervén.
- interviniendo — The gerund of intervenir is interviniendo: estoy interviniendo. The participle intervenido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does intervenir mean in English?
Intervenir means to intervene. It is used in everyday situations such as Intervengo en la discusión de la reunión. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is intervenir regular or irregular?
Intervenir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so it is not fully regular: the stem changes in the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The preterite and the imperfect are regular. Check the tables above for the exact forms in each tense.
What is the difference between intervenir and participar?
Intervenir means to intervene, while participar means to take part. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use intervenir when you mean to intervene, as in Intervengo en la discusión de la reunión, and use participar for to take part. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I intervene” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo intervine en el conflicto de los vecinos. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo intervenía en la operación del hospital. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he intervenido en el conflicto de los vecinos.
How do I practise intervenir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the intervenir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Intervenir in the preterite tense — the full preterite-tense table for intervenir.
- Intervenir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for intervenir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Prevenir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with intervenir.
- Provenir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with intervenir.
- Convenir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with intervenir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.