Mandar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb mandar means to order, to send, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Mandar means to order or to send, and it covers sending a message or a letter, ordering someone to do something and sending someone to bed. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and it is a close synonym of enviar for sending things. Like every Spanish verb, mandar 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 mando un mensaje a su madre, and in the preterite you say mandé a los niños a la cama. 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: mandar
- English: to order, to send
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: mandando
- Past participle: mandado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + mandado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for mandar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Mandar is fully regular: mandé, mandaba, mandaré. Mandar a alguien a la cama means to send someone to bed.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for mandar. 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 | mando |
| tú | mandas |
| él/ella/Ud. | manda |
| nosotros/as | mandamos |
| vosotros/as | mandáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | mandan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | mandé |
| tú | mandaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | mandó |
| nosotros/as | mandamos |
| vosotros/as | mandasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | mandaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | mandaba |
| tú | mandabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | mandaba |
| nosotros/as | mandábamos |
| vosotros/as | mandabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | mandaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | mandaré |
| tú | mandarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | mandará |
| nosotros/as | mandaremos |
| vosotros/as | mandaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | mandarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | mandaría |
| tú | mandarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | mandaría |
| nosotros/as | mandaríamos |
| vosotros/as | mandaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | mandarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he mandado |
| tú | has mandado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha mandado |
| nosotros/as | hemos mandado |
| vosotros/as | habéis mandado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han mandado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había mandado |
| tú | habías mandado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había mandado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos mandado |
| vosotros/as | habíais mandado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían mandado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré mandado |
| tú | habrás mandado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá mandado |
| nosotros/as | habremos mandado |
| vosotros/as | habréis mandado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán mandado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría mandado |
| tú | habrías mandado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría mandado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos mandado |
| vosotros/as | habríais mandado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían mandado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | mande |
| tú | mandes |
| él/ella/Ud. | mande |
| nosotros/as | mandemos |
| vosotros/as | mandéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manden |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | mandara |
| tú | mandaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | mandara |
| nosotros/as | mandáramos |
| vosotros/as | mandarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | mandaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | manda |
| él/ella/Ud. | mande |
| nosotros/as | mandemos |
| vosotros/as | mandad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manden |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | mandes |
| él/ella/Ud. | mande |
| nosotros/as | mandemos |
| vosotros/as | mandéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manden |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | mandando | with estar for the progressive: estoy mandando |
| Past participle | mandado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he mandado |
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 mandar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Mando un mensaje a su madre. 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 mandar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, mandé una carta al director. 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 mandar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, mandaba a los niños a la cama. 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 mandar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, mandaré el trabajo por correo. 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 mandar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Mandaría un mensaje a su madre 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 mandar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he mandado una carta al director. 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 mandar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había mandado a los niños a la cama 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 mandar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré mandado el trabajo por correo. 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 mandar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría mandado un mensaje a su madre 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 mandar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él mande una carta al director. 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 mandar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él mandara a los niños a la cama, 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 mandar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Manda el trabajo por correo! 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 mandar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No mandes un mensaje a su madre. 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 mandar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Mando un mensaje a su madre. — I send a message to his mother.
- Manda una carta al director. — He/she sends a letter to the director.
- Ayer, mandé a los niños a la cama. — Yesterday, I sent the children to bed.
- Antes, nosotros mandábamos el trabajo por correo. — Before, we used to send the work by post.
- Mañana, tú mandarás un mensaje a su madre. — Tomorrow, you will send a message to his mother.
- Yo mandaría una carta al director si tuviera más tiempo. — I would send a letter to the director if I had more time.
- Él ha mandado a los niños a la cama. — He has sent the children to bed.
- Espero que él mande el trabajo por correo. — I hope he sends the work by post.
- Yo ya había mandado un mensaje a su madre antes de salir. — I had already sent a message to his mother before leaving.
- Ellos mandaban una carta al director cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to send a letter to the director when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo manda un mensaje a su madre. — Right: Yo mando un mensaje a su madre. — The person matters: manda is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is mando. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Vosotros mandais una carta al director. — Right: Vosotros mandáis una carta al director. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: mandáis, not mandais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
- Wrong: Treating mandar and enviar as identical in every context. — Right: Mandar means to order, to send, while enviar means to send, for letters and parcels. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: mandar fits sentences such as Mando un mensaje a su madre, while enviar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy mandado una carta al director. — Right: Yo he mandado una carta al director. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he mandado, has mandado, ha mandado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo mandé a los niños a la cama todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo mandaba a los niños a la cama todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (mandaba), not the preterite. The preterite (mandé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on mandar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ un mensaje a su madre. (present tense) A. mando B. mandas C. manda D. mandamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ una carta al director. (preterite) A. mandé B. mandaste C. mandaron D. mandó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a los niños a la cama. (imperfect) A. mandabas B. mandaban C. mandábamos D. mandaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el trabajo por correo. (future) A. mandaremos B. mandarás C. mandaré D. mandará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ un mensaje a su madre si pudiera. (conditional) A. mandaría B. mandarías C. mandarían D. mando
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ una carta al director. (present subjunctive) A. mandes B. mandemos C. mando D. mande
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a los niños a la cama, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. mandáramos B. mando C. mandara D. mandaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el trabajo por correo. (present perfect) A. han mandado B. hemos mandado C. he mandado D. has mandado
Complete the command: ¡___ un mensaje a su madre! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. manda B. mande C. mandemos D. mandad
Which is the gerund of mandar, used with estar for the progressive? A. mandado B. mando C. mandé D. mandando
Answer key
- mando — The first-person present of mandar is mando. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- mandó — The third-person preterite of mandar is mandó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- mandábamos — The nosotros imperfect of mandar is mandábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- mandarás — The second-person future of mandar is mandarás.
- mandaría — The first-person conditional of mandar is mandaría, the form for what would happen.
- mande — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of mandar is mande.
- mandara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of mandar is mandara.
- hemos mandado — The nosotros present perfect of mandar is hemos mandado: hemos + mandado.
- manda — The affirmative tú imperative of mandar is manda.
- mandando — The gerund of mandar is mandando: estoy mandando. The participle mandado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does mandar mean in English?
Mandar means to order, to send. It is used in everyday situations such as Mando un mensaje a su madre. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is mandar regular or irregular?
Mandar 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 mando in the present and mandé in the preterite.
What is the difference between mandar and enviar?
Mandar means to order, to send, while enviar means to send, for letters and parcels. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use mandar when you mean to order, to send, as in Mando un mensaje a su madre, and use enviar for to send, for letters and parcels. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I order” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo mandé una carta al director. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo mandaba a los niños a la cama. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he mandado una carta al director.
How do I practise mandar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the mandar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Mandar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for mandar.
- Mandar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for mandar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Suplicar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with mandar.
- Aceptar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with mandar.
- Recomendar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with mandar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.