Pactar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb pactar means to agree, to pact, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. It is a regular -ar verb verb: the stem is pact and the endings follow the -ar pattern, with the exceptions noted in the tables below. 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 «Yo pacto todos los días», which means «I agree every day». 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: pactar
  • English: to agree, to pact
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: pactando
  • Past participle: pactado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + pactado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Gerund: pactando · Past participle: pactado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo pacto
tú pactas
él/ella/Ud. pacta
nosotros/as pactamos
vosotros/as pactáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pactan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For pactar, the yo form is pacto, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future.

Preterite

Person Form
yo pacté
tú pactaste
él/ella/Ud. pactó
nosotros/as pactamos
vosotros/as pactasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pactaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo pacté» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo pactaba
tú pactabas
él/ella/Ud. pactaba
nosotros/as pactábamos
vosotros/as pactabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. pactaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo pactaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Form
yo pactaré
tú pactarás
él/ella/Ud. pactará
nosotros/as pactaremos
vosotros/as pactaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pactarán

The future tense states what will happen. For pactar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo pactaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.

Conditional

Person Form
yo pactaría
tú pactarías
él/ella/Ud. pactaría
nosotros/as pactaríamos
vosotros/as pactaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. pactarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo pactaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he pactado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había pactado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré pactado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría pactado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo pacte
tú pactes
él/ella/Ud. pacte
nosotros/as pactemos
vosotros/as pactéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pacten

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él pacte». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo pactara
tú pactaras
él/ella/Ud. pactara
nosotros/as pactáramos
vosotros/as pactarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. pactaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él pactara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú pacta
él/ella/Ud. pacte
nosotros/as pactemos
vosotros/as pactad
ellos/ellas/Uds. pacten

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

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡pacta!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú pactes
él/ella/Ud. pacte
nosotros/as pactemos
vosotros/as pactéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pacten

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

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No pactes!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.

Example sentences

  1. Yo pacto todos los días. — I agree every day.
  2. Ayer yo pacté por la tarde. — Yesterday I agreed in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo pactaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to agree every day.
  4. Mañana yo pactaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will agree without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo pactaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would agree right now.
  6. Hoy yo he pactado dos veces. — Today I have agreed twice.
  7. Espero que tú pactes pronto. — I hope You agree soon.
  8. Si yo pactara, todo sería distinto. — If I agreed, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy pactando. — Right now I am agreeeing.
  10. ¡pacta, por favor! — Agree, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo pactaba.

Right: Ayer yo pacté.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, pacté. The imperfect pactaba 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 pactas.

Right: Espero que tú pactes.

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

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No pacta.

Right: No pactes.

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

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo pactar todos los días.

Right: Yo pacto todos los días.

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

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He pactando.

Right: He pactado.

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

Quiz

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

1. What is the nosotros/as form of pactar in the present indicative?

- (a) pacta
- (b) pactas
- (c) pactamos
- (d) pacto

2. What is the vosotros/as form of pactar in the preterite?

- (a) pactasteis
- (b) pacté
- (c) pactaste
- (d) pactó

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pactar in the imperfect?

- (a) pactaba
- (b) pactaban
- (c) pactabas
- (d) pactaba

4. What is the yo form of pactar in the future?

- (a) pactaré
- (b) pactaremos
- (c) pactará
- (d) pactarás

5. What is the tú form of pactar in the conditional?

- (a) pactaría
- (b) pactaríamos
- (c) pactarías
- (d) pactaría

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of pactar in the present perfect?

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

7. What is the nosotros/as form of pactar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) pactemos
- (b) pacte
- (c) pacte
- (d) pactes

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

- (a) pactara
- (b) pactaras
- (c) pactara
- (d) pactarais

9. What is the gerund of pactar?

- (a) pactado
- (b) pactando
- (c) pacto
- (d) pactar

10. What is the past participle of pactar?

- (a) pactado
- (b) pactar
- (c) pactando
- (d) pacté

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of pactar is pactamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of pactar is pactasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pactar is pactaban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the future, the yo form of pactar is pactaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the conditional, the tú form of pactar is pactarías. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of pactar is ha pactado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — In the present subjunctive, the nosotros/as form of pactar is pactemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (d) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the vosotros/as form of pactar is pactarais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (b) — The gerund of pactar is pactando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy pactando». 10. (a) — The past participle of pactar is pactado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he pactado».

Frequently asked questions

Is pactar regular or irregular?

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

What are the gerund and past participle of pactar?

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

How do I say «I agree» in Spanish?

Say «Yo pacto 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 pactar?

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

When do I use the subjunctive with pactar?

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

How do I use pactar in the present perfect?

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

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