Matar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb matar means to kill, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. It is a regular -ar verb verb: the stem is mat and the endings follow the -ar pattern, with the exceptions noted in the tables below. 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 mato todos los días», which means «I kill every day». 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: matar
  • English: to kill
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: matando
  • Past participle: matado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + matado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Gerund: matando · Past participle: matado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo mato
tú matas
él/ella/Ud. mata
nosotros/as matamos
vosotros/as matáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. matan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For matar, the yo form is mato, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future.

Preterite

Person Form
yo maté
tú mataste
él/ella/Ud. mató
nosotros/as matamos
vosotros/as matasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. mataron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo maté» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo mataba
tú matabas
él/ella/Ud. mataba
nosotros/as matábamos
vosotros/as matabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. mataban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo mataba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Form
yo mataré
tú matarás
él/ella/Ud. matará
nosotros/as mataremos
vosotros/as mataréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. matarán

The future tense states what will happen. For matar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo mataré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.

Conditional

Person Form
yo mataría
tú matarías
él/ella/Ud. mataría
nosotros/as mataríamos
vosotros/as mataríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. matarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo mataría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he matado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había matado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré matado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría matado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo mate
tú mates
él/ella/Ud. mate
nosotros/as matemos
vosotros/as matéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. maten

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él mate». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo matara
tú mataras
él/ella/Ud. matara
nosotros/as matáramos
vosotros/as matarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. mataran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él matara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú mata
él/ella/Ud. mate
nosotros/as matemos
vosotros/as matad
ellos/ellas/Uds. maten

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡mata!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú mates
él/ella/Ud. mate
nosotros/as matemos
vosotros/as matéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. maten

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No mates!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.

Example sentences

  1. Yo mato todos los días. — I kill every day.
  2. Ayer yo maté por la tarde. — Yesterday I killed in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo mataba todos los días. — In the past, I used to kill every day.
  4. Mañana yo mataré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will kill without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo mataría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would kill right now.
  6. Hoy yo he matado dos veces. — Today I have killed twice.
  7. Espero que tú mates pronto. — I hope You kill soon.
  8. Si yo matara, todo sería distinto. — If I killed, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy matando. — Right now I am killing.
  10. ¡mata, por favor! — Kill, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo mataba.

Right: Ayer yo maté.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, maté. The imperfect mataba 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 matas.

Right: Espero que tú mates.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: mates, not the indicative matas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No mata.

Right: No mates.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no mates. The affirmative mata can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo matar todos los días.

Right: Yo mato todos los días.

The infinitive matar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo mato.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He matando.

Right: He matado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he matado. The gerund matando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy matando»), never with haber.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the nosotros/as form of matar in the present indicative?

- (a) matamos
- (b) mato
- (c) mata
- (d) matas

2. What is the vosotros/as form of matar in the preterite?

- (a) matasteis
- (b) mató
- (c) mataste
- (d) maté

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of matar in the imperfect?

- (a) mataba
- (b) matabas
- (c) mataba
- (d) mataban

4. What is the yo form of matar in the future?

- (a) matará
- (b) mataremos
- (c) matarás
- (d) mataré

5. What is the tú form of matar in the conditional?

- (a) matarías
- (b) mataríamos
- (c) mataría
- (d) mataría

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of matar in the present perfect?

- (a) he matado
- (b) has matado
- (c) ha matado
- (d) hemos matado

7. What is the nosotros/as form of matar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) mates
- (b) matemos
- (c) mate
- (d) mate

8. What is the vosotros/as form of matar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) mataras
- (b) matara
- (c) matara
- (d) matarais

9. What is the gerund of matar?

- (a) matado
- (b) matando
- (c) mato
- (d) matar

10. What is the past participle of matar?

- (a) maté
- (b) matado
- (c) matar
- (d) matando

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of matar is matamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of matar is matasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of matar is mataban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the future, the yo form of matar is mataré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the tú form of matar is matarías. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of matar is ha matado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — In the present subjunctive, the nosotros/as form of matar is matemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (d) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the vosotros/as form of matar is matarais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (b) — The gerund of matar is matando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy matando». 10. (b) — The past participle of matar is matado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he matado».

Frequently asked questions

Is matar regular or irregular?

Yes — matar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem mat unchanged throughout.

What are the gerund and past participle of matar?

The gerund is matando and the past participle is matado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy matando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he matado»).

How do I say «I kill» in Spanish?

Say «Yo mato 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 matar?

Use the preterite (maté) for a single finished event and the imperfect (mataba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo maté» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo mataba» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with matar?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú mates». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

How do I use matar in the present perfect?

Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he matado». The participle matado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.

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