Obtener Conjugation in Spanish
Introduction
obtener means "to obtain" in English, and it is one of the verbs you will meet constantly in everyday Spanish — for obtaining a result, a document or permission. Learning it properly means more than memorising one form: the verb changes across thirteen tenses, and this page gives you every one of them, with the exact forms from the VerbFlow engine, so you can check any person or tense in seconds. Obtener is a irregular -er verb verb, and it is irregular in: present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. That matters because the patterns on this page are the patterns you will reuse every time you speak or write. Work through the tables first, then read the notes under each tense — they explain when to use each tense and what to watch out for with this verb in particular. A natural example is: Cada día, yo obtengo una beca para estudiar. — "Every day, I obtain a scholarship to study." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the tense using the tables below.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | obtener |
| Translation | to obtain |
| Verb type | Irregular -er verb |
| Gerund | obteniendo |
| Past participle | obtenido |
| Auxiliary | haber (all compound tenses) |
| Irregular tenses | irregular in: present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative |
Full conjugation of obtener
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | obtengo |
| tú | obtienes |
| él / ella / Ud. | obtiene |
| nosotros / nosotras | obtenemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | obtenéis |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | obtienen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | obtuve |
| tú | obtuviste |
| él / ella / Ud. | obtuvo |
| nosotros / nosotras | obtuvimos |
| vosotros / vosotras | obtuvisteis |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | obtuvieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | obtenía |
| tú | obtenías |
| él / ella / Ud. | obtenía |
| nosotros / nosotras | obteníamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | obteníais |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | obtenían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | obtendré |
| tú | obtendrás |
| él / ella / Ud. | obtendrá |
| nosotros / nosotras | obtendremos |
| vosotros / vosotras | obtendréis |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | obtendrán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | obtendría |
| tú | obtendrías |
| él / ella / Ud. | obtendría |
| nosotros / nosotras | obtendríamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | obtendríais |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | obtendrían |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | obtenga |
| tú | obtengas |
| él / ella / Ud. | obtenga |
| nosotros / nosotras | obtengamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | obtengáis |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | obtengan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | obtuviera |
| tú | obtuvieras |
| él / ella / Ud. | obtuviera |
| nosotros / nosotras | obtuviéramos |
| vosotros / vosotras | obtuvierais |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | obtuvieran |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he obtenido |
| tú | has obtenido |
| él / ella / Ud. | ha obtenido |
| nosotros / nosotras | hemos obtenido |
| vosotros / vosotras | habéis obtenido |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | han obtenido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había obtenido |
| tú | habías obtenido |
| él / ella / Ud. | había obtenido |
| nosotros / nosotras | habíamos obtenido |
| vosotros / vosotras | habíais obtenido |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | habían obtenido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré obtenido |
| tú | habrás obtenido |
| él / ella / Ud. | habrá obtenido |
| nosotros / nosotras | habremos obtenido |
| vosotros / vosotras | habréis obtenido |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | habrán obtenido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría obtenido |
| tú | habrías obtenido |
| él / ella / Ud. | habría obtenido |
| nosotros / nosotras | habríamos obtenido |
| vosotros / vosotras | habríais obtenido |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | habrían obtenido |
Imperative — affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | obtén |
| él / ella / Ud. | obtenga |
| nosotros / nosotras | obtengamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | obtened |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | obtengan |
Imperative — negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | obtengas |
| él / ella / Ud. | obtenga |
| nosotros / nosotras | obtengamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | obtengáis |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | obtengan |
Gerund: obteniendo · Past participle: obtenido
Obtener in every tense — notes and examples
Present indicative
The present is the tense for habits, facts and what is happening now. It is the first tense to master, because the present subjunctive and the affirmative imperative are both built from the present yo form. Example: Cada día, yo obtengo una beca para estudiar. — "Every day, I obtain a scholarship to study."
Preterite
The preterite is for completed actions in the past — things that started and finished at a definite moment. Use it for a single event, a sequence of events, or an action with a clear end. The preterite uses an irregular stem: the yo form is obtuve and the él/ella form is obtuvo. Learn this stem, because the imperfect subjunctive is built on it too. Example: Ayer, yo obtuve una beca para estudiar. — "Yesterday, I obtained a scholarship to study."
Imperfect
The imperfect is for the past without a definite end: habits, background scenes, descriptions and actions in progress when something else happened. It never states when the action finished. Example: Antes, yo obtenía una beca para estudiar. — "Before, I obtained a scholarship to study."
Future
The future is for what will happen, and also for guesses about the present ("I wonder if…"). For regular verbs it is the infinitive plus the endings -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án. The future is built on an irregular stem, not on the infinitive — the yo form is obtendré. Example: Mañana, yo obtendré una beca para estudiar. — "Tomorrow, I will obtain a scholarship to study."
Conditional
The conditional is for what would happen — polite requests, hypothetical results and reported expectations. It shares its stem with the future, so any irregular future stem appears here too. The conditional is built on an irregular stem, not on the infinitive — the yo form is obtendría. Example: Yo obtendría una beca para estudiar si tuviera la oportunidad. — "I would obtain a scholarship to study if I had the chance."
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is for wishes, doubts, emotions and other non-facts after que, and after expressions such as ojalá, es importante que or no creo que. It is not a tense for stating facts. The present subjunctive is irregular for this verb: the yo form is obtenga, and all six persons follow from it. Example: Espero que ella obtenga una beca para estudiar. — "I hope she will obtain a scholarship to study."
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)
The imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms) is for wishes and doubts about the past, and for the if-part of hypothetical sentences (si + imperfect subjunctive, conditional). This page shows the -ra forms from the engine. The imperfect subjunctive uses the irregular preterite stem: the yo form is obtuviera. Example: Si ella obtuviera una beca para estudiar, todo cambiaría. — "If she obtained a scholarship to study, everything would change."
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) is for past actions connected to the present — recent events, experience, or something that has just happened. The auxiliary is always haber. Example: Yo he obtenido el permiso a tiempo varias veces. — "I have obtained the permit on time several times."
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) is the past of the past: something that had already happened before another past event. Example: Yo había obtenido una beca para estudiar antes de la reunión. — "I had obtained a scholarship to study before the meeting."
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) is for something that will already be finished by a future moment, or for a guess about the past. It is less common in speech than the simple future. Example: Para mañana, yo habré obtenido una beca para estudiar. — "By tomorrow, I will have obtained a scholarship to study."
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) is for what would have happened — the past of the conditional, used for regrets and unreal past conditions. Example: Yo habría obtenido una beca para estudiar si hubiera tenido tiempo. — "I would have obtained a scholarship to study if I had had time."
Imperative — affirmative
The affirmative imperative is for direct orders, instructions and invitations. The tú form is irregular (obtén) and does not come from the present él/ella form; the formal, nosotros and plural forms come from the present subjunctive. The affirmative imperative is irregular for this verb: the tú form is obtén and the formal form is obtenga. Example: ¡obtén una beca para estudiar! — "Obtain a scholarship to study!"
Imperative — negative
The negative imperative (no + subjunctive) is for telling someone not to do something. All five persons come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different from the affirmative tú form. Example: No obtengas una beca para estudiar. — "Do not obtain a scholarship to study."
Example sentences with obtener
Yo obtengo una beca para estudiar. — "I obtain a scholarship to study."
¿Tú obtienes el permiso a tiempo? — "Do you obtain the permit on time?"
Ayer, él obtuvo una beca para estudiar. — "Yesterday, he obtained a scholarship to study."
Nosotros obtuvimos el permiso a tiempo a tiempo. — "We obtained the permit on time on time."
Antes, ellos obtenían una beca para estudiar. — "Before, they obtained a scholarship to study."
Mañana, yo obtendré el permiso a tiempo. — "Tomorrow, I will obtain the permit on time."
Nosotros obtendríamos una beca para estudiar si pudiéramos. — "We would obtain a scholarship to study if we could."
Yo he obtenido el permiso a tiempo varias veces. — "I have obtained the permit on time several times."
Espero que ella obtenga una beca para estudiar. — "I hope she will obtain a scholarship to study."
Ahora mismo, yo estoy obteniendo el permiso a tiempo. — "Right now, I am obtaining the permit on time."
Common mistakes with obtener
1. Using the present tense for a finished past action
For one finished event use the preterite obtuve, not the present obtengo. Ayer yo obtuve una beca para estudiar places the action firmly in the past; the present tense cannot do that job.
2. Confusing obtener with conseguir (to get, to achieve)
obtener means "to obtain", while conseguir means "to get, to achieve". They overlap in English but they are not interchangeable in Spanish: use obtener when you mean obtaining a result, a document or permission, and conseguir for its own meaning. Check the conjugation of conseguir before choosing.
3. Mixing up the preterite and the imperfect
Ayer yo obtuve una beca para estudiar (preterite: one finished event yesterday) is not the same as antes yo obtenía una beca para estudiar (imperfect: what used to happen). If you can add "yesterday" or "last week", you usually want the preterite; if you can add "used to", you want the imperfect.
4. Using estar instead of haber in the perfect tenses
The present perfect is he obtenido (haber + participle), never estoy obtenido. Haber is the only auxiliary for compound tenses in Spanish.
5. Using the infinitive after a conjugated verb without a connector
When obtener is followed by another verb, check whether Spanish needs que or a preposition between them. A bare infinitive after a conjugated obtener is a common English-speaker error — say the full construction you have practised on this page.
Quiz: obtener
1. Yo ___ una beca para estudiar.
a. obtiene b. obtengo c. obtienen
2. Ella ___ una beca para estudiar.
a. obtengo b. obtiene c. obtienen
3. Ayer, yo ___ una beca para estudiar.
a. obtengo b. obtuve c. obtiene
4. Ellos ___ una beca para estudiar ayer.
a. obtengo b. obtuvieron c. obtiene
5. Antes, yo ___ una beca para estudiar.
a. obtengo b. obtenía c. obtiene
6. Mañana, yo ___ una beca para estudiar.
a. obtengo b. obtendré c. obtiene
7. Yo ___ una beca para estudiar si pudiera.
a. obtengo b. obtendría c. obtiene
8. Espero que ella ___ una beca para estudiar.
a. obtengo b. obtenga c. obtiene
9. Ahora mismo, yo estoy ___ el permiso a tiempo.
a. obtenido b. obteniendo c. obtengo
10. Yo he ___ el permiso a tiempo varias veces.
a. obteniendo b. obtenido c. obtengo
Answer key
obtengo — present tense, yo form.
obtiene — present tense, él/ella form.
obtuve — preterite, yo form — a finished action yesterday.
obtuvieron — preterite, ellos/ellas form.
obtenía — imperfect, yo form — a past habit.
obtendré — future, yo form.
obtendría — conditional, yo form — a hypothetical.
obtenga — present subjunctive after 'espero que'.
obteniendo — gerund — the progressive is estar + gerund.
obtenido — past participle — the present perfect is haber + participle.
Frequently asked questions about obtener
What does obtener mean in English?
Obtener means "to obtain". It is used for obtaining a result, a document or permission. A simple example is yo obtengo una beca para estudiar — "I obtain a scholarship to study."
Is obtener regular or irregular?
Obtener is a irregular -er verb verb, and it is irregular in: present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The forms that most often catch learners out are the present yo form obtengo, the preterite yo form obtuve and the past participle obtenido — learn those three first, then fill in the rest from the tables above.
What is the gerund and the past participle of obtener?
The gerund is obteniendo (used for the progressive: estoy obteniendo) and the past participle is obtenido (used with haber in all perfect tenses: he obtenido). Both forms are used constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
How do I say "I obtain" in the past?
It depends on the meaning. For one finished action use the preterite: ayer yo obtuve una beca para estudiar — "yesterday I obtained a scholarship to study". For a past habit or background use the imperfect: antes yo obtenía una beca para estudiar — "before, I obtained a scholarship to study". The mistake most learners make is using one for the other.
Does obtener take the subjunctive?
Not usually. Obtener on its own takes the indicative — yo obtengo una beca para estudiar. You will meet the subjunctive with obtener only inside a larger construction that itself triggers it, such as no creo que or es importante que, and then the subjunctive form is obtenga.