Mover Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb mover means to move, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Mover means to move something from one place to another: mover la mesa, mover las cajas. For moving house, Spanish uses mudarse, not mover. Like every Spanish verb, mover 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 muevo la mesa al rincón — "I move the table to the corner". 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: muevo, mueves, mueve and mueven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: movemos, movéis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: mover
  • English: to move
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: moviendo
  • Past participle: movido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + movido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | muevo | | tú | mueves | | él/ella/Ud. | mueve | | nosotros/as | movemos | | vosotros/as | movéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | mueven |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | moví | | tú | moviste | | él/ella/Ud. | movió | | nosotros/as | movimos | | vosotros/as | movisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | movieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | movía | | tú | movías | | él/ella/Ud. | movía | | nosotros/as | movíamos | | vosotros/as | movíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | movían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | moveré | | tú | moverás | | él/ella/Ud. | moverá | | nosotros/as | moveremos | | vosotros/as | moveréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | moverán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | movería | | tú | moverías | | él/ella/Ud. | movería | | nosotros/as | moveríamos | | vosotros/as | moveríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | moverían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | mueva | | tú | muevas | | él/ella/Ud. | mueva | | nosotros/as | movamos | | vosotros/as | mováis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muevan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | moviera | | tú | movieras | | él/ella/Ud. | moviera | | nosotros/as | moviéramos | | vosotros/as | movierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | movieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | mueve | | él/ella/Ud. | mueva | | nosotros/as | movamos | | vosotros/as | moved | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muevan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | muevas | | él/ella/Ud. | mueva | | nosotros/as | movamos | | vosotros/as | mováis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muevan |

Gerund and past participle

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

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: muevo, mueves, mueve and mueven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: movemos, movéis. For mover, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo muevo la mesa al rincón — "I move the table to the corner".

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 mover, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo moví las cajas al garaje — "Yesterday, I moved the boxes to the garage".

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 mover, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo movía el coche del garaje — "As a child, I used to move the car out of the garage".

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 mover, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo moveré la cabeza con duda — "Tomorrow, I will move his head doubtfully".

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 mover, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo movería la mesa al rincón si pudiera — "I would move the table to the corner 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 mover, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he movido las cajas al garaje — "Today, I have moved the boxes to the garage".

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 mover, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había movido el coche del garaje antes de salir — "I already had moved the car out of the garage 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 mover, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré movido la cabeza con duda — "By tomorrow, I will have moved his head doubtfully".

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 mover, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría movido la mesa al rincón con más tiempo — "I would have moved the table to the corner 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: muevo, mueves, mueve and mueven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: movemos, movéis. For mover, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él mueva las cajas al garaje — "I hope he moves the boxes to the garage".

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 regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For mover, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo moviera el coche del garaje, todo cambiaría — "If I moved the car out of the garage, 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: muevo, mueves, mueve and mueven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: movemos, movéis. For mover, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Mueve la cabeza con duda. — "Move his head doubtfully.".

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: muevo, mueves, mueve and mueven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: movemos, movéis. For mover, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No muevas la mesa al rincón. — "Do not move the table to the corner.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo muevo la mesa al rincón — "I move the table to the corner"
  2. Mi amigo mueve las cajas al garaje — "My friend moves the boxes to the garage"
  3. Ayer, yo moví el coche del garaje — "Yesterday, I moved the car out of the garage"
  4. Antes, nosotros movíamos la cabeza con duda — "Before, we used to move his head doubtfully"
  5. Mañana, tú moverás los muebles de la sala — "Tomorrow, you will move the furniture in the living room"
  6. Yo movería la mesa al rincón si tuviera más tiempo — "I would move the table to the corner if I had more time"
  7. Él ha movido las cajas al garaje — "He has moved the boxes to the garage"
  8. Espero que él mueva el coche del garaje — "I hope he moves the car out of the garage"
  9. Yo ya había movido la cabeza con duda antes de salir — "I already had moved his head doubtfully before leaving"
  10. Ellos movían los muebles de la sala cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to move the furniture in the living room when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo movo las cajas al garaje. — Right: Yo muevo las cajas al garaje. — mover is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is muevo, not movo.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él mueve las cajas al garaje — Right: Espero que él mueva las cajas al garaje — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él mueva las cajas al garaje — not the indicative Espero que él mueve las cajas al garaje.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo muevo el coche del garaje — Right: Ayer, yo moví el coche del garaje — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo moví el coche del garaje.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo moví la cabeza con duda todos los días — Right: De niño, yo movía la cabeza con duda todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo movía la cabeza con duda todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo muevo en la mesa al rincón. — Right: Yo muevo la mesa al rincón. — mover takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo muevo la mesa al rincón.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la mesa al rincón — "I move the table to the corner" (present) A. muevo B. mueves C. mueve D. movemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ las cajas al garaje — "He moved the boxes to the garage" (preterite) A. movimos B. movió C. moví D. moviste

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el coche del garaje — "We used to move the car out of the garage" (imperfect) A. movíais B. movíamos C. movía D. movías

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ la cabeza con duda — "You will move his head doubtfully" (future) A. moverá B. moveremos C. moverás D. moveré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ los muebles de la sala — "I would move the furniture in the living room" (conditional) A. movería B. moverías C. moveríamos D. moveríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la mesa al rincón — "I hope he moves the table to the corner" (present subjunctive) A. mueva B. muevas C. movamos D. mováis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ las cajas al garaje, todo cambiaría — "If I moved the boxes to the garage, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. movierais B. moviera C. movieras D. moviéramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el coche del garaje — "We have moved the car out of the garage" (present perfect) A. has movido B. ha movido C. hemos movido D. he movido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ la cabeza con duda. — "Do not move his head doubtfully." (negative imperative) A. movamos B. mováis C. muevas D. mueva

  10. Which is the gerund of mover, used with estar for the progressive? A. moví B. moviendo C. movido D. muevo

Answer key

  1. muevo — The present form for yo is muevo.
  2. movió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is movió.
  3. movíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is movíamos.
  4. moverás — The future form for tú is moverás.
  5. movería — The conditional form for yo is movería.
  6. mueva — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is mueva.
  7. moviera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is moviera.
  8. hemos movido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos movido.
  9. muevas — The negative imperative form is muevas.
  10. moviendo — The gerund of mover is moviendo: estoy moviendo. The participle movido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does mover mean in English?

mover means to move. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo muevo la mesa al rincón — "I move the table to the corner". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is mover regular?

No. mover is a stem-changing -er verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: muevo, mueves, mueve and mueven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: movemos, movéis. 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 mover?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo moví las cajas al garaje — "Yesterday, I moved the boxes to the garage". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo movía el coche del garaje — "As a child, I used to move the car out of the garage". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he movido las cajas al garaje — "Today, I have moved the boxes to the garage".

What is the difference between mover and mudarse?

Mudarse means to move house or to move to a new home. Mover means to shift an object — you mueves la mesa, but te mudas de casa. Mover means to move something from one place to another: mover la mesa, mover las cajas. For moving house, Spanish uses mudarse, not mover.

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