Levantar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb levantar means to lift, to raise, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Levantar means to lift or to raise, and it covers lifting a heavy box, raising your hand in class, raising your voice and lifting a ban. It is the non-reflexive partner of levantarse, to get up, and it is a fully regular -ar verb. Like every Spanish verb, levantar 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 levanto la caja con las dos manos, and in the preterite you say levanté las persianas por la mañana. 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: levantar
  • English: to lift, to raise
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: levantando
  • Past participle: levantado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + levantado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for levantar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Levantar lifts something else; levantarse gets you up. Levanto la caja, but me levanto de la cama.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for levantar. 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 levanto
tú levantas
él/ella/Ud. levanta
nosotros/as levantamos
vosotros/as levantáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. levantan

Preterite

Person Form
yo levanté
tú levantaste
él/ella/Ud. levantó
nosotros/as levantamos
vosotros/as levantasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. levantaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo levantaba
tú levantabas
él/ella/Ud. levantaba
nosotros/as levantábamos
vosotros/as levantabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. levantaban

Future

Person Form
yo levantaré
tú levantarás
él/ella/Ud. levantará
nosotros/as levantaremos
vosotros/as levantaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. levantarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo levantaría
tú levantarías
él/ella/Ud. levantaría
nosotros/as levantaríamos
vosotros/as levantaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. levantarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he levantado
tú has levantado
él/ella/Ud. ha levantado
nosotros/as hemos levantado
vosotros/as habéis levantado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han levantado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había levantado
tú habías levantado
él/ella/Ud. había levantado
nosotros/as habíamos levantado
vosotros/as habíais levantado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían levantado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré levantado
tú habrás levantado
él/ella/Ud. habrá levantado
nosotros/as habremos levantado
vosotros/as habréis levantado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán levantado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría levantado
tú habrías levantado
él/ella/Ud. habría levantado
nosotros/as habríamos levantado
vosotros/as habríais levantado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían levantado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo levante
tú levantes
él/ella/Ud. levante
nosotros/as levantemos
vosotros/as levantéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. levanten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo levantara
tú levantaras
él/ella/Ud. levantara
nosotros/as levantáramos
vosotros/as levantarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. levantaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú levanta
él/ella/Ud. levante
nosotros/as levantemos
vosotros/as levantad
ellos/ellas/Uds. levanten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú levantes
él/ella/Ud. levante
nosotros/as levantemos
vosotros/as levantéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. levanten

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund levantando with estar for the progressive: estoy levantando
Past participle levantado with haber for the perfect tenses: he levantado

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 levantar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Levanto la caja con las dos manos. 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 levantar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, levanté la mano para preguntar. 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 levantar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, levantaba las persianas por la mañana. 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 levantar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, levantaré la voz en la reunión. 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 levantar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Levantaría la caja con las dos manos 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 levantar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he levantado la mano para preguntar. 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 levantar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había levantado las persianas por la mañana 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 levantar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré levantado la voz en la reunión. 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 levantar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría levantado la caja con las dos manos 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 levantar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él levante la mano para preguntar. 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 levantar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él levantara las persianas por la mañana, 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 levantar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Levanta la voz en la reunión! 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 levantar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No levantes la caja con las dos manos. 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 levantar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Levanto la caja con las dos manos. — I lift the box with both hands.
  2. Levanta la mano para preguntar. — He/she lifts my hand to ask a question.
  3. Ayer, levanté las persianas por la mañana. — Yesterday, I lifted the blinds in the morning.
  4. Antes, nosotros levantábamos la voz en la reunión. — Before, we used to lift my voice in the meeting.
  5. Mañana, tú levantarás la caja con las dos manos. — Tomorrow, you will lift the box with both hands.
  6. Yo levantaría la mano para preguntar si tuviera más tiempo. — I would lift my hand to ask a question if I had more time.
  7. Él ha levantado las persianas por la mañana. — He has lifted the blinds in the morning.
  8. Espero que él levante la voz en la reunión. — I hope he lifts my voice in the meeting.
  9. Yo ya había levantado la caja con las dos manos antes de salir. — I had already lifted the box with both hands before leaving.
  10. Ellos levantaban la mano para preguntar cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to lift my hand to ask a question when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo me levanto la caja con las dos manos. — Right: Yo levanto la caja con las dos manos. — Levantar lifts something else, so it takes no reflexive pronoun. Me levanto means I get up, not I lift the box.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros levantais la mano para preguntar. — Right: Vosotros levantáis la mano para preguntar. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: levantáis, not levantais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating levantar and levantarse as identical in every context. — Right: Levantar means to lift, to raise, while levantarse means to get up, the reflexive partner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: levantar fits sentences such as Levanto la caja con las dos manos, while levantarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy levantado la mano para preguntar. — Right: Yo he levantado la mano para preguntar. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he levantado, has levantado, ha levantado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo levanté las persianas por la mañana todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo levantaba las persianas por la mañana todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (levantaba), not the preterite. The preterite (levanté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on levantar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la caja con las dos manos. (present tense) A. levanto B. levantas C. levanta D. levantamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la mano para preguntar. (preterite) A. levanté B. levantaste C. levantaron D. levantó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ las persianas por la mañana. (imperfect) A. levantabas B. levantaban C. levantábamos D. levantaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la voz en la reunión. (future) A. levantaremos B. levantarás C. levantaré D. levantará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la caja con las dos manos si pudiera. (conditional) A. levantaría B. levantarías C. levantarían D. levanto

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la mano para preguntar. (present subjunctive) A. levantes B. levantemos C. levanto D. levante

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ las persianas por la mañana, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. levantáramos B. levanto C. levantara D. levantaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la voz en la reunión. (present perfect) A. han levantado B. hemos levantado C. he levantado D. has levantado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ la caja con las dos manos! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. levanta B. levante C. levantemos D. levantad

  10. Which is the gerund of levantar, used with estar for the progressive? A. levantado B. levanto C. levanté D. levantando

Answer key

  1. levanto — The first-person present of levantar is levanto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. levantó — The third-person preterite of levantar is levantó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. levantábamos — The nosotros imperfect of levantar is levantábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. levantarás — The second-person future of levantar is levantarás.
  5. levantaría — The first-person conditional of levantar is levantaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. levante — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of levantar is levante.
  7. levantara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of levantar is levantara.
  8. hemos levantado — The nosotros present perfect of levantar is hemos levantado: hemos + levantado.
  9. levanta — The affirmative tú imperative of levantar is levanta.
  10. levantando — The gerund of levantar is levantando: estoy levantando. The participle levantado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does levantar mean in English?

Levantar means to lift, to raise. It is used in everyday situations such as Levanto la caja con las dos manos. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is levantar regular or irregular?

Levantar 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 levanto in the present and levanté in the preterite.

What is the difference between levantar and levantarse?

Levantar means to lift, to raise, while levantarse means to get up, the reflexive partner. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use levantar when you mean to lift, to raise, as in Levanto la caja con las dos manos, and use levantarse for to get up, the reflexive partner. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I lift” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo levanté la mano para preguntar. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo levantaba las persianas por la mañana. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he levantado la mano para preguntar.

How do I practise levantar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the levantar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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