Medir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb medir means to measure, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Medir means to measure: medir la habitación, medir la temperatura. It is also used figuratively: medir sus palabras means to weigh your words before speaking. Like every Spanish verb, medir 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 Yo mido la habitación con una cinta — "I measure the room with a tape measure". 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.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: mido, mides, mide and miden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: medimos, medís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: midió, midieron, and the gerund is midiendo.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: medir
  • English: to measure
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: midiendo
  • Past participle: medido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + medido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | mido | | tú | mides | | él/ella/Ud. | mide | | nosotros/as | medimos | | vosotros/as | medís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | miden |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | medí | | tú | mediste | | él/ella/Ud. | midió | | nosotros/as | medimos | | vosotros/as | medisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | midieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | medía | | tú | medías | | él/ella/Ud. | medía | | nosotros/as | medíamos | | vosotros/as | medíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | medían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | mediré | | tú | medirás | | él/ella/Ud. | medirá | | nosotros/as | mediremos | | vosotros/as | mediréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | medirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | mediría | | tú | medirías | | él/ella/Ud. | mediría | | nosotros/as | mediríamos | | vosotros/as | mediríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | medirían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | mida | | tú | midas | | él/ella/Ud. | mida | | nosotros/as | midamos | | vosotros/as | midáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | midan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | midiera | | tú | midieras | | él/ella/Ud. | midiera | | nosotros/as | midiéramos | | vosotros/as | midierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | midieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | mide | | él/ella/Ud. | mida | | nosotros/as | midamos | | vosotros/as | medid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | midan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | midas | | él/ella/Ud. | mida | | nosotros/as | midamos | | vosotros/as | midáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | midan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund midiendo with estar for the progressive: está midiendo
Past participle medido with haber for the perfect tenses: he medido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: mido, mides, mide and miden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: medimos, medís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: midió, midieron, and the gerund is midiendo. For medir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo mido la habitación con una cinta — "I measure the room with a tape measure".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: midió, midieron. The gerund changes too: midiendo. For medir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo medí la temperatura del agua — "Yesterday, I measured the water temperature".

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 medir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo medía dos metros de tela — "As a child, I used to measure two metres of fabric".

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 medir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo mediré el tiempo con un cronómetro — "Tomorrow, I will measure the time with a stopwatch".

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 medir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo mediría la habitación con una cinta si pudiera — "I would measure the room with a tape measure if I could".

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 medir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he medido la temperatura del agua — "Today, I have measured the water temperature".

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 medir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había medido dos metros de tela antes de salir — "I already had measured two metres of fabric before leaving".

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 medir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré medido el tiempo con un cronómetro — "By tomorrow, I will have measured the time with a stopwatch".

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 medir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría medido la habitación con una cinta con más tiempo — "I would have measured the room with a tape measure with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: mido, mides, mide and miden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: medimos, medís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: midió, midieron, and the gerund is midiendo. For medir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él mida la temperatura del agua — "I hope he measures the water temperature".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is irregular — see the table above. For medir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo midiera dos metros de tela, todo cambiaría — "If I measured two metres of fabric, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: mido, mides, mide and miden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: medimos, medís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: midió, midieron, and the gerund is midiendo. For medir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Mide el tiempo con un cronómetro. — "Measure the time with a stopwatch.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: mido, mides, mide and miden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: medimos, medís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: midió, midieron, and the gerund is midiendo. For medir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No midas la habitación con una cinta. — "Do not measure the room with a tape measure.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with medir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo mido la habitación con una cinta — "I measure the room with a tape measure"
  2. Mi amigo mide la temperatura del agua — "My friend measures the water temperature"
  3. Ayer, yo medí dos metros de tela — "Yesterday, I measured two metres of fabric"
  4. Antes, nosotros medíamos el tiempo con un cronómetro — "Before, we used to measure the time with a stopwatch"
  5. Mañana, tú medirás sus palabras antes de hablar — "Tomorrow, you will measure his words before speaking"
  6. Yo mediría la habitación con una cinta si tuviera más tiempo — "I would measure the room with a tape measure if I had more time"
  7. Él ha medido la temperatura del agua — "He has measured the water temperature"
  8. Espero que él mida dos metros de tela — "I hope he measures two metres of fabric"
  9. Yo ya había medido el tiempo con un cronómetro antes de salir — "I already had measured the time with a stopwatch before leaving"
  10. Ellos medían sus palabras antes de hablar cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to measure his words before speaking when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo medo la temperatura del agua. — Right: Yo mido la temperatura del agua. — medir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is mido, not medo.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él mide la temperatura del agua — Right: Espero que él mida la temperatura del agua — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él mida la temperatura del agua — not the indicative Espero que él mide la temperatura del agua.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo mido dos metros de tela — Right: Ayer, yo medí dos metros de tela — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo medí dos metros de tela.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo medí el tiempo con un cronómetro todos los días — Right: De niño, yo medía el tiempo con un cronómetro todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo medía el tiempo con un cronómetro todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo mido en la habitación con una cinta. — Right: Yo mido la habitación con una cinta. — medir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo mido la habitación con una cinta.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on medir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la habitación con una cinta — "I measure the room with a tape measure" (present) A. mides B. mide C. medimos D. mido

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la temperatura del agua — "He measured the water temperature" (preterite) A. midió B. medí C. mediste D. medimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ dos metros de tela — "We used to measure two metres of fabric" (imperfect) A. medía B. medías C. medíais D. medíamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el tiempo con un cronómetro — "You will measure the time with a stopwatch" (future) A. medirás B. mediré C. medirá D. mediremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ sus palabras antes de hablar — "I would measure his words before speaking" (conditional) A. medirías B. mediríamos C. mediríais D. mediría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la habitación con una cinta — "I hope he measures the room with a tape measure" (present subjunctive) A. midas B. midamos C. midáis D. mida

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la temperatura del agua, todo cambiaría — "If I measured the water temperature, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. midiera B. midieras C. midiéramos D. midierais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ dos metros de tela — "We have measured two metres of fabric" (present perfect) A. hemos medido B. he medido C. has medido D. ha medido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el tiempo con un cronómetro. — "Do not measure the time with a stopwatch." (negative imperative) A. midas B. mida C. midamos D. midáis

  10. Which is the gerund of medir, used with estar for the progressive? A. medí B. midiendo C. medido D. mido

Answer key

  1. mido — The present form for yo is mido.
  2. midió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is midió.
  3. medíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is medíamos.
  4. medirás — The future form for tú is medirás.
  5. mediría — The conditional form for yo is mediría.
  6. mida — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is mida.
  7. midiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is midiera.
  8. hemos medido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos medido.
  9. midas — The negative imperative form is midas.
  10. midiendo — The gerund of medir is midiendo: estoy midiendo. The participle medido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does medir mean in English?

medir means to measure. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo mido la habitación con una cinta — "I measure the room with a tape measure". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is medir regular?

No. medir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: mido, mides, mide and miden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: medimos, medís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: midió, midieron, and the gerund is midiendo. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of medir?

The gerund is midiendo and the past participle is medido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I measure" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo medí la temperatura del agua — "Yesterday, I measured the water temperature". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo medía dos metros de tela — "As a child, I used to measure two metres of fabric". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he medido la temperatura del agua — "Today, I have measured the water temperature".

What is the difference between medir and pesar?

Pesar is to weigh something, on scales. Medir is to measure length, temperature or time — though medir sus palabras is the figurative exception. Medir means to measure: medir la habitación, medir la temperatura. It is also used figuratively: medir sus palabras means to weigh your words before speaking.

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