Obedecer Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb obedecer means to obey, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Obedecer means to obey, and it covers obeying parents, orders, school rules and traffic laws. It takes a direct object for the person or rule obeyed, and it is a -cer spelling-change verb: yo obedezco. Like every Spanish verb, obedecer 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 obedezco a sus padres sin discutir, and in the preterite you say obedecí las normas del colegio. 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: obedecer
  • English: to obey
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: obedeciendo
  • Past participle: obedecido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + obedecido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for obedecer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes zc before o and a, so yo obedezco and the subjunctive obedezca.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for obedecer. 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 obedezco
tú obedeces
él/ella/Ud. obedece
nosotros/as obedecemos
vosotros/as obedecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. obedecen

Preterite

Person Form
yo obedecí
tú obedeciste
él/ella/Ud. obedeció
nosotros/as obedecimos
vosotros/as obedecisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. obedecieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo obedecía
tú obedecías
él/ella/Ud. obedecía
nosotros/as obedecíamos
vosotros/as obedecíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. obedecían

Future

Person Form
yo obedeceré
tú obedecerás
él/ella/Ud. obedecerá
nosotros/as obedeceremos
vosotros/as obedeceréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. obedecerán

Conditional

Person Form
yo obedecería
tú obedecerías
él/ella/Ud. obedecería
nosotros/as obedeceríamos
vosotros/as obedeceríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. obedecerían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo obedezca
tú obedezcas
él/ella/Ud. obedezca
nosotros/as obedezcamos
vosotros/as obedecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. obedezcan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo obedeciera
tú obedecieras
él/ella/Ud. obedeciera
nosotros/as obedeciéramos
vosotros/as obedecierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. obedecieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú obedece
él/ella/Ud. obedezca
nosotros/as obedezcamos
vosotros/as obedeced
ellos/ellas/Uds. obedezcan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú obedezcas
él/ella/Ud. obedezca
nosotros/as obedezcamos
vosotros/as obedecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. obedezcan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund obedeciendo with estar for the progressive: estoy obedeciendo
Past participle obedecido with haber for the perfect tenses: he obedecido

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: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For obedecer, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Obedezco a sus padres sin discutir. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For obedecer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, obedecí las órdenes del jefe. 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 obedecer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, obedecía las normas del colegio. 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 obedecer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, obedeceré las leyes de tráfico. 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 obedecer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Obedecería a sus padres sin discutir 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 obedecer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he obedecido las órdenes del jefe. 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 obedecer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había obedecido las normas del colegio 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 obedecer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré obedecido las leyes de tráfico. 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 obedecer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría obedecido a sus padres sin discutir 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: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For obedecer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él obedezca las órdenes del jefe. 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 obedecer, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él obedeciera las normas del colegio, 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: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For obedecer, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Obedece las leyes de tráfico! 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: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For obedecer, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No obedezcas a sus padres sin discutir. 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 obedecer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Obedezco a sus padres sin discutir. — I obey his parents without arguing.
  2. Obedece las órdenes del jefe. — He/she obeys the boss's orders.
  3. Ayer, obedecí las normas del colegio. — Yesterday, I obeyed the school rules.
  4. Antes, nosotros obedecíamos las leyes de tráfico. — Before, we used to obey the traffic laws.
  5. Mañana, tú obedecerás a sus padres sin discutir. — Tomorrow, you will obey his parents without arguing.
  6. Yo obedecería las órdenes del jefe si tuviera más tiempo. — I would obey the boss's orders if I had more time.
  7. Él ha obedecido las normas del colegio. — He has obeyed the school rules.
  8. Espero que él obedezca las leyes de tráfico. — I hope he obeys the traffic laws.
  9. Yo ya había obedecido a sus padres sin discutir antes de salir. — I had already obeyed his parents without arguing before leaving.
  10. Ellos obedecían las órdenes del jefe cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to obey the boss's orders when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo obedece a sus padres sin discutir. — Right: Yo obedezco a sus padres sin discutir. — The person matters: obedece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is obedezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo obedeco las órdenes del jefe. — Right: Yo obedezco las órdenes del jefe. — In the present, the correct first-person form is obedezco, not obedeco. obedecer is a spelling-change verb: c becomes zc before o and a, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating obedecer and escuchar as identical in every context. — Right: Obedecer means to obey, while escuchar means to listen, the step before obeying. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: obedecer fits sentences such as Obedezco a sus padres sin discutir, while escuchar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy obedecido las órdenes del jefe. — Right: Yo he obedecido las órdenes del jefe. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he obedecido, has obedecido, ha obedecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo obedecí las normas del colegio todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo obedecía las normas del colegio todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (obedecía), not the preterite. The preterite (obedecí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a sus padres sin discutir. (present tense) A. obedezco B. obedeces C. obedece D. obedecemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ las órdenes del jefe. (preterite) A. obedecí B. obedeciste C. obedecieron D. obedeció

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ las normas del colegio. (imperfect) A. obedecías B. obedecían C. obedecíamos D. obedecía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ las leyes de tráfico. (future) A. obedeceremos B. obedecerás C. obedeceré D. obedecerá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a sus padres sin discutir si pudiera. (conditional) A. obedecería B. obedecerías C. obedecerían D. obedezco

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ las órdenes del jefe. (present subjunctive) A. obedezcas B. obedezcamos C. obedezco D. obedezca

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ las normas del colegio, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. obedeciéramos B. obedezco C. obedeciera D. obedecieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las leyes de tráfico. (present perfect) A. han obedecido B. hemos obedecido C. he obedecido D. has obedecido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a sus padres sin discutir! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. obedece B. obedezca C. obedezcamos D. obedeced

  10. Which is the gerund of obedecer, used with estar for the progressive? A. obedecido B. obedezco C. obedecí D. obedeciendo

Answer key

  1. obedezco — The first-person present of obedecer is obedezco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. obedeció — The third-person preterite of obedecer is obedeció, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. obedecíamos — The nosotros imperfect of obedecer is obedecíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. obedecerás — The second-person future of obedecer is obedecerás.
  5. obedecería — The first-person conditional of obedecer is obedecería, the form for what would happen.
  6. obedezca — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of obedecer is obedezca.
  7. obedeciera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of obedecer is obedeciera.
  8. hemos obedecido — The nosotros present perfect of obedecer is hemos obedecido: hemos + obedecido.
  9. obedece — The affirmative tú imperative of obedecer is obedece.
  10. obedeciendo — The gerund of obedecer is obedeciendo: estoy obedeciendo. The participle obedecido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does obedecer mean in English?

Obedecer means to obey. It is used in everyday situations such as Obedezco a sus padres sin discutir. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is obedecer regular or irregular?

Obedecer is a fully regular -er 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 obedezco in the present and obedecí in the preterite.

What is the difference between obedecer and escuchar?

Obedecer means to obey, while escuchar means to listen, the step before obeying. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use obedecer when you mean to obey, as in Obedezco a sus padres sin discutir, and use escuchar for to listen, the step before obeying. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I obey” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo obedecí las órdenes del jefe. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo obedecía las normas del colegio. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he obedecido las órdenes del jefe.

How do I practise obedecer?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the obedecer examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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