Irritar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb irritar means to irritate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Irritar means to irritate, and it covers irritating a person and irritating the skin or the eyes: el humo irrita los ojos. It is fully regular. Its reflexive partner irritarse means to get irritated or annoyed yourself. Like every Spanish verb, irritar 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 irrito a su hermano con preguntas, and in the preterite you say irrité a los vecinos con el ruido. 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: irritar
- English: to irritate
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: irritando
- Past participle: irritado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + irritado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for irritar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Irritar is fully regular: irrité, irritaba, irritaré.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for irritar. 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 | irrito |
| tú | irritas |
| él/ella/Ud. | irrita |
| nosotros/as | irritamos |
| vosotros/as | irritáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | irritan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | irrité |
| tú | irritaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | irritó |
| nosotros/as | irritamos |
| vosotros/as | irritasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | irritaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | irritaba |
| tú | irritabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | irritaba |
| nosotros/as | irritábamos |
| vosotros/as | irritabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | irritaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | irritaré |
| tú | irritarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | irritará |
| nosotros/as | irritaremos |
| vosotros/as | irritaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | irritarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | irritaría |
| tú | irritarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | irritaría |
| nosotros/as | irritaríamos |
| vosotros/as | irritaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | irritarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he irritado |
| tú | has irritado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha irritado |
| nosotros/as | hemos irritado |
| vosotros/as | habéis irritado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han irritado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había irritado |
| tú | habías irritado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había irritado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos irritado |
| vosotros/as | habíais irritado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían irritado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré irritado |
| tú | habrás irritado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá irritado |
| nosotros/as | habremos irritado |
| vosotros/as | habréis irritado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán irritado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría irritado |
| tú | habrías irritado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría irritado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos irritado |
| vosotros/as | habríais irritado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían irritado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | irrite |
| tú | irrites |
| él/ella/Ud. | irrite |
| nosotros/as | irritemos |
| vosotros/as | irritéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | irriten |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | irritara |
| tú | irritaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | irritara |
| nosotros/as | irritáramos |
| vosotros/as | irritarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | irritaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | irrita |
| él/ella/Ud. | irrite |
| nosotros/as | irritemos |
| vosotros/as | irritad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | irriten |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | irrites |
| él/ella/Ud. | irrite |
| nosotros/as | irritemos |
| vosotros/as | irritéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | irriten |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | irritando | with estar for the progressive: estoy irritando |
| Past participle | irritado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he irritado |
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 irritar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Irrito a su hermano con preguntas. 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 irritar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, irrité los ojos con el humo. 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 irritar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, irritaba a los vecinos con el ruido. 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 irritar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, irritaré la piel con el sol. 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 irritar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Irritaría a su hermano con preguntas 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 irritar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he irritado los ojos con el humo. 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 irritar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había irritado a los vecinos con el ruido 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 irritar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré irritado la piel con el sol. 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 irritar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría irritado a su hermano con preguntas 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 irritar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él irrite los ojos con el humo. 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 irritar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él irritara a los vecinos con el ruido, 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 irritar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Irrita la piel con el sol! 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 irritar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No irrites a su hermano con preguntas. 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 irritar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Irrito a su hermano con preguntas. — I irritate his brother with questions.
- Irrita los ojos con el humo. — He/she irritates the eyes with smoke.
- Ayer, irrité a los vecinos con el ruido. — Yesterday, I irritated the neighbours with the noise.
- Antes, nosotros irritábamos la piel con el sol. — Before, we used to irritate the skin with the sun.
- Mañana, tú irritarás a su hermano con preguntas. — Tomorrow, you will irritate his brother with questions.
- Yo irritaría los ojos con el humo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would irritate the eyes with smoke if I had more time.
- Él ha irritado a los vecinos con el ruido. — He has irritated the neighbours with the noise.
- Espero que él irrite la piel con el sol. — I hope he irritates the skin with the sun.
- Yo ya había irritado a su hermano con preguntas antes de salir. — I had already irritated his brother with questions before leaving.
- Ellos irritaban los ojos con el humo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to irritate the eyes with smoke when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo irrita a su hermano con preguntas. — Right: Yo irrito a su hermano con preguntas. — The person matters: irrita is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is irrito. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo irrito los ojos con el humo. — Right: Ayer yo irrité los ojos con el humo. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: irrito is happening now, while irrité is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating irritar and irritarse as identical in every context. — Right: Irritar means to irritate, while irritarse means to get irritated yourself. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: irritar fits sentences such as Irrito a su hermano con preguntas, while irritarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy irritado los ojos con el humo. — Right: Yo he irritado los ojos con el humo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he irritado, has irritado, ha irritado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo irrité a los vecinos con el ruido todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo irritaba a los vecinos con el ruido todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (irritaba), not the preterite. The preterite (irrité) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on irritar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su hermano con preguntas. (present tense) A. irrito B. irritas C. irrita D. irritamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ los ojos con el humo. (preterite) A. irrité B. irritaste C. irritamos D. irritó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a los vecinos con el ruido. (imperfect) A. irritabas B. irrito C. irritábamos D. irritaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la piel con el sol. (future) A. irritaremos B. irritarás C. irritaré D. irritará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su hermano con preguntas si pudiera. (conditional) A. irritaría B. irritarías C. irritaríamos D. irrito
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ los ojos con el humo. (present subjunctive) A. irrites B. irritemos C. irrito D. irrite
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a los vecinos con el ruido, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. irritáramos B. irrito C. irritara D. irritaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la piel con el sol. (present perfect) A. ha irritado B. hemos irritado C. he irritado D. has irritado
Complete the command: ¡___ a su hermano con preguntas! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. irrita B. irrite C. irritemos D. irritad
Which is the gerund of irritar, used with estar for the progressive? A. irritado B. irrito C. irrité D. irritando
Answer key
- irrito — The yo present tense of irritar is irrito.
- irritó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of irritar is irritó.
- irritábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of irritar is irritábamos.
- irritarás — The tú future of irritar is irritarás.
- irritaría — The yo conditional of irritar is irritaría.
- irrite — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of irritar is irrite.
- irritara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of irritar is irritara.
- hemos irritado — The nosotros/as present perfect of irritar is hemos irritado.
- irrita — The affirmative tú imperative of irritar is irrita.
- irritando — The gerund of irritar is irritando: estoy irritando. The participle irritado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does irritar mean in English?
Irritar means to irritate. It is used in everyday situations such as Irrito a su hermano con preguntas. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is irritar regular or irregular?
Irritar 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 irrito in the present and irrité in the preterite.
What is the difference between irritar and irritarse?
Irritar means to irritate, while irritarse means to get irritated yourself. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use irritar when you mean to irritate, as in Irrito a su hermano con preguntas, and use irritarse for to get irritated yourself. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I irritate” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo irrité los ojos con el humo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo irritaba a los vecinos con el ruido. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he irritado los ojos con el humo.
How do I practise irritar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the irritar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Irritar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for irritar.
- Irritar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for irritar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Involucrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with irritar.
- Precisar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with irritar.
- Invocar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with irritar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.