Licuar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb licuar means to liquefy, to blend, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Licuar means to liquefy or blend something in a blender: licuar las frutas para el zumo. It is the verb for making juice and smoothies, common in Latin America. Like every Spanish verb, licuar 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 licúo las frutas para el zumo — "I liquefy the fruit for the juice". 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: licuar
  • English: to liquefy, to blend
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: licuando
  • Past participle: licuado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + licuado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | licúo | | tú | licúas | | él/ella/Ud. | licúa | | nosotros/as | licuamos | | vosotros/as | licuáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | licúan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | licué | | tú | licuaste | | él/ella/Ud. | licuó | | nosotros/as | licuamos | | vosotros/as | licuasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | licuaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | licuaba | | tú | licuabas | | él/ella/Ud. | licuaba | | nosotros/as | licuábamos | | vosotros/as | licuabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | licuaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | licuaré | | tú | licuarás | | él/ella/Ud. | licuará | | nosotros/as | licuaremos | | vosotros/as | licuaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | licuarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | licuaría | | tú | licuarías | | él/ella/Ud. | licuaría | | nosotros/as | licuaríamos | | vosotros/as | licuaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | licuarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | licúe | | tú | licúes | | él/ella/Ud. | licúe | | nosotros/as | licuemos | | vosotros/as | licuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | licúen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | licuara | | tú | licuaras | | él/ella/Ud. | licuara | | nosotros/as | licuáramos | | vosotros/as | licuarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | licuaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | licúa | | él/ella/Ud. | licúe | | nosotros/as | licuemos | | vosotros/as | licuad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | licúen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | licúes | | él/ella/Ud. | licúe | | nosotros/as | licuemos | | vosotros/as | licuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | licúen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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 licuar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo licúo las frutas para el zumo — "I liquefy the fruit for the juice".

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 licuar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo licué las verduras en la batidora — "Yesterday, I liquefied the vegetables in the blender".

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 licuar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo licuaba el hielo con la fruta — "As a child, I used to liquefy the ice with the fruit".

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 licuar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo licuaré los ingredientes del batido — "Tomorrow, I will liquefy the smoothie ingredients".

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 licuar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo licuaría las frutas para el zumo si pudiera — "I would liquefy the fruit for the juice 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 licuar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he licuado las verduras en la batidora — "Today, I have liquefied the vegetables in the blender".

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 licuar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había licuado el hielo con la fruta antes de salir — "I already had liquefied the ice with the fruit 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 licuar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré licuado los ingredientes del batido — "By tomorrow, I will have liquefied the smoothie ingredients".

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 licuar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría licuado las frutas para el zumo con más tiempo — "I would have liquefied the fruit for the juice 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 licuar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él licúe las verduras en la batidora — "I hope he liquefies the vegetables in the blender".

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 licuar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo licuara el hielo con la fruta, todo cambiaría — "If I liquefied the ice with the fruit, 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 licuar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Licúa los ingredientes del batido. — "Liquefy the smoothie ingredients.".

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 licuar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No licúes las frutas para el zumo. — "Do not liquefy the fruit for the juice.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo licúo las frutas para el zumo — "I liquefy the fruit for the juice"
  2. Mi amigo licúa las verduras en la batidora — "My friend liquefies the vegetables in the blender"
  3. Ayer, yo licué el hielo con la fruta — "Yesterday, I liquefied the ice with the fruit"
  4. Antes, nosotros licuábamos los ingredientes del batido — "Before, we used to liquefy the smoothie ingredients"
  5. Mañana, tú licuarás la sopa hasta que quede fina — "Tomorrow, you will liquefy the soup until smooth"
  6. Yo licuaría las frutas para el zumo si tuviera más tiempo — "I would liquefy the fruit for the juice if I had more time"
  7. Él ha licuado las verduras en la batidora — "He has liquefied the vegetables in the blender"
  8. Espero que él licúe el hielo con la fruta — "I hope he liquefies the ice with the fruit"
  9. Yo ya había licuado los ingredientes del batido antes de salir — "I already had liquefied the smoothie ingredients before leaving"
  10. Ellos licuaban la sopa hasta que quede fina cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to liquefy the soup until smooth when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él licúa las verduras en la batidora — Right: Espero que él licúe las verduras en la batidora — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él licúe las verduras en la batidora — not the indicative Espero que él licúa las verduras en la batidora.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo licúo el hielo con la fruta — Right: Ayer, yo licué el hielo con la fruta — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo licué el hielo con la fruta.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo licué los ingredientes del batido todos los días — Right: De niño, yo licuaba los ingredientes del batido todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo licuaba los ingredientes del batido todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo licúo en las frutas para el zumo. — Right: Yo licúo las frutas para el zumo. — licuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo licúo las frutas para el zumo.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros licuais la sopa hasta que quede fina. — Right: Vosotros licuáis la sopa hasta que quede fina. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: licuáis, not licuais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ las frutas para el zumo — "I liquefy the fruit for the juice" (present) A. licúas B. licúa C. licuamos D. licúo

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ las verduras en la batidora — "He liquefied the vegetables in the blender" (preterite) A. licuamos B. licuó C. licué D. licuaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el hielo con la fruta — "We used to liquefy the ice with the fruit" (imperfect) A. licuabais B. licuábamos C. licuaba D. licuabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ los ingredientes del batido — "You will liquefy the smoothie ingredients" (future) A. licuaré B. licuará C. licuaremos D. licuarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la sopa hasta que quede fina — "I would liquefy the soup until smooth" (conditional) A. licuaríais B. licuaría C. licuarías D. licuaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ las frutas para el zumo — "I hope he liquefies the fruit for the juice" (present subjunctive) A. licuemos B. licuéis C. licúe D. licúes

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ las verduras en la batidora, todo cambiaría — "If I liquefied the vegetables in the blender, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. licuarais B. licuara C. licuaras D. licuáramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el hielo con la fruta — "We have liquefied the ice with the fruit" (present perfect) A. ha licuado B. hemos licuado C. he licuado D. has licuado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ los ingredientes del batido. — "Do not liquefy the smoothie ingredients." (negative imperative) A. licúe B. licuemos C. licuéis D. licúes

  10. Which is the gerund of licuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. licúo B. licué C. licuando D. licuado

Answer key

  1. licúo — The present form for yo is licúo.
  2. licuó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is licuó.
  3. licuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is licuábamos.
  4. licuarás — The future form for tú is licuarás.
  5. licuaría — The conditional form for yo is licuaría.
  6. licúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is licúe.
  7. licuara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is licuara.
  8. hemos licuado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos licuado.
  9. licúes — The negative imperative form is licúes.
  10. licuando — The gerund of licuar is licuando: estoy licuando. The participle licuado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does licuar mean in English?

licuar means to liquefy, to blend. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo licúo las frutas para el zumo — "I liquefy the fruit for the juice". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is licuar regular?

Yes. licuar 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 licuáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of licuar?

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

How do I say "I liquefy" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo licué las verduras en la batidora — "Yesterday, I liquefied the vegetables in the blender". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo licuaba el hielo con la fruta — "As a child, I used to liquefy the ice with the fruit". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he licuado las verduras en la batidora — "Today, I have liquefied the vegetables in the blender".

What is the difference between licuar and batir?

Batir is to beat or whisk ingredients, such as eggs. Licuar is specifically blending them into a liquid in a blender. Licuar means to liquefy or blend something in a blender: licuar las frutas para el zumo. It is the verb for making juice and smoothies, common in Latin America.

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