Nacer Conjugation in Spanish
nacer means "to be born" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about being born — people, animals, ideas and the beginning of things, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of nacer in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Nacer is a irregular (go-verb: -c becomes -zc in the yo form) -er verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: Mi hijo nace en Madrid. — "My son is born in Madrid.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: nacer
- English: to be born
- Verb type: Irregular (go-verb: -c becomes -zc in the yo form) -er verb
- Gerund: naciendo
- Past participle: nacido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + nacido)
Full conjugation table
Every tense of nacer with all six persons. The gerund is naciendo and the past participle is nacido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | nazco |
| tú | naces |
| él/ella/Ud. | nace |
| nosotros/as | nacemos |
| vosotros/as | nacéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nacen |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | nací |
| tú | naciste |
| él/ella/Ud. | nació |
| nosotros/as | nacimos |
| vosotros/as | nacisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nacieron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | nacía |
| tú | nacías |
| él/ella/Ud. | nacía |
| nosotros/as | nacíamos |
| vosotros/as | nacíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nacían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | naceré |
| tú | nacerás |
| él/ella/Ud. | nacerá |
| nosotros/as | naceremos |
| vosotros/as | naceréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nacerán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | nacería |
| tú | nacerías |
| él/ella/Ud. | nacería |
| nosotros/as | naceríamos |
| vosotros/as | naceríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nacerían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he nacido |
| tú | has nacido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha nacido |
| nosotros/as | hemos nacido |
| vosotros/as | habéis nacido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han nacido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había nacido |
| tú | habías nacido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había nacido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos nacido |
| vosotros/as | habíais nacido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían nacido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré nacido |
| tú | habrás nacido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá nacido |
| nosotros/as | habremos nacido |
| vosotros/as | habréis nacido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán nacido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría nacido |
| tú | habrías nacido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría nacido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos nacido |
| vosotros/as | habríais nacido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían nacido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | nazca |
| tú | nazcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | nazca |
| nosotros/as | nazcamos |
| vosotros/as | nacáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nazcan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | naciera |
| tú | nacieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | naciera |
| nosotros/as | naciéramos |
| vosotros/as | nacierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nacieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | nace |
| él/ella/Ud. | nazca |
| nosotros/as | nazcamos |
| vosotros/as | naced |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nazcan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | nazcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | nazca |
| nosotros/as | nazcamos |
| vosotros/as | nacáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nazcan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | naciendo |
| Past participle | nacido |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with nacer, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Él nace en Madrid.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Ayer él nació en Madrid.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: En aquella época, él nacía en Madrid.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Mañana él nacerá en Madrid.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Si pudiera elegir, él nacería en Madrid.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Él ya ha nacido en Madrid.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Él ya había nacido en Madrid antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Para mañana él ya habrá nacido en Madrid.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Él habría nacido en Madrid si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Espero que él nazca en Madrid.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Si él naciera en Madrid, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Commands with nacer are not used in practice, so there is no natural example sentence for this tense. Learn the forms in the table so you can recognise them if you meet them in literature.
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Negative commands with nacer are not used in practice, so there is no natural example sentence for this tense. The forms in the table follow the present subjunctive.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with nacer, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- Mi hijo nace en Madrid. — "My son is born in Madrid."
- Muchos niños nacen en Madrid cada día. — "Many children are born in Madrid every day."
- Mi abuela nació en Madrid en 1940. — "My grandmother was born in Madrid in 1940."
- En aquella época, muchos nacían en Madrid. — "In those days, many were born in Madrid."
- Mi hijo nacerá en Madrid el mes que viene. — "My son will be born in Madrid next month."
- Si pudiera elegir, él nacería en Madrid. — "If he could choose, he would be born in Madrid."
- Mi hija ya ha nacido en Madrid. — "My daughter has already been born in Madrid."
- Espero que nazca en Madrid. — "I hope he is born in Madrid."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with nacer — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo nasco en Madrid. → Right: Yo nazco en Madrid.. Nacer is a go-verb: the yo form is nazco, with zc, not nasco. The same pattern appears in crecer (crezco) and conocer (conozco).
- Wrong: *Ella nació en Madrid — learners often write nacio without the accent. → Right: Ella nació en Madrid.. The preterite third person is nació, with an accent on the o. The preterite is otherwise regular for nacer.
- Wrong: *Espero que nazcas en Madrid — some learners use the indicative naces after espero que. → Right: Espero que nazcas en Madrid.. After espero que, use the subjunctive nazcas, which keeps the zc from the yo form: nazca, nazcas, nazca.
- Wrong: *Yo he nacido en Madrid — learners sometimes write he naco or he nazco instead of the participle. → Right: Yo he nacido en Madrid.. The perfect tenses use the participle nacido after haber: he nacido, not he nazco.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on nacer. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of nacer in the present indicative?
- a) nace
- b) naces
- c) nacemos
- d) nazco
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of nacer in the preterite (past)?
- a) naciste
- b) nació
- c) nacimos
- d) nací
What is the nosotros/as form of nacer in the imperfect (past)?
- a) nacíamos
- b) nacía
- c) nacía
- d) nacías
What is the tú form of nacer in the future?
- a) nacerás
- b) naceremos
- c) naceré
- d) nacerá
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of nacer in the conditional?
- a) nacerían
- b) nacería
- c) nacerías
- d) nacería
What is the yo form of nacer in the present subjunctive?
- a) nazca
- b) nazcas
- c) nazcamos
- d) nazca
What is the gerund of nacer?
- a) nace
- b) nacido
- c) naciendo
- d) nacer
What is the past participle of nacer?
- a) naciendo
- b) nacido
- c) he nacido
- d) nazco
What does nacer mean in English?
- a) to lie
- b) to decide
- c) to rest
- d) to be born
The form nací belongs to which tense?
- a) Preterite
- b) Imperfect
- c) Present
- d) Future
Answer key
- nazco — The yo form in the present indicative is nazco — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- nació — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is nació — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- nacíamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is nacíamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- nacerás — The tú form in the future is nacerás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- nacerían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is nacerían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- nazca — The yo form in the present subjunctive is nazca — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- naciendo — The gerund is naciendo — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy naciendo). The past participle is nacido.
- nacido — The past participle is nacido — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he nacido).
- to be born — nacer means "to be born".
- Preterite — nací is the yo form of the preterite of nacer — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is nacía.
Frequently asked questions
Is nacer regular?
Almost. Nacer is irregular only in the yo form (nazco) and the present subjunctive built on it (nazca, nazcas). Every other form is regular: naces, nace, nacemos, nació, nacía, naceré, nacido.
Why is it nazco and not nasco?
Spanish inserts a z before c when the c would be pronounced as s before o: nazco. It is the same spelling rule that gives us crezco (crecer) and conozco (conocer). The sound stays the same; only the spelling changes.
How do you say "I was born in Madrid" in Spanish?
Nací en Madrid — the preterite yo form. For example: Yo nací en Madrid en 1990. Use the preterite because being born is a finished event at a specific moment.
What is the difference between nacer and crecer?
Nacer means to be born, the beginning of life, while crecer means to grow. You are born (naces) once, and then you grow (creces) for years. Both are go-verbs with the zc in the yo form.
Related pages
- Nacer in the present tense — the present tense of nacer in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Nacer examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with nacer and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where nacer sits among the irregular verbs, grouped by pattern.
- Crecer conjugation — another verb in the same family as nacer.
- Morir conjugation — another verb in the same family as nacer.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise nacer with this tool.
- Irregular Verb Finder — practise nacer with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.