Marcar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb marcar means to mark, to dial, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Marcar means to mark or to dial, and it covers dialling a phone number, marking a date on a calendar, making the difference in a match and scoring a goal. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is marqué. Like every Spanish verb, marcar 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 marco el número de teléfono, and in the preterite you say marqué la diferencia en el partido. 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: marcar
- English: to mark, to dial
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: marcando
- Past participle: marcado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + marcado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for marcar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is marqué and the subjunctive is marque. Marcar un número is to dial a number.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for marcar. 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 | marco |
| tú | marcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | marca |
| nosotros/as | marcamos |
| vosotros/as | marcáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | marcan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | marqué |
| tú | marcaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | marcó |
| nosotros/as | marcamos |
| vosotros/as | marcasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | marcaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | marcaba |
| tú | marcabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | marcaba |
| nosotros/as | marcábamos |
| vosotros/as | marcabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | marcaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | marcaré |
| tú | marcarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | marcará |
| nosotros/as | marcaremos |
| vosotros/as | marcaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | marcarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | marcaría |
| tú | marcarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | marcaría |
| nosotros/as | marcaríamos |
| vosotros/as | marcaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | marcarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he marcado |
| tú | has marcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha marcado |
| nosotros/as | hemos marcado |
| vosotros/as | habéis marcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han marcado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había marcado |
| tú | habías marcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había marcado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos marcado |
| vosotros/as | habíais marcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían marcado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré marcado |
| tú | habrás marcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá marcado |
| nosotros/as | habremos marcado |
| vosotros/as | habréis marcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán marcado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría marcado |
| tú | habrías marcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría marcado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos marcado |
| vosotros/as | habríais marcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían marcado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | marque |
| tú | marques |
| él/ella/Ud. | marque |
| nosotros/as | marquemos |
| vosotros/as | marquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | marquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | marcara |
| tú | marcaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | marcara |
| nosotros/as | marcáramos |
| vosotros/as | marcarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | marcaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | marca |
| él/ella/Ud. | marque |
| nosotros/as | marquemos |
| vosotros/as | marcad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | marquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | marques |
| él/ella/Ud. | marque |
| nosotros/as | marquemos |
| vosotros/as | marquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | marquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | marcando | with estar for the progressive: estoy marcando |
| Past participle | marcado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he marcado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For marcar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Marco el número de teléfono. 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. Note the spelling change in the first person: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is marqué. For marcar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, marqué la fecha en el calendario. 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 marcar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, marcaba la diferencia en el partido. 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 marcar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, marcaré un gol en el minuto diez. 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 marcar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Marcaría el número de teléfono 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 marcar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he marcado la fecha en el calendario. 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 marcar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había marcado la diferencia en el partido 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 marcar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré marcado un gol en el minuto diez. 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 marcar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría marcado el número de teléfono 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For marcar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él marque la fecha en el calendario. 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 marcar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él marcara la diferencia en el partido, 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For marcar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Marca un gol en el minuto diez! 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For marcar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No marques el número de teléfono. 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 marcar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Marco el número de teléfono. — I mark the phone number.
- Marca la fecha en el calendario. — He/she marks the date on the calendar.
- Ayer, marqué la diferencia en el partido. — Yesterday, I marked the difference in the match.
- Antes, nosotros marcábamos un gol en el minuto diez. — Before, we used to mark a goal in the tenth minute.
- Mañana, tú marcarás el número de teléfono. — Tomorrow, you will mark the phone number.
- Yo marcaría la fecha en el calendario si tuviera más tiempo. — I would mark the date on the calendar if I had more time.
- Él ha marcado la diferencia en el partido. — He has marked the difference in the match.
- Espero que él marque un gol en el minuto diez. — I hope he marks a goal in the tenth minute.
- Yo ya había marcado el número de teléfono antes de salir. — I had already marked the phone number before leaving.
- Ellos marcaban la fecha en el calendario cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to mark the date on the calendar when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo marca el número de teléfono. — Right: Yo marco el número de teléfono. — The person matters: marca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is marco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo marcé la fecha en el calendario. — Right: Yo marqué la fecha en el calendario. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is marqué, not marcé. marcar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
- Wrong: Treating marcar and señalar as identical in every context. — Right: Marcar means to mark, to dial, while señalar means to point out, the close verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: marcar fits sentences such as Marco el número de teléfono, while señalar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy marcado la fecha en el calendario. — Right: Yo he marcado la fecha en el calendario. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he marcado, has marcado, ha marcado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo marqué la diferencia en el partido todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo marcaba la diferencia en el partido todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (marcaba), not the preterite. The preterite (marqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on marcar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el número de teléfono. (present tense) A. marco B. marcas C. marca D. marcamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la fecha en el calendario. (preterite) A. marqué B. marcaste C. marcaron D. marcó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la diferencia en el partido. (imperfect) A. marcabas B. marcaban C. marcábamos D. marcaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ un gol en el minuto diez. (future) A. marcaremos B. marcarás C. marcaré D. marcará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el número de teléfono si pudiera. (conditional) A. marcaría B. marcarías C. marcarían D. marco
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la fecha en el calendario. (present subjunctive) A. marques B. marquemos C. marco D. marque
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la diferencia en el partido, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. marcáramos B. marco C. marcara D. marcaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ un gol en el minuto diez. (present perfect) A. han marcado B. hemos marcado C. he marcado D. has marcado
Complete the command: ¡___ el número de teléfono! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. marca B. marque C. marquemos D. marcad
Which is the gerund of marcar, used with estar for the progressive? A. marcado B. marco C. marqué D. marcando
Answer key
- marco — The first-person present of marcar is marco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- marcó — The third-person preterite of marcar is marcó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- marcábamos — The nosotros imperfect of marcar is marcábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- marcarás — The second-person future of marcar is marcarás.
- marcaría — The first-person conditional of marcar is marcaría, the form for what would happen.
- marque — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of marcar is marque.
- marcara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of marcar is marcara.
- hemos marcado — The nosotros present perfect of marcar is hemos marcado: hemos + marcado.
- marca — The affirmative tú imperative of marcar is marca.
- marcando — The gerund of marcar is marcando: estoy marcando. The participle marcado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does marcar mean in English?
Marcar means to mark, to dial. It is used in everyday situations such as Marco el número de teléfono. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is marcar regular or irregular?
Marcar 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 marco in the present and marqué in the preterite.
What is the difference between marcar and señalar?
Marcar means to mark, to dial, while señalar means to point out, the close verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use marcar when you mean to mark, to dial, as in Marco el número de teléfono, and use señalar for to point out, the close verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I mark” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo marqué la fecha en el calendario. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo marcaba la diferencia en el partido. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he marcado la fecha en el calendario.
How do I practise marcar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the marcar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Marcar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for marcar.
- Marcar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for marcar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Atacar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with marcar.
- Comunicar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with marcar.
- Criticar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with marcar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.