Liar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb liar means to tie up, to roll, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Liar means to tie something up: liar el paquete con una cuerda. It also means to roll a cigarette — liar un cigarrillo — and, with a person as object, to get them into trouble: liar a su amigo en un lío. Like every Spanish verb, liar 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 Yo lío el paquete con una cuerda — "I tie up the parcel with a string". 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: liar
  • English: to tie up, to roll
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: liando
  • Past participle: liado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + liado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for liar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for liar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | lío | | tú | lías | | él/ella/Ud. | lía | | nosotros/as | liamos | | vosotros/as | liáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | lían |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | lie | | tú | liaste | | él/ella/Ud. | lio | | nosotros/as | liamos | | vosotros/as | liasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | liaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | liaba | | tú | liabas | | él/ella/Ud. | liaba | | nosotros/as | liábamos | | vosotros/as | liabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | liaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | liaré | | tú | liarás | | él/ella/Ud. | liará | | nosotros/as | liaremos | | vosotros/as | liaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | liarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | liaría | | tú | liarías | | él/ella/Ud. | liaría | | nosotros/as | liaríamos | | vosotros/as | liaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | liarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | líe | | tú | líes | | él/ella/Ud. | líe | | nosotros/as | liemos | | vosotros/as | liéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | líen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | liara | | tú | liaras | | él/ella/Ud. | liara | | nosotros/as | liáramos | | vosotros/as | liarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | liaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | lía | | él/ella/Ud. | líe | | nosotros/as | liemos | | vosotros/as | liad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | líen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | líes | | él/ella/Ud. | líe | | nosotros/as | liemos | | vosotros/as | liéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | líen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund liando with estar for the progressive: está liando
Past participle liado with haber for the perfect tenses: he liado

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 liar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo lío el paquete con una cuerda — "I tie up the parcel with a string".

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 liar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo lie la cuerda alrededor del poste — "Yesterday, I tied up the rope around the post".

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 liar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo liaba las manos del prisionero — "As a child, I used to tie up the prisoner's hands".

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 liar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo liaré la manta con una cinta — "Tomorrow, I will tie up the blanket with a ribbon".

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 liar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo liaría el paquete con una cuerda si pudiera — "I would tie up the parcel with a string if I could".

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 liar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he liado la cuerda alrededor del poste — "Today, I have tied up the rope around the post".

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 liar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había liado las manos del prisionero antes de salir — "I already had tied up the prisoner's hands before leaving".

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 liar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré liado la manta con una cinta — "By tomorrow, I will have tied up the blanket with a ribbon".

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 liar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría liado el paquete con una cuerda con más tiempo — "I would have tied up the parcel with a string with more time".

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 liar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él líe la cuerda alrededor del poste — "I hope he ties up the rope around the post".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 liar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo liara las manos del prisionero, todo cambiaría — "If I tied up the prisoner's hands, everything would change".

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 liar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Lía la manta con una cinta. — "Tie up the blanket with a ribbon.".

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 liar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No líes el paquete con una cuerda. — "Do not tie up the parcel with a string.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with liar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo lío el paquete con una cuerda — "I tie up the parcel with a string"
  2. Mi amigo lía la cuerda alrededor del poste — "My friend ties up the rope around the post"
  3. Ayer, yo lie las manos del prisionero — "Yesterday, I tied up the prisoner's hands"
  4. Antes, nosotros liábamos la manta con una cinta — "Before, we used to tie up the blanket with a ribbon"
  5. Mañana, tú liarás el paquete con una cinta — "Tomorrow, you will tie up the parcel with a ribbon"
  6. Yo liaría el paquete con una cuerda si tuviera más tiempo — "I would tie up the parcel with a string if I had more time"
  7. Él ha liado la cuerda alrededor del poste — "He has tied up the rope around the post"
  8. Espero que él líe las manos del prisionero — "I hope he ties up the prisoner's hands"
  9. Yo ya había liado la manta con una cinta antes de salir — "I already had tied up the blanket with a ribbon before leaving"
  10. Ellos liaban el paquete con una cinta cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to tie up the parcel with a ribbon when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él lía la cuerda alrededor del poste — Right: Espero que él líe la cuerda alrededor del poste — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él líe la cuerda alrededor del poste — not the indicative Espero que él lía la cuerda alrededor del poste.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo lío las manos del prisionero — Right: Ayer, yo lie las manos del prisionero — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo lie las manos del prisionero.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo lie la manta con una cinta todos los días — Right: De niño, yo liaba la manta con una cinta todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo liaba la manta con una cinta todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo lío en el paquete con una cuerda. — Right: Yo lío el paquete con una cuerda. — liar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo lío el paquete con una cuerda.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros liais el paquete con una cinta. — Right: Vosotros liáis el paquete con una cinta. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: liáis, not liais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el paquete con una cuerda — "I tie up the parcel with a string" (present) A. liamos B. lío C. lías D. lía

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la cuerda alrededor del poste — "He tied up the rope around the post" (preterite) A. liamos B. lio C. lie D. liaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ las manos del prisionero — "We used to tie up the prisoner's hands" (imperfect) A. liaba B. liabas C. liabais D. liábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ la manta con una cinta — "You will tie up the blanket with a ribbon" (future) A. liaré B. liará C. liaremos D. liarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el paquete con una cinta — "I would tie up the parcel with a ribbon" (conditional) A. liarías B. liaríamos C. liaríais D. liaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el paquete con una cuerda — "I hope he ties up the parcel with a string" (present subjunctive) A. liéis B. líe C. líes D. liemos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la cuerda alrededor del poste, todo cambiaría — "If I tied up the rope around the post, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. liarais B. liara C. liaras D. liáramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ las manos del prisionero — "We have tied up the prisoner's hands" (present perfect) A. hemos liado B. he liado C. has liado D. ha liado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ la manta con una cinta. — "Do not tie up the blanket with a ribbon." (negative imperative) A. líe B. liemos C. liéis D. líes

  10. Which is the gerund of liar, used with estar for the progressive? A. lío B. lie C. liando D. liado

Answer key

  1. lío — The present form for yo is lío.
  2. lio — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is lio.
  3. liábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is liábamos.
  4. liarás — The future form for tú is liarás.
  5. liaría — The conditional form for yo is liaría.
  6. líe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is líe.
  7. liara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is liara.
  8. hemos liado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos liado.
  9. líes — The negative imperative form is líes.
  10. liando — The gerund of liar is liando: estoy liando. The participle liado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does liar mean in English?

liar means to tie up, to roll. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo lío el paquete con una cuerda — "I tie up the parcel with a string". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is liar regular?

Yes. liar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as liáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of liar?

The gerund is liando and the past participle is liado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I tie up" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo lie la cuerda alrededor del poste — "Yesterday, I tied up the rope around the post". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo liaba las manos del prisionero — "As a child, I used to tie up the prisoner's hands". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he liado la cuerda alrededor del poste — "Today, I have tied up the rope around the post".

What is the difference between liar and atar?

Atar is the plain verb for tying a knot. Liar is for tying something up or wrapping it round, and for rolling cigarettes. Liar means to tie something up: liar el paquete con una cuerda. It also means to roll a cigarette — liar un cigarrillo — and, with a person as object, to get them into trouble: liar a su amigo en un lío.

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