Navegar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb navegar means to sail, to navigate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Navegar means to sail or to navigate, and it covers sailing the Mediterranean, sailing on a lake and, in the modern sense, browsing the internet. It is a spelling-change verb: the g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is navegué. Like every Spanish verb, navegar 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 navego por el Mediterráneo en verano, and in the preterite you say navegué con vela en el lago. 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: navegar
- English: to sail, to navigate
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: navegando
- Past participle: navegado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + navegado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for navegar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is navegué and the subjunctive is navegue. Navegar por internet is to browse the internet.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for navegar. 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 | navego |
| tú | navegas |
| él/ella/Ud. | navega |
| nosotros/as | navegamos |
| vosotros/as | navegáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | navegan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | navegué |
| tú | navegaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | navegó |
| nosotros/as | navegamos |
| vosotros/as | navegasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | navegaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | navegaba |
| tú | navegabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | navegaba |
| nosotros/as | navegábamos |
| vosotros/as | navegabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | navegaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | navegaré |
| tú | navegarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | navegará |
| nosotros/as | navegaremos |
| vosotros/as | navegaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | navegarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | navegaría |
| tú | navegarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | navegaría |
| nosotros/as | navegaríamos |
| vosotros/as | navegaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | navegarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he navegado |
| tú | has navegado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha navegado |
| nosotros/as | hemos navegado |
| vosotros/as | habéis navegado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han navegado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había navegado |
| tú | habías navegado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había navegado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos navegado |
| vosotros/as | habíais navegado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían navegado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré navegado |
| tú | habrás navegado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá navegado |
| nosotros/as | habremos navegado |
| vosotros/as | habréis navegado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán navegado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría navegado |
| tú | habrías navegado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría navegado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos navegado |
| vosotros/as | habríais navegado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían navegado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | navegue |
| tú | navegues |
| él/ella/Ud. | navegue |
| nosotros/as | naveguemos |
| vosotros/as | naveguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | naveguen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | navegara |
| tú | navegaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | navegara |
| nosotros/as | navegáramos |
| vosotros/as | navegarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | navegaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | navega |
| él/ella/Ud. | navegue |
| nosotros/as | naveguemos |
| vosotros/as | navegad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | naveguen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | navegues |
| él/ella/Ud. | navegue |
| nosotros/as | naveguemos |
| vosotros/as | naveguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | naveguen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | navegando | with estar for the progressive: estoy navegando |
| Past participle | navegado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he navegado |
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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For navegar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Navego por el Mediterráneo en verano. 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: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite first person is navegué. For navegar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, navegué en internet por la noche. 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 navegar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, navegaba con vela en el lago. 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 navegar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, navegaré entre las islas del archipiélago. 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 navegar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Navegaría por el Mediterráneo en verano 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 navegar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he navegado en internet por la noche. 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 navegar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había navegado con vela en el lago 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 navegar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré navegado entre las islas del archipiélago. 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 navegar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría navegado por el Mediterráneo en verano 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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For navegar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él navegue en internet por la noche. 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 navegar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él navegara con vela en el lago, 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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For navegar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Navega entre las islas del archipiélago! 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: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For navegar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No navegues por el Mediterráneo en verano. 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 navegar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Navego por el Mediterráneo en verano. — I sail the Mediterranean in summer.
- Navega en internet por la noche. — He/she sails the internet at night.
- Ayer, navegué con vela en el lago. — Yesterday, I sailed under sail on the lake.
- Antes, nosotros navegábamos entre las islas del archipiélago. — Before, we used to sail between the islands of the archipelago.
- Mañana, tú navegarás por el Mediterráneo en verano. — Tomorrow, you will sail the Mediterranean in summer.
- Yo navegaría en internet por la noche si tuviera más tiempo. — I would sail the internet at night if I had more time.
- Él ha navegado con vela en el lago. — He has sailed under sail on the lake.
- Espero que él navegue entre las islas del archipiélago. — I hope he sails between the islands of the archipelago.
- Yo ya había navegado por el Mediterráneo en verano antes de salir. — I had already sailed the Mediterranean in summer before leaving.
- Ellos navegaban en internet por la noche cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to sail the internet at night when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo navega por el Mediterráneo en verano. — Right: Yo navego por el Mediterráneo en verano. — The person matters: navega is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is navego. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo navegé en internet por la noche. — Right: Yo navegué en internet por la noche. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is navegué, not navegé. navegar is a spelling-change verb: g becomes gu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
- Wrong: Treating navegar and viajar as identical in every context. — Right: Navegar means to sail, to navigate, while viajar means to travel, the general verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: navegar fits sentences such as Navego por el Mediterráneo en verano, while viajar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy navegado en internet por la noche. — Right: Yo he navegado en internet por la noche. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he navegado, has navegado, ha navegado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo navegué con vela en el lago todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo navegaba con vela en el lago todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (navegaba), not the preterite. The preterite (navegué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on navegar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ por el Mediterráneo en verano. (present tense) A. navego B. navegas C. navega D. navegamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en internet por la noche. (preterite) A. navegué B. navegaste C. navegaron D. navegó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con vela en el lago. (imperfect) A. navegabas B. navegaban C. navegábamos D. navegaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ entre las islas del archipiélago. (future) A. navegaremos B. navegarás C. navegaré D. navegará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ por el Mediterráneo en verano si pudiera. (conditional) A. navegaría B. navegarías C. navegarían D. navego
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en internet por la noche. (present subjunctive) A. navegues B. naveguemos C. navego D. navegue
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con vela en el lago, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. navegáramos B. navego C. navegara D. navegaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ entre las islas del archipiélago. (present perfect) A. han navegado B. hemos navegado C. he navegado D. has navegado
Complete the command: ¡___ por el Mediterráneo en verano! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. navega B. navegue C. naveguemos D. navegad
Which is the gerund of navegar, used with estar for the progressive? A. navegado B. navego C. navegué D. navegando
Answer key
- navego — The first-person present of navegar is navego. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- navegó — The third-person preterite of navegar is navegó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- navegábamos — The nosotros imperfect of navegar is navegábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- navegarás — The second-person future of navegar is navegarás.
- navegaría — The first-person conditional of navegar is navegaría, the form for what would happen.
- navegue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of navegar is navegue.
- navegara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of navegar is navegara.
- hemos navegado — The nosotros present perfect of navegar is hemos navegado: hemos + navegado.
- navega — The affirmative tú imperative of navegar is navega.
- navegando — The gerund of navegar is navegando: estoy navegando. The participle navegado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does navegar mean in English?
Navegar means to sail, to navigate. It is used in everyday situations such as Navego por el Mediterráneo en verano. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is navegar regular or irregular?
Navegar 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 navego in the present and navegué in the preterite.
What is the difference between navegar and viajar?
Navegar means to sail, to navigate, while viajar means to travel, the general verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use navegar when you mean to sail, to navigate, as in Navego por el Mediterráneo en verano, and use viajar for to travel, the general verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I sail” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo navegué en internet por la noche. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo navegaba con vela en el lago. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he navegado en internet por la noche.
How do I practise navegar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the navegar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Navegar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for navegar.
- Navegar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for navegar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Alargar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with navegar.
- Investigar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with navegar.
- Agregar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with navegar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.