Intuir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb intuir means to sense, to intuit, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Intuir means to sense or to intuit, and it is the verb for knowing something without proof: intuir un peligro, intuir la verdad. It is a -uir verb: yo intuyo, él intuye, with y before the vowel endings. Like every Spanish verb, intuir 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 intuyo un peligro en la calle, and in the preterite you say intuí que algo va mal. 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: intuir
- English: to sense, to intuit
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: intuyendo
- Past participle: intuido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + intuido)
- Pattern to learn: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for intuir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Intuir is a -uir verb: yo intuyo, él intuye, with y before the vowel endings.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for intuir. 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 | intuyo |
| tú | intuyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | intuye |
| nosotros/as | intuimos |
| vosotros/as | intuís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intuyen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intuí |
| tú | intuiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | intuyó |
| nosotros/as | intuimos |
| vosotros/as | intuisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intuyeron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intuía |
| tú | intuías |
| él/ella/Ud. | intuía |
| nosotros/as | intuíamos |
| vosotros/as | intuíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intuían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intuiré |
| tú | intuirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | intuirá |
| nosotros/as | intuiremos |
| vosotros/as | intuiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intuirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intuiría |
| tú | intuirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | intuiría |
| nosotros/as | intuiríamos |
| vosotros/as | intuiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intuirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he intuido |
| tú | has intuido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha intuido |
| nosotros/as | hemos intuido |
| vosotros/as | habéis intuido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han intuido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había intuido |
| tú | habías intuido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había intuido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos intuido |
| vosotros/as | habíais intuido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían intuido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré intuido |
| tú | habrás intuido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá intuido |
| nosotros/as | habremos intuido |
| vosotros/as | habréis intuido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán intuido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría intuido |
| tú | habrías intuido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría intuido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos intuido |
| vosotros/as | habríais intuido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían intuido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intuya |
| tú | intuyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | intuya |
| nosotros/as | intuyamos |
| vosotros/as | intuyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intuyan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intuyera |
| tú | intuyeras |
| él/ella/Ud. | intuyera |
| nosotros/as | intuyéramos |
| vosotros/as | intuyerais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intuyeran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | intuye |
| él/ella/Ud. | intuya |
| nosotros/as | intuyamos |
| vosotros/as | intuid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intuyan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | intuyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | intuya |
| nosotros/as | intuyamos |
| vosotros/as | intuyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intuyan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | intuyendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy intuyendo |
| Past participle | intuido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he intuido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the pattern here: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo. For intuir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Intuyo un peligro en la calle. 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. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo. For intuir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, intuí la verdad en su mirada. 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 intuir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, intuía que algo va mal. 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 intuir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, intuiré el resultado antes del final. 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 intuir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Intuiría un peligro en la calle 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 intuir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he intuido la verdad en su mirada. 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 intuir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había intuido que algo va mal 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 intuir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré intuido el resultado antes del final. 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 intuir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría intuido un peligro en la calle 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. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo. For intuir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él intuya la verdad en su mirada. 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 intuir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él intuyera que algo va mal, 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. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo. For intuir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Intuye el resultado antes del final! 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. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo. For intuir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No intuyas un peligro en la calle. 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 intuir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Intuyo un peligro en la calle. — I sense danger in the street.
- Intuye la verdad en su mirada. — He/she senses the truth in his look.
- Ayer, intuí que algo va mal. — Yesterday, I sensed that something is wrong.
- Antes, nosotros intuíamos el resultado antes del final. — Before, we used to sense the result before the end.
- Mañana, tú intuirás un peligro en la calle. — Tomorrow, you will sense danger in the street.
- Yo intuiría la verdad en su mirada si tuviera más tiempo. — I would sense the truth in his look if I had more time.
- Él ha intuido que algo va mal. — He has sensed that something is wrong.
- Espero que él intuya el resultado antes del final. — I hope he senses the result before the end.
- Yo ya había intuido un peligro en la calle antes de salir. — I had already sensed danger in the street before leaving.
- Ellos intuían la verdad en su mirada cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to sense the truth in his look when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo intuye un peligro en la calle. — Right: Yo intuyo un peligro en la calle. — The person matters: intuye is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is intuyo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo intuo la verdad en su mirada. — Right: Yo intuyo la verdad en su mirada. — Intuir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo. The form intuyo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.
- Wrong: Treating intuir and sospechar as identical in every context. — Right: Intuir means to sense, to intuit, while sospechar means to suspect. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: intuir fits sentences such as Intuyo un peligro en la calle, while sospechar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy intuido la verdad en su mirada. — Right: Yo he intuido la verdad en su mirada. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he intuido, has intuido, ha intuido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo intuí que algo va mal todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo intuía que algo va mal todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (intuía), not the preterite. The preterite (intuí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on intuir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ un peligro en la calle. (present tense) A. intuyo B. intuyes C. intuye D. intuimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la verdad en su mirada. (preterite) A. intuí B. intuiste C. intuimos D. intuyó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ que algo va mal. (imperfect) A. intuías B. intuyo C. intuíamos D. intuía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el resultado antes del final. (future) A. intuiremos B. intuirás C. intuiré D. intuirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ un peligro en la calle si pudiera. (conditional) A. intuiría B. intuirías C. intuiríamos D. intuyo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la verdad en su mirada. (present subjunctive) A. intuyas B. intuyamos C. intuyo D. intuya
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ que algo va mal, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. intuyéramos B. intuyo C. intuyera D. intuyeras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el resultado antes del final. (present perfect) A. ha intuido B. hemos intuido C. he intuido D. has intuido
Complete the command: ¡___ un peligro en la calle! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. intuye B. intuya C. intuyamos D. intuid
Which is the gerund of intuir, used with estar for the progressive? A. intuido B. intuyo C. intuí D. intuyendo
Answer key
- intuyo — The yo present tense of intuir is intuyo.
- intuyó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of intuir is intuyó.
- intuíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of intuir is intuíamos.
- intuirás — The tú future of intuir is intuirás.
- intuiría — The yo conditional of intuir is intuiría.
- intuya — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of intuir is intuya.
- intuyera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of intuir is intuyera.
- hemos intuido — The nosotros/as present perfect of intuir is hemos intuido.
- intuye — The affirmative tú imperative of intuir is intuye.
- intuyendo — The gerund of intuir is intuyendo: estoy intuyendo. The participle intuido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does intuir mean in English?
Intuir means to sense, to intuit. It is used in everyday situations such as Intuyo un peligro en la calle. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is intuir regular or irregular?
Intuir is a spelling-change verb: it is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo. The endings are regular, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page, including intuyo in the present and intuí in the preterite.
What is the difference between intuir and sospechar?
Intuir means to sense, to intuit, while sospechar means to suspect. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use intuir when you mean to sense, to intuit, as in Intuyo un peligro en la calle, and use sospechar for to suspect. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I sense” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo intuí la verdad en su mirada. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo intuía que algo va mal. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he intuido la verdad en su mirada.
How do I practise intuir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the intuir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Intuir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for intuir.
- Intuir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for intuir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Instruir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with intuir.
- Malvivir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with intuir.
- Ingerir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with intuir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.