Manejar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb manejar means to drive, to handle, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Manejar means to drive or to handle, and in Latin America it is the everyday verb for driving a car, while in Spain conducir is more common. It also means to handle a situation or a tool, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, manejar 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 manejo el coche hasta el trabajo, and in the preterite you say manejé la situación con calma. 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: manejar
- English: to drive, to handle
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: manejando
- Past participle: manejado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + manejado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for manejar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Manejar is fully regular: manejé, manejaba, manejaré. In Spain, conducir is the usual verb for driving.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for manejar. 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 | manejo |
| tú | manejas |
| él/ella/Ud. | maneja |
| nosotros/as | manejamos |
| vosotros/as | manejáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manejan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | manejé |
| tú | manejaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | manejó |
| nosotros/as | manejamos |
| vosotros/as | manejasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manejaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | manejaba |
| tú | manejabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | manejaba |
| nosotros/as | manejábamos |
| vosotros/as | manejabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manejaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | manejaré |
| tú | manejarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | manejará |
| nosotros/as | manejaremos |
| vosotros/as | manejaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manejarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | manejaría |
| tú | manejarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | manejaría |
| nosotros/as | manejaríamos |
| vosotros/as | manejaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manejarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he manejado |
| tú | has manejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha manejado |
| nosotros/as | hemos manejado |
| vosotros/as | habéis manejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han manejado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había manejado |
| tú | habías manejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había manejado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos manejado |
| vosotros/as | habíais manejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían manejado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré manejado |
| tú | habrás manejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá manejado |
| nosotros/as | habremos manejado |
| vosotros/as | habréis manejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán manejado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría manejado |
| tú | habrías manejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría manejado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos manejado |
| vosotros/as | habríais manejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían manejado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | maneje |
| tú | manejes |
| él/ella/Ud. | maneje |
| nosotros/as | manejemos |
| vosotros/as | manejéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manejen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | manejara |
| tú | manejaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | manejara |
| nosotros/as | manejáramos |
| vosotros/as | manejarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manejaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | maneja |
| él/ella/Ud. | maneje |
| nosotros/as | manejemos |
| vosotros/as | manejad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manejen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | manejes |
| él/ella/Ud. | maneje |
| nosotros/as | manejemos |
| vosotros/as | manejéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | manejen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | manejando | with estar for the progressive: estoy manejando |
| Past participle | manejado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he manejado |
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 manejar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Manejo el coche hasta el trabajo. 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 manejar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, manejé con cuidado por la ciudad. 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 manejar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, manejaba la situación con calma. 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 manejar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, manejaré el camión por la autopista. 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 manejar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Manejaría el coche hasta el trabajo 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 manejar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he manejado con cuidado por la ciudad. 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 manejar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había manejado la situación con calma 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 manejar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré manejado el camión por la autopista. 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 manejar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría manejado el coche hasta el trabajo 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 manejar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él maneje con cuidado por la ciudad. 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 manejar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él manejara la situación con calma, 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 manejar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Maneja el camión por la autopista! 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 manejar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No manejes el coche hasta el trabajo. 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 manejar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Manejo el coche hasta el trabajo. — I drive the car to work.
- Maneja con cuidado por la ciudad. — He/she drives carefully through the city.
- Ayer, manejé la situación con calma. — Yesterday, I drove the situation calmly.
- Antes, nosotros manejábamos el camión por la autopista. — Before, we used to drive the lorry on the motorway.
- Mañana, tú manejarás el coche hasta el trabajo. — Tomorrow, you will drive the car to work.
- Yo manejaría con cuidado por la ciudad si tuviera más tiempo. — I would drive carefully through the city if I had more time.
- Él ha manejado la situación con calma. — He has driven the situation calmly.
- Espero que él maneje el camión por la autopista. — I hope he drives the lorry on the motorway.
- Yo ya había manejado el coche hasta el trabajo antes de salir. — I had already driven the car to work before leaving.
- Ellos manejaban con cuidado por la ciudad cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to drive carefully through the city when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo maneja el coche hasta el trabajo. — Right: Yo manejo el coche hasta el trabajo. — The person matters: maneja is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is manejo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo manejo con cuidado por la ciudad. — Right: Ayer yo manejé con cuidado por la ciudad. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: manejo is happening now, while manejé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating manejar and conducir as identical in every context. — Right: Manejar means to drive, to handle, while conducir means to drive. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: manejar fits sentences such as Manejo el coche hasta el trabajo, while conducir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy manejado con cuidado por la ciudad. — Right: Yo he manejado con cuidado por la ciudad. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he manejado, has manejado, ha manejado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo manejé la situación con calma todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo manejaba la situación con calma todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (manejaba), not the preterite. The preterite (manejé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on manejar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el coche hasta el trabajo. (present tense) A. manejo B. manejas C. maneja D. manejamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ con cuidado por la ciudad. (preterite) A. manejé B. manejaste C. manejaron D. manejó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la situación con calma. (imperfect) A. manejabas B. manejaban C. manejábamos D. manejaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el camión por la autopista. (future) A. manejaremos B. manejarás C. manejaré D. manejará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el coche hasta el trabajo si pudiera. (conditional) A. manejaría B. manejarías C. manejarían D. manejo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con cuidado por la ciudad. (present subjunctive) A. manejes B. manejemos C. manejo D. maneje
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la situación con calma, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. manejáramos B. manejo C. manejara D. manejaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el camión por la autopista. (present perfect) A. han manejado B. hemos manejado C. he manejado D. has manejado
Complete the command: ¡___ el coche hasta el trabajo! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. maneja B. maneje C. manejemos D. manejad
Which is the gerund of manejar, used with estar for the progressive? A. manejado B. manejo C. manejé D. manejando
Answer key
- manejo — The first-person present of manejar is manejo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- manejó — The third-person preterite of manejar is manejó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- manejábamos — The nosotros imperfect of manejar is manejábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- manejarás — The second-person future of manejar is manejarás.
- manejaría — The first-person conditional of manejar is manejaría, the form for what would happen.
- maneje — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of manejar is maneje.
- manejara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of manejar is manejara.
- hemos manejado — The nosotros present perfect of manejar is hemos manejado: hemos + manejado.
- maneja — The affirmative tú imperative of manejar is maneja.
- manejando — The gerund of manejar is manejando: estoy manejando. The participle manejado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does manejar mean in English?
Manejar means to drive, to handle. It is used in everyday situations such as Manejo el coche hasta el trabajo. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is manejar regular or irregular?
Manejar 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 manejo in the present and manejé in the preterite.
What is the difference between manejar and conducir?
Manejar means to drive, to handle, while conducir means to drive. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use manejar when you mean to drive, to handle, as in Manejo el coche hasta el trabajo, and use conducir for to drive. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I drive” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo manejé con cuidado por la ciudad. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo manejaba la situación con calma. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he manejado con cuidado por la ciudad.
How do I practise manejar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the manejar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Manejar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for manejar.
- Manejar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for manejar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Aparcar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with manejar.
- Montar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with manejar.
- Estacionar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with manejar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.