Investigar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb investigar means to investigate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Investigar means to investigate, and it is used for investigating a case with the police, a subject for a thesis, a road accident and a family history. It is a spelling-change verb: the g becomes gu before e. Like every Spanish verb, investigar 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 investigo el caso con la policía, and in the preterite you say investigué el accidente de la carretera. 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: investigar
- English: to investigate
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: investigando
- Past participle: investigado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + investigado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for investigar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is investigué and the subjunctive is investigue.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for investigar. 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 | investigo |
| tú | investigas |
| él/ella/Ud. | investiga |
| nosotros/as | investigamos |
| vosotros/as | investigáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | investigan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | investigué |
| tú | investigaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | investigó |
| nosotros/as | investigamos |
| vosotros/as | investigasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | investigaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | investigaba |
| tú | investigabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | investigaba |
| nosotros/as | investigábamos |
| vosotros/as | investigabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | investigaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | investigaré |
| tú | investigarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | investigará |
| nosotros/as | investigaremos |
| vosotros/as | investigaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | investigarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | investigaría |
| tú | investigarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | investigaría |
| nosotros/as | investigaríamos |
| vosotros/as | investigaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | investigarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he investigado |
| tú | has investigado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha investigado |
| nosotros/as | hemos investigado |
| vosotros/as | habéis investigado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han investigado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había investigado |
| tú | habías investigado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había investigado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos investigado |
| vosotros/as | habíais investigado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían investigado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré investigado |
| tú | habrás investigado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá investigado |
| nosotros/as | habremos investigado |
| vosotros/as | habréis investigado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán investigado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría investigado |
| tú | habrías investigado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría investigado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos investigado |
| vosotros/as | habríais investigado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían investigado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | investigue |
| tú | investigues |
| él/ella/Ud. | investigue |
| nosotros/as | investiguemos |
| vosotros/as | investiguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | investiguen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | investigara |
| tú | investigaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | investigara |
| nosotros/as | investigáramos |
| vosotros/as | investigarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | investigaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | investiga |
| él/ella/Ud. | investigue |
| nosotros/as | investiguemos |
| vosotros/as | investigad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | investiguen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | investigues |
| él/ella/Ud. | investigue |
| nosotros/as | investiguemos |
| vosotros/as | investiguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | investiguen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | investigando | with estar for the progressive: estoy investigando |
| Past participle | investigado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he investigado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For investigar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Investigo el caso con la policía. 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 in the first person: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite first person is investigué. For investigar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, investigué un tema para la tesis. 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 investigar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, investigaba el accidente de la carretera. 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 investigar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, investigaré la historia de su familia. 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 investigar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Investigaría el caso con la policía 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 investigar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he investigado un tema para la tesis. 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 investigar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había investigado el accidente de la carretera 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 investigar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré investigado la historia de su familia. 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 investigar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría investigado el caso con la policía 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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For investigar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él investigue un tema para la tesis. 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 investigar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él investigara el accidente de la carretera, 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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For investigar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Investiga la historia de su familia! 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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For investigar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No investigues el caso con la policía. 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 investigar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Investigo el caso con la policía. — I investigate the case with the police.
- Investiga un tema para la tesis. — He/she investigates a subject for the thesis.
- Ayer, investigué el accidente de la carretera. — Yesterday, I investigated the road accident.
- Antes, nosotros investigábamos la historia de su familia. — Before, we used to investigate his family history.
- Mañana, tú investigarás el caso con la policía. — Tomorrow, you will investigate the case with the police.
- Yo investigaría un tema para la tesis si tuviera más tiempo. — I would investigate a subject for the thesis if I had more time.
- Él ha investigado el accidente de la carretera. — He has investigated the road accident.
- Espero que él investigue la historia de su familia. — I hope he investigates his family history.
- Yo ya había investigado el caso con la policía antes de salir. — I had already investigated the case with the police before leaving.
- Ellos investigaban un tema para la tesis cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to investigate a subject for the thesis when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo investiga el caso con la policía. — Right: Yo investigo el caso con la policía. — The person matters: investiga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is investigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo investigé un tema para la tesis. — Right: Yo investigué un tema para la tesis. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is investigué, not investigé. investigar is a spelling-change verb: g becomes gu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
- Wrong: Treating investigar and estudiar as identical in every context. — Right: Investigar means to investigate, while estudiar means to study, the close verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: investigar fits sentences such as Investigo el caso con la policía, while estudiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy investigado un tema para la tesis. — Right: Yo he investigado un tema para la tesis. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he investigado, has investigado, ha investigado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo investigué el accidente de la carretera todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo investigaba el accidente de la carretera todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (investigaba), not the preterite. The preterite (investigué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on investigar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el caso con la policía. (present tense) A. investigo B. investigas C. investiga D. investigamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ un tema para la tesis. (preterite) A. investigué B. investigaste C. investigaron D. investigó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el accidente de la carretera. (imperfect) A. investigabas B. investigaban C. investigábamos D. investigaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la historia de su familia. (future) A. investigaremos B. investigarás C. investigaré D. investigará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el caso con la policía si pudiera. (conditional) A. investigaría B. investigarías C. investigarían D. investigo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ un tema para la tesis. (present subjunctive) A. investigues B. investiguemos C. investigo D. investigue
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el accidente de la carretera, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. investigáramos B. investigo C. investigara D. investigaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la historia de su familia. (present perfect) A. han investigado B. hemos investigado C. he investigado D. has investigado
Complete the command: ¡___ el caso con la policía! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. investiga B. investigue C. investiguemos D. investigad
Which is the gerund of investigar, used with estar for the progressive? A. investigado B. investigo C. investigué D. investigando
Answer key
- investigo — The first-person present of investigar is investigo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- investigó — The third-person preterite of investigar is investigó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- investigábamos — The nosotros imperfect of investigar is investigábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- investigarás — The second-person future of investigar is investigarás.
- investigaría — The first-person conditional of investigar is investigaría, the form for what would happen.
- investigue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of investigar is investigue.
- investigara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of investigar is investigara.
- hemos investigado — The nosotros present perfect of investigar is hemos investigado: hemos + investigado.
- investiga — The affirmative tú imperative of investigar is investiga.
- investigando — The gerund of investigar is investigando: estoy investigando. The participle investigado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does investigar mean in English?
Investigar means to investigate. It is used in everyday situations such as Investigo el caso con la policía. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is investigar regular or irregular?
Investigar 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 investigo in the present and investigué in the preterite.
What is the difference between investigar and estudiar?
Investigar means to investigate, while estudiar means to study, the close verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use investigar when you mean to investigate, as in Investigo el caso con la policía, and use estudiar for to study, the close verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I investigate” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo investigué un tema para la tesis. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo investigaba el accidente de la carretera. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he investigado un tema para la tesis.
How do I practise investigar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the investigar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Investigar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for investigar.
- Investigar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for investigar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Agregar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with investigar.
- Navegar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with investigar.
- Alargar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with investigar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.