Negar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb negar means to deny, to refuse, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Negar means to deny or to refuse, and it covers denying something before a judge, denying the truth and refusing permission. It is a stem-changing verb, e to ie, and it also takes the spelling change g to gu before e in the subjunctive: niegue. Like every Spanish verb, negar 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 niego todo ante el juez, and in the preterite you say negué el permiso para salir. 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: negar
- English: to deny, to refuse
- Verb type: irregular verb, stem-changing (e → ie)
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: negando
- Past participle: negado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + negado)
- Stem change: e → ie in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for negar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. The stem changes e to ie: yo niego, tú niegas, but nosotros negamos keeps the e. The g also becomes gu before e in the subjunctive: niegue.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for negar. 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 | niego |
| tú | niegas |
| él/ella/Ud. | niega |
| nosotros/as | negamos |
| vosotros/as | negáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | niegan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | negué |
| tú | negaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | negó |
| nosotros/as | negamos |
| vosotros/as | negasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | negaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | negaba |
| tú | negabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | negaba |
| nosotros/as | negábamos |
| vosotros/as | negabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | negaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | negaré |
| tú | negarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | negará |
| nosotros/as | negaremos |
| vosotros/as | negaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | negarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | negaría |
| tú | negarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | negaría |
| nosotros/as | negaríamos |
| vosotros/as | negaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | negarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he negado |
| tú | has negado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha negado |
| nosotros/as | hemos negado |
| vosotros/as | habéis negado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han negado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había negado |
| tú | habías negado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había negado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos negado |
| vosotros/as | habíais negado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían negado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré negado |
| tú | habrás negado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá negado |
| nosotros/as | habremos negado |
| vosotros/as | habréis negado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán negado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría negado |
| tú | habrías negado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría negado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos negado |
| vosotros/as | habríais negado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían negado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | niegue |
| tú | niegues |
| él/ella/Ud. | niegue |
| nosotros/as | neguemos |
| vosotros/as | neguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nieguen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | negara |
| tú | negaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | negara |
| nosotros/as | negáramos |
| vosotros/as | negarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | negaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | niega |
| él/ella/Ud. | niegue |
| nosotros/as | neguemos |
| vosotros/as | negad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nieguen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | niegues |
| él/ella/Ud. | niegue |
| nosotros/as | neguemos |
| vosotros/as | neguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nieguen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | negando | with estar for the progressive: estoy negando |
| Past participle | negado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he negado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For negar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Niego todo ante el juez. 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 negué. For negar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, negué la verdad a sus padres. 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 negar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, negaba el permiso para salir. 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 negar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, negaré que fuera culpable. 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 negar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Negaría todo ante el juez 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 negar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he negado la verdad a sus padres. 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 negar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había negado el permiso para salir 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 negar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré negado que fuera culpable. 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 negar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría negado todo ante el juez 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For negar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él niegue la verdad a sus padres. 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 negar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él negara el permiso para salir, 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For negar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Niega que fuera culpable! 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For negar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No niegues todo ante el juez. 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 negar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Niego todo ante el juez. — I deny everything before the judge.
- Niega la verdad a sus padres. — He/she denies the truth to his parents.
- Ayer, negué el permiso para salir. — Yesterday, I denied permission to go out.
- Antes, nosotros negábamos que fuera culpable. — Before, we used to deny that he was guilty.
- Mañana, tú negarás todo ante el juez. — Tomorrow, you will deny everything before the judge.
- Yo negaría la verdad a sus padres si tuviera más tiempo. — I would deny the truth to his parents if I had more time.
- Él ha negado el permiso para salir. — He has denied permission to go out.
- Espero que él niegue que fuera culpable. — I hope he denies that he was guilty.
- Yo ya había negado todo ante el juez antes de salir. — I had already denied everything before the judge before leaving.
- Ellos negaban la verdad a sus padres cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to deny the truth to his parents when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo niega todo ante el juez. — Right: Yo niego todo ante el juez. — The person matters: niega is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is niego. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo nego la verdad a sus padres. — Right: Yo niego la verdad a sus padres. — In the present, the correct first-person form is niego, not nego. negar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.
- Wrong: Treating negar and admitir as identical in every context. — Right: Negar means to deny, to refuse, while admitir means to admit, the opposite in confessions. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: negar fits sentences such as Niego todo ante el juez, while admitir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy negado la verdad a sus padres. — Right: Yo he negado la verdad a sus padres. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he negado, has negado, ha negado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo negué el permiso para salir todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo negaba el permiso para salir todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (negaba), not the preterite. The preterite (negué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on negar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ todo ante el juez. (present tense) A. niego B. niegas C. niega D. negamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la verdad a sus padres. (preterite) A. negué B. negaste C. negaron D. negó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el permiso para salir. (imperfect) A. negabas B. negaban C. negábamos D. negaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ que fuera culpable. (future) A. negaremos B. negarás C. negaré D. negará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ todo ante el juez si pudiera. (conditional) A. negaría B. negarías C. negarían D. niego
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la verdad a sus padres. (present subjunctive) A. niegues B. neguemos C. niego D. niegue
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el permiso para salir, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. negáramos B. niego C. negara D. negaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ que fuera culpable. (present perfect) A. han negado B. hemos negado C. he negado D. has negado
Complete the command: ¡___ todo ante el juez! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. niega B. niegue C. neguemos D. negad
Which is the gerund of negar, used with estar for the progressive? A. negado B. niego C. negué D. negando
Answer key
- niego — The first-person present of negar is niego. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- negó — The third-person preterite of negar is negó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- negábamos — The nosotros imperfect of negar is negábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- negarás — The second-person future of negar is negarás.
- negaría — The first-person conditional of negar is negaría, the form for what would happen.
- niegue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of negar is niegue.
- negara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of negar is negara.
- hemos negado — The nosotros present perfect of negar is hemos negado: hemos + negado.
- niega — The affirmative tú imperative of negar is niega.
- negando — The gerund of negar is negando: estoy negando. The participle negado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does negar mean in English?
Negar means to deny, to refuse. It is used in everyday situations such as Niego todo ante el juez. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is negar regular or irregular?
Negar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so it is not fully regular: the stem changes in the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The preterite and the imperfect are regular. Check the tables above for the exact forms in each tense.
What is the difference between negar and admitir?
Negar means to deny, to refuse, while admitir means to admit, the opposite in confessions. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use negar when you mean to deny, to refuse, as in Niego todo ante el juez, and use admitir for to admit, the opposite in confessions. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I deny” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo negué la verdad a sus padres. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo negaba el permiso para salir. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he negado la verdad a sus padres.
How do I practise negar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the negar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Negar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for negar.
- Negar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for negar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Rechazar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with negar.
- Aceptar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with negar.
- Confesar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with negar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.