Llenar Conjugation in Spanish
llenar means «to fill». It is a regular -ar verb verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of llenar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo lleno todos los días» — I fill every day.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: llenar
- English: to fill
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: llenando
- Past participle: llenado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + llenado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for llenar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for llenar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.
Gerund: llenando · Past participle: llenado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | lleno |
| tú | llenas |
| él/ella/Ud. | llena |
| nosotros/as | llenamos |
| vosotros/as | llenáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | llenan |
Use the present of llenar for things that happen regularly and for things that are true in general. The yo form lleno is the anchor of the table: the other persons follow the regular -ar endings from it. When you talk about yourself right now, this is the form you need.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | llené |
| tú | llenaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | llenó |
| nosotros/as | llenamos |
| vosotros/as | llenasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | llenaron |
Use the preterite of llenar for a single finished event: something that happened once and is over. The yo form is llené. If you can put a finished time expression with it — ayer, la semana pasada, anoche — the preterite is usually right.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | llenaba |
| tú | llenabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | llenaba |
| nosotros/as | llenábamos |
| vosotros/as | llenabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | llenaban |
Use the imperfect of llenar for what used to happen and for what was going on when something else happened. The yo form is llenaba. If the action has no clear beginning or end in the story, the imperfect is the right choice.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | llenaré |
| tú | llenarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | llenará |
| nosotros/as | llenaremos |
| vosotros/as | llenaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | llenarán |
Use the future of llenar for plans, promises and predictions. The yo form is llenaré, built on the infinitive plus the future endings. For a firm plan, the future sounds more formal than ir a + infinitive; for a casual plan, either works.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | llenaría |
| tú | llenarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | llenaría |
| nosotros/as | llenaríamos |
| vosotros/as | llenaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | llenarían |
Use the conditional of llenar for hypothetical situations and for softening requests. The yo form is llenaría. It appears after si-clauses with the imperfect subjunctive and on its own for polite suggestions.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he llenado |
| tú | has llenado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha llenado |
| nosotros/as | hemos llenado |
| vosotros/as | habéis llenado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han llenado |
Use the present perfect of llenar for recent events with present relevance. The yo form is he llenado — haber in the present plus llenado. Time expressions like hoy, esta semana and últimamente are its natural partners.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había llenado |
| tú | habías llenado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había llenado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos llenado |
| vosotros/as | habíais llenado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían llenado |
Use the pluperfect of llenar when you need two layers of past: one event already finished before another past event began. The yo form is había llenado. It is the tense of «had already done».
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré llenado |
| tú | habrás llenado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá llenado |
| nosotros/as | habremos llenado |
| vosotros/as | habréis llenado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán llenado |
Use the future perfect of llenar to say that something will be finished by a future moment. The yo form is habré llenado. It pairs naturally with deadlines: para mañana, para el viernes, para entonces.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría llenado |
| tú | habrías llenado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría llenado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos llenado |
| vosotros/as | habríais llenado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían llenado |
Use the conditional perfect of llenar for the past that did not happen: what would have been done with more time or a different choice. The yo form is habría llenado. It follows si-clauses with the pluperfect subjunctive.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | llene |
| tú | llenes |
| él/ella/Ud. | llene |
| nosotros/as | llenemos |
| vosotros/as | llenéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | llenen |
Use the present subjunctive of llenar when the main clause expresses a wish, a doubt, an emotion or an impersonal judgement. The yo form is llene. After espero que, ojalá que and no creo que, the subjunctive is required, not optional.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | llenara |
| tú | llenaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | llenara |
| nosotros/as | llenáramos |
| vosotros/as | llenarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | llenaran |
Use the imperfect subjunctive of llenar after past-tense wishes and doubts, and in si-clauses that set up a hypothetical present. The yo form is llenara. It is built on the third-person plural preterite stem, which is why it looks different from the present subjunctive.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | llena |
| él/ella/Ud. | llene |
| nosotros/as | llenemos |
| vosotros/as | llenad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | llenen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the affirmative imperative of llenar to tell someone to do something: instructions, invitations and requests. The tú form is llena. For a polite command, use the usted form llene instead of the tú form.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | llenes |
| él/ella/Ud. | llene |
| nosotros/as | llenemos |
| vosotros/as | llenéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | llenen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the negative imperative of llenar to forbid or to warn: «¡No llenes!». The tú form is llenes, taken from the present subjunctive. The word no always comes first, and the form never changes for emphasis.
Example sentences
- Yo lleno todos los días. — I fill every day.
- Ayer yo llené por la tarde. — Yesterday I filled in the afternoon.
- Antes, yo llenaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to fill every day.
- Mañana yo llenaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will fill without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo llenaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would fill right now.
- Hoy yo he llenado dos veces. — Today I have filled twice.
- Espero que tú llenes pronto. — I hope You fill soon.
- Si yo llenara, todo sería distinto. — If I filled, everything would be different.
- Ahora mismo yo estoy llenando. — Right now I am filling.
- ¡llena, por favor! — Fill, please!
Common mistakes
1. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo llenaba.
Right: Ayer yo llené.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, llené. The imperfect llenaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú llenas.
Right: Espero que tú llenes.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: llenes, not the indicative llenas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
3. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No llena.
Right: No llenes.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no llenes. The affirmative llena can never follow no.
4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
Wrong: Yo llenar todos los días.
Right: Yo lleno todos los días.
The infinitive llenar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo lleno.
5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle
Wrong: He llenando.
Right: He llenado.
The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he llenado. The gerund llenando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy llenando»), never with haber.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the vosotros/as form of llenar in the present indicative?
- (a) llenáis
- (b) llenas
- (c) llena
- (d) lleno
2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of llenar in the preterite?
- (a) llenó
- (b) llené
- (c) llenaron
- (d) llenaste
3. What is the yo form of llenar in the imperfect?
- (a) llenábamos
- (b) llenabas
- (c) llenaba
- (d) llenaba
4. What is the tú form of llenar in the future?
- (a) llenarás
- (b) llenaremos
- (c) llenará
- (d) llenaré
5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of llenar in the conditional?
- (a) llenarías
- (b) llenaría
- (c) llenaría
- (d) llenaríamos
6. What is the nosotros/as form of llenar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha llenado
- (b) hemos llenado
- (c) he llenado
- (d) has llenado
7. What is the vosotros/as form of llenar in the present subjunctive?
- (a) llenes
- (b) llene
- (c) llenéis
- (d) llene
8. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of llenar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?
- (a) llenaras
- (b) llenara
- (c) llenaran
- (d) llenara
9. What is the gerund of llenar?
- (a) llenar
- (b) llenando
- (c) llenado
- (d) lleno
10. What is the past participle of llenar?
- (a) llenado
- (b) llenar
- (c) llenando
- (d) llené
Answer key
1. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of llenar is llenáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of llenar is llenaron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the imperfect, the yo form of llenar is llenaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the future, the tú form of llenar is llenarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the conditional, the él/ella/Ud. form of llenar is llenaría. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present perfect, the nosotros/as form of llenar is hemos llenado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — In the present subjunctive, the vosotros/as form of llenar is llenéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (c) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of llenar is llenaran. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (b) — The gerund of llenar is llenando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy llenando». 10. (a) — The past participle of llenar is llenado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he llenado».
Frequently asked questions
Is llenar regular or irregular?
Yes — llenar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem llen unchanged throughout.
What are the gerund and past participle of llenar?
The gerund is llenando and the past participle is llenado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy llenando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he llenado»).
How do I say «I fill» in Spanish?
Say «Yo lleno todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of llenar?
Use the preterite (llené) for a single finished event and the imperfect (llenaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo llené» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo llenaba» describes what used to happen.
When do I use the subjunctive with llenar?
Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú llenes». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.
How do I use llenar in the present perfect?
Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he llenado». The participle llenado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: llenar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: llenar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: llamarse
- Related verb: luchar
- Related verb: licenciar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz