Originar Conjugation in Spanish

originar means «to originate». It is a regular -ar verb verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of originar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo origino todos los días» — I originate every day.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: originar
  • English: to originate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: originando
  • Past participle: originado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + originado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for originar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for originar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Gerund: originando · Past participle: originado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo origino
tú originas
él/ella/Ud. origina
nosotros/as originamos
vosotros/as origináis
ellos/ellas/Uds. originan

The present is the tense you will use most with originar. It covers daily routines, permanent facts and actions in progress. Learn the yo form origino first, then the tú and él forms, which are the ones that change the stem in stem-changing verbs.

Preterite

Person Form
yo originé
tú originaste
él/ella/Ud. originó
nosotros/as originamos
vosotros/as originasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. originaron

The preterite of originar reports what happened. «Ayer yo originé por la tarde» places the action firmly in finished time. It is the tense of stories and reports, not of background description.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo originaba
tú originabas
él/ella/Ud. originaba
nosotros/as originábamos
vosotros/as originabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. originaban

The imperfect of originar paints the background of a past scene: repeated actions, states and descriptions. «Antes, yo originaba todos los días» is the pattern. Pair it with the preterite when one event interrupts another.

Future

Person Form
yo originaré
tú originarás
él/ella/Ud. originará
nosotros/as originaremos
vosotros/as originaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. originarán

The future of originar looks forward: what will happen tomorrow, next week or next year. «Mañana yo originaré sin falta» is the pattern. Remember that the future can also express probability about the present in Spanish.

Conditional

Person Form
yo originaría
tú originarías
él/ella/Ud. originaría
nosotros/as originaríamos
vosotros/as originaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. originarían

The conditional of originar is the tense of «would»: what you would do, what would happen, what you would like. «Si pudiera, yo originaría sin dudarlo» shows the pattern. It is built on the infinitive, just like the future.

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect of originar says «have done»: the action is finished but its result still matters now. «Hoy yo he originado dos veces» is the pattern. Learn the participle originado well — every perfect tense depends on it.

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect of originar steps one event further back than the preterite. «Antes de salir, yo había originado» is the pattern: first this happened, then the story moved on. It is haber in the imperfect plus originado.

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect of originar combines the future of haber with originado. «Para el viernes, yo habré originado ya» is the pattern. Use it when the completion matters more than the action itself.

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect of originar is the tense of «would have done». «Yo habría originado si hubiera podido» is the pattern. It is built from haber in the conditional plus originado.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo origine
tú origines
él/ella/Ud. origine
nosotros/as originemos
vosotros/as originéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. originen

The present subjunctive of originar is the mood of what is wished, doubted or demanded rather than stated as fact. «Espero que tú origines» is the pattern. If the trigger is in the past, switch to the imperfect subjunctive instead.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo originara
tú originaras
él/ella/Ud. originara
nosotros/as origináramos
vosotros/as originarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. originaran

The imperfect subjunctive of originar handles the hypothetical past and the polite conditional. «Ojalá yo originara más a menudo» is the pattern. The -ra forms in the table are the standard ones; the -se forms use the same stem with -se endings.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú origina
él/ella/Ud. origine
nosotros/as originemos
vosotros/as originad
ellos/ellas/Uds. originen

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The affirmative imperative of originar is for orders and instructions. «¡origina, por favor!» is the pattern. Remember there is no yo form in the imperative, and the nosotros form doubles as a suggestion: «¡originemos!» means «let's do it».

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú origines
él/ella/Ud. origine
nosotros/as originemos
vosotros/as originéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. originen

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The negative imperative of originar is built on the present subjunctive: «¡No origines!». Learn it as a set with the subjunctive table above, and never follow no with the affirmative command form.

Example sentences

  1. Yo origino todos los días. — I originate every day.
  2. Ayer yo originé por la tarde. — Yesterday I originated in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo originaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to originate every day.
  4. Mañana yo originaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will originate without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo originaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would originate right now.
  6. Hoy yo he originado dos veces. — Today I have originated twice.
  7. Espero que tú origines pronto. — I hope You originate soon.
  8. Si yo originara, todo sería distinto. — If I originated, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy originando. — Right now I am originating.
  10. ¡origina, por favor! — Originate, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo originaba.

Right: Ayer yo originé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, originé. The imperfect originaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú originas.

Right: Espero que tú origines.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: origines, not the indicative originas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No origina.

Right: No origines.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no origines. The affirmative origina can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo originar todos los días.

Right: Yo origino todos los días.

The infinitive originar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo origino.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He originando.

Right: He originado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he originado. The gerund originando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy originando»), never with haber.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of originar in the present indicative?

- (a) origina
- (b) originamos
- (c) origino
- (d) originas

2. What is the nosotros/as form of originar in the preterite?

- (a) originaste
- (b) originé
- (c) originó
- (d) originamos

3. What is the vosotros/as form of originar in the imperfect?

- (a) originabas
- (b) originaba
- (c) originaba
- (d) originabais

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of originar in the future?

- (a) originarás
- (b) originaré
- (c) originarán
- (d) originará

5. What is the yo form of originar in the conditional?

- (a) originaría
- (b) originarías
- (c) originaríamos
- (d) originaría

6. What is the tú form of originar in the present perfect?

- (a) ha originado
- (b) hemos originado
- (c) has originado
- (d) he originado

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of originar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) originemos
- (b) origines
- (c) origine
- (d) origine

8. What is the nosotros/as form of originar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) originaras
- (b) originara
- (c) originara
- (d) origináramos

9. What is the gerund of originar?

- (a) originando
- (b) originado
- (c) origino
- (d) originar

10. What is the past participle of originar?

- (a) originé
- (b) originar
- (c) originando
- (d) originado

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of originar is origina. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the nosotros/as form of originar is originamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the imperfect, the vosotros/as form of originar is originabais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the future, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of originar is originarán. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the yo form of originar is originaría. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present perfect, the tú form of originar is has originado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — In the present subjunctive, the él/ella/Ud. form of originar is origine. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (d) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the nosotros/as form of originar is origináramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (a) — The gerund of originar is originando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy originando». 10. (d) — The past participle of originar is originado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he originado».

Frequently asked questions

Is originar regular or irregular?

Yes — originar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem origin unchanged throughout.

What are the gerund and past participle of originar?

The gerund is originando and the past participle is originado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy originando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he originado»).

How do I say «I originate» in Spanish?

Say «Yo origino todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of originar?

Use the preterite (originé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (originaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo originé» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo originaba» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with originar?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú origines». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

How do I use originar in the present perfect?

Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he originado». The participle originado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.

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