Permanecer Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb permanecer means to remain, to stay, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Permanecer means to remain or to stay, and it is used for remaining at home, remaining silent and remaining in a hotel for another week. It is a formal synonym of quedarse, and it is a -cer spelling-change verb. Like every Spanish verb, permanecer 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 permanezco en casa todo el día, and in the preterite you say permanecí en el hotel una semana más. 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: permanecer
- English: to remain, to stay
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: permaneciendo
- Past participle: permanecido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + permanecido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for permanecer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes zc before o and a, so yo permanezco and the subjunctive permanezca. It is more formal than quedarse.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for permanecer. 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 | permanezco |
| tú | permaneces |
| él/ella/Ud. | permanece |
| nosotros/as | permanecemos |
| vosotros/as | permanecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | permanecen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | permanecí |
| tú | permaneciste |
| él/ella/Ud. | permaneció |
| nosotros/as | permanecimos |
| vosotros/as | permanecisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | permanecieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | permanecía |
| tú | permanecías |
| él/ella/Ud. | permanecía |
| nosotros/as | permanecíamos |
| vosotros/as | permanecíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | permanecían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | permaneceré |
| tú | permanecerás |
| él/ella/Ud. | permanecerá |
| nosotros/as | permaneceremos |
| vosotros/as | permaneceréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | permanecerán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | permanecería |
| tú | permanecerías |
| él/ella/Ud. | permanecería |
| nosotros/as | permaneceríamos |
| vosotros/as | permaneceríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | permanecerían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he permanecido |
| tú | has permanecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha permanecido |
| nosotros/as | hemos permanecido |
| vosotros/as | habéis permanecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han permanecido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había permanecido |
| tú | habías permanecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había permanecido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos permanecido |
| vosotros/as | habíais permanecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían permanecido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré permanecido |
| tú | habrás permanecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá permanecido |
| nosotros/as | habremos permanecido |
| vosotros/as | habréis permanecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán permanecido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría permanecido |
| tú | habrías permanecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría permanecido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos permanecido |
| vosotros/as | habríais permanecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían permanecido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | permanezca |
| tú | permanezcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | permanezca |
| nosotros/as | permanezcamos |
| vosotros/as | permanecáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | permanezcan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | permaneciera |
| tú | permanecieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | permaneciera |
| nosotros/as | permaneciéramos |
| vosotros/as | permanecierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | permanecieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | permanece |
| él/ella/Ud. | permanezca |
| nosotros/as | permanezcamos |
| vosotros/as | permaneced |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | permanezcan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | permanezcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | permanezca |
| nosotros/as | permanezcamos |
| vosotros/as | permanecáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | permanezcan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | permaneciendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy permaneciendo |
| Past participle | permanecido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he permanecido |
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 permanecer, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Permanezco en casa todo el día. 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 permanecer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, permanecí en silencio durante la reunión. 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 permanecer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, permanecía en el hotel una semana más. 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 permanecer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, permaneceré sentado junto a la ventana. 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 permanecer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Permanecería en casa todo el día 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 permanecer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he permanecido en silencio durante la reunión. 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 permanecer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había permanecido en el hotel una semana más 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 permanecer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré permanecido sentado junto a la ventana. 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 permanecer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría permanecido en casa todo el día 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 permanecer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él permanezca en silencio durante la reunión. 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 permanecer, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él permaneciera en el hotel una semana más, 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 permanecer, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Permanece sentado junto a la ventana! 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 permanecer, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No permanezcas en casa todo el día. 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 permanecer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Permanezco en casa todo el día. — I remain at home all day.
- Permanece en silencio durante la reunión. — He/she remains silent during the meeting.
- Ayer, permanecí en el hotel una semana más. — Yesterday, I remained in the hotel one more week.
- Antes, nosotros permanecíamos sentado junto a la ventana. — Before, we used to remain seated by the window.
- Mañana, tú permanecerás en casa todo el día. — Tomorrow, you will remain at home all day.
- Yo permanecería en silencio durante la reunión si tuviera más tiempo. — I would remain silent during the meeting if I had more time.
- Él ha permanecido en el hotel una semana más. — He has remained in the hotel one more week.
- Espero que él permanezca sentado junto a la ventana. — I hope he remains seated by the window.
- Yo ya había permanecido en casa todo el día antes de salir. — I had already remained at home all day before leaving.
- Ellos permanecían en silencio durante la reunión cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to remain silent during the meeting when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo permanece en casa todo el día. — Right: Yo permanezco en casa todo el día. — The person matters: permanece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is permanezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo permaneco en silencio durante la reunión. — Right: Yo permanezco en silencio durante la reunión. — In the present, the correct first-person form is permanezco, not permaneco. permanecer 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.
- Wrong: Treating permanecer and quedarse as identical in every context. — Right: Permanecer means to remain, to stay, while quedarse means to stay, the everyday verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: permanecer fits sentences such as Permanezco en casa todo el día, while quedarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy permanecido en silencio durante la reunión. — Right: Yo he permanecido en silencio durante la reunión. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he permanecido, has permanecido, ha permanecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo permanecí en el hotel una semana más todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo permanecía en el hotel una semana más todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (permanecía), not the preterite. The preterite (permanecí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on permanecer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en casa todo el día. (present tense) A. permanezco B. permaneces C. permanece D. permanecemos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en silencio durante la reunión. (preterite) A. permanecí B. permaneciste C. permanecieron D. permaneció
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en el hotel una semana más. (imperfect) A. permanecías B. permanecían C. permanecíamos D. permanecía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ sentado junto a la ventana. (future) A. permaneceremos B. permanecerás C. permaneceré D. permanecerá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en casa todo el día si pudiera. (conditional) A. permanecería B. permanecerías C. permanecerían D. permanezco
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en silencio durante la reunión. (present subjunctive) A. permanezcas B. permanezcamos C. permanezco D. permanezca
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en el hotel una semana más, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. permaneciéramos B. permanezco C. permaneciera D. permanecieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ sentado junto a la ventana. (present perfect) A. han permanecido B. hemos permanecido C. he permanecido D. has permanecido
Complete the command: ¡___ en casa todo el día! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. permanece B. permanezca C. permanezcamos D. permaneced
Which is the gerund of permanecer, used with estar for the progressive? A. permanecido B. permanezco C. permanecí D. permaneciendo
Answer key
- permanezco — The first-person present of permanecer is permanezco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- permaneció — The third-person preterite of permanecer is permaneció, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- permanecíamos — The nosotros imperfect of permanecer is permanecíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- permanecerás — The second-person future of permanecer is permanecerás.
- permanecería — The first-person conditional of permanecer is permanecería, the form for what would happen.
- permanezca — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of permanecer is permanezca.
- permaneciera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of permanecer is permaneciera.
- hemos permanecido — The nosotros present perfect of permanecer is hemos permanecido: hemos + permanecido.
- permanece — The affirmative tú imperative of permanecer is permanece.
- permaneciendo — The gerund of permanecer is permaneciendo: estoy permaneciendo. The participle permanecido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does permanecer mean in English?
Permanecer means to remain, to stay. It is used in everyday situations such as Permanezco en casa todo el día. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is permanecer regular or irregular?
Permanecer 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 permanezco in the present and permanecí in the preterite.
What is the difference between permanecer and quedarse?
Permanecer means to remain, to stay, while quedarse means to stay, the everyday verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use permanecer when you mean to remain, to stay, as in Permanezco en casa todo el día, and use quedarse for to stay, the everyday verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I remain” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo permanecí en silencio durante la reunión. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo permanecía en el hotel una semana más. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he permanecido en silencio durante la reunión.
How do I practise permanecer?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the permanecer examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Permanecer in the present tense — the full present-tense table for permanecer.
- Permanecer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for permanecer.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Establecer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with permanecer.
- Pertenecer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with permanecer.
- Merecer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with permanecer.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.