Juzgar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb juzgar means to judge, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Juzgar means to judge, and it covers judging the accused at a trial, judging people by their appearance, judging a cooking competition and refereeing a match. It is a spelling-change verb: the g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is juzgué. Like every Spanish verb, juzgar 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 juzgo al acusado en el juicio, and in the preterite you say juzgué el concurso de cocina. 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: juzgar
- English: to judge
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: juzgando
- Past participle: juzgado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + juzgado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for juzgar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is juzgué and the subjunctive is juzgue. No juzgues a la gente is a common piece of advice.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for juzgar. 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 | juzgo |
| tú | juzgas |
| él/ella/Ud. | juzga |
| nosotros/as | juzgamos |
| vosotros/as | juzgáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | juzgan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | juzgué |
| tú | juzgaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | juzgó |
| nosotros/as | juzgamos |
| vosotros/as | juzgasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | juzgaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | juzgaba |
| tú | juzgabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | juzgaba |
| nosotros/as | juzgábamos |
| vosotros/as | juzgabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | juzgaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | juzgaré |
| tú | juzgarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | juzgará |
| nosotros/as | juzgaremos |
| vosotros/as | juzgaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | juzgarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | juzgaría |
| tú | juzgarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | juzgaría |
| nosotros/as | juzgaríamos |
| vosotros/as | juzgaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | juzgarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he juzgado |
| tú | has juzgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha juzgado |
| nosotros/as | hemos juzgado |
| vosotros/as | habéis juzgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han juzgado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había juzgado |
| tú | habías juzgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había juzgado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos juzgado |
| vosotros/as | habíais juzgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían juzgado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré juzgado |
| tú | habrás juzgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá juzgado |
| nosotros/as | habremos juzgado |
| vosotros/as | habréis juzgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán juzgado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría juzgado |
| tú | habrías juzgado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría juzgado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos juzgado |
| vosotros/as | habríais juzgado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían juzgado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | juzgue |
| tú | juzgues |
| él/ella/Ud. | juzgue |
| nosotros/as | juzguemos |
| vosotros/as | juzguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | juzguen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | juzgara |
| tú | juzgaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | juzgara |
| nosotros/as | juzgáramos |
| vosotros/as | juzgarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | juzgaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | juzga |
| él/ella/Ud. | juzgue |
| nosotros/as | juzguemos |
| vosotros/as | juzgad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | juzguen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | juzgues |
| él/ella/Ud. | juzgue |
| nosotros/as | juzguemos |
| vosotros/as | juzguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | juzguen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | juzgando | with estar for the progressive: estoy juzgando |
| Past participle | juzgado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he juzgado |
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 juzgar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Juzgo al acusado en el juicio. 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 juzgué. For juzgar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, juzgué a la gente por su aspecto. 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 juzgar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, juzgaba el concurso de cocina. 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 juzgar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, juzgaré el partido como árbitro. 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 juzgar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Juzgaría al acusado en el juicio 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 juzgar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he juzgado a la gente por su aspecto. 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 juzgar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había juzgado el concurso de cocina 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 juzgar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré juzgado el partido como árbitro. 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 juzgar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría juzgado al acusado en el juicio 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 juzgar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él juzgue a la gente por su aspecto. 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 juzgar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él juzgara el concurso de cocina, 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 juzgar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Juzga el partido como árbitro! 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 juzgar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No juzgues al acusado en el juicio. 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 juzgar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Juzgo al acusado en el juicio. — I judge the accused at the trial.
- Juzga a la gente por su aspecto. — He/she judges people by their appearance.
- Ayer, juzgué el concurso de cocina. — Yesterday, I judged the cooking competition.
- Antes, nosotros juzgábamos el partido como árbitro. — Before, we used to judge the match as a referee.
- Mañana, tú juzgarás al acusado en el juicio. — Tomorrow, you will judge the accused at the trial.
- Yo juzgaría a la gente por su aspecto si tuviera más tiempo. — I would judge people by their appearance if I had more time.
- Él ha juzgado el concurso de cocina. — He has judged the cooking competition.
- Espero que él juzgue el partido como árbitro. — I hope he judges the match as a referee.
- Yo ya había juzgado al acusado en el juicio antes de salir. — I had already judged the accused at the trial before leaving.
- Ellos juzgaban a la gente por su aspecto cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to judge people by their appearance when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo juzga al acusado en el juicio. — Right: Yo juzgo al acusado en el juicio. — The person matters: juzga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is juzgo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo juzgé a la gente por su aspecto. — Right: Yo juzgué a la gente por su aspecto. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is juzgué, not juzgé. juzgar 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 juzgar and evaluar as identical in every context. — Right: Juzgar means to judge, while evaluar means to evaluate, the formal partner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: juzgar fits sentences such as Juzgo al acusado en el juicio, while evaluar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy juzgado a la gente por su aspecto. — Right: Yo he juzgado a la gente por su aspecto. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he juzgado, has juzgado, ha juzgado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo juzgué el concurso de cocina todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo juzgaba el concurso de cocina todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (juzgaba), not the preterite. The preterite (juzgué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on juzgar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al acusado en el juicio. (present tense) A. juzgo B. juzgas C. juzga D. juzgamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a la gente por su aspecto. (preterite) A. juzgué B. juzgaste C. juzgaron D. juzgó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el concurso de cocina. (imperfect) A. juzgabas B. juzgaban C. juzgábamos D. juzgaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el partido como árbitro. (future) A. juzgaremos B. juzgarás C. juzgaré D. juzgará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al acusado en el juicio si pudiera. (conditional) A. juzgaría B. juzgarías C. juzgarían D. juzgo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a la gente por su aspecto. (present subjunctive) A. juzgues B. juzguemos C. juzgo D. juzgue
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el concurso de cocina, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. juzgáramos B. juzgo C. juzgara D. juzgaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el partido como árbitro. (present perfect) A. han juzgado B. hemos juzgado C. he juzgado D. has juzgado
Complete the command: ¡___ al acusado en el juicio! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. juzga B. juzgue C. juzguemos D. juzgad
Which is the gerund of juzgar, used with estar for the progressive? A. juzgado B. juzgo C. juzgué D. juzgando
Answer key
- juzgo — The first-person present of juzgar is juzgo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- juzgó — The third-person preterite of juzgar is juzgó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- juzgábamos — The nosotros imperfect of juzgar is juzgábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- juzgarás — The second-person future of juzgar is juzgarás.
- juzgaría — The first-person conditional of juzgar is juzgaría, the form for what would happen.
- juzgue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of juzgar is juzgue.
- juzgara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of juzgar is juzgara.
- hemos juzgado — The nosotros present perfect of juzgar is hemos juzgado: hemos + juzgado.
- juzga — The affirmative tú imperative of juzgar is juzga.
- juzgando — The gerund of juzgar is juzgando: estoy juzgando. The participle juzgado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does juzgar mean in English?
Juzgar means to judge. It is used in everyday situations such as Juzgo al acusado en el juicio. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is juzgar regular or irregular?
Juzgar 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 juzgo in the present and juzgué in the preterite.
What is the difference between juzgar and evaluar?
Juzgar means to judge, while evaluar means to evaluate, the formal partner. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use juzgar when you mean to judge, as in Juzgo al acusado en el juicio, and use evaluar for to evaluate, the formal partner. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I judge” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo juzgué a la gente por su aspecto. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo juzgaba el concurso de cocina. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he juzgado a la gente por su aspecto.
How do I practise juzgar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the juzgar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Juzgar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for juzgar.
- Juzgar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for juzgar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Arriesgar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with juzgar.
- Obligar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with juzgar.
- Agregar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with juzgar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.