Perpetuar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb perpetuar means to perpetuate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Perpetuar means to perpetuate something: perpetuar la memoria de su abuelo, perpetuar la tradición. It is used for memories, traditions, names and, in criticism, injustices. Like every Spanish verb, perpetuar 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 Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory". 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: perpetuar
  • English: to perpetuate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: perpetuando
  • Past participle: perpetuado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + perpetuado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perpetúo | | tú | perpetúas | | él/ella/Ud. | perpetúa | | nosotros/as | perpetuamos | | vosotros/as | perpetuáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perpetúan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perpetué | | tú | perpetuaste | | él/ella/Ud. | perpetuó | | nosotros/as | perpetuamos | | vosotros/as | perpetuasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perpetuaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perpetuaba | | tú | perpetuabas | | él/ella/Ud. | perpetuaba | | nosotros/as | perpetuábamos | | vosotros/as | perpetuabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perpetuaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perpetuaré | | tú | perpetuarás | | él/ella/Ud. | perpetuará | | nosotros/as | perpetuaremos | | vosotros/as | perpetuaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perpetuarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perpetuaría | | tú | perpetuarías | | él/ella/Ud. | perpetuaría | | nosotros/as | perpetuaríamos | | vosotros/as | perpetuaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perpetuarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perpetúe | | tú | perpetúes | | él/ella/Ud. | perpetúe | | nosotros/as | perpetuemos | | vosotros/as | perpetuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perpetúen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perpetuara | | tú | perpetuaras | | él/ella/Ud. | perpetuara | | nosotros/as | perpetuáramos | | vosotros/as | perpetuarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perpetuaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | perpetúa | | él/ella/Ud. | perpetúe | | nosotros/as | perpetuemos | | vosotros/as | perpetuad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perpetúen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | perpetúes | | él/ella/Ud. | perpetúe | | nosotros/as | perpetuemos | | vosotros/as | perpetuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perpetúen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund perpetuando with estar for the progressive: está perpetuando
Past participle perpetuado with haber for the perfect tenses: he perpetuado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perpetuar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory".

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 perpetuar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo perpetué la tradición en el pueblo — "Yesterday, I perpetuated the tradition in the village".

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 perpetuar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo perpetuaba el nombre de su familia — "As a child, I used to perpetuate the family name".

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 perpetuar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo perpetuaré el mito en los libros — "Tomorrow, I will perpetuate the myth in books".

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 perpetuar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo perpetuaría la memoria de su abuelo si pudiera — "I would perpetuate his grandfather's memory if I could".

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 perpetuar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he perpetuado la tradición en el pueblo — "Today, I have perpetuated the tradition in the village".

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 perpetuar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había perpetuado el nombre de su familia antes de salir — "I already had perpetuated the family name before leaving".

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 perpetuar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré perpetuado el mito en los libros — "By tomorrow, I will have perpetuated the myth in books".

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 perpetuar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría perpetuado la memoria de su abuelo con más tiempo — "I would have perpetuated his grandfather's memory with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perpetuar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él perpetúe la tradición en el pueblo — "I hope he perpetuates the tradition in the village".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 perpetuar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo perpetuara el nombre de su familia, todo cambiaría — "If I perpetuated the family name, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perpetuar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Perpetúa el mito en los libros. — "Perpetuate the myth in books.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perpetuar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No perpetúes la memoria de su abuelo. — "Do not perpetuate his grandfather's memory.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with perpetuar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory"
  2. Mi amigo perpetúa la tradición en el pueblo — "My friend perpetuates the tradition in the village"
  3. Ayer, yo perpetué el nombre de su familia — "Yesterday, I perpetuated the family name"
  4. Antes, nosotros perpetuábamos el mito en los libros — "Before, we used to perpetuate the myth in books"
  5. Mañana, tú perpetuarás la injusticia con su silencio — "Tomorrow, you will perpetuate the injustice with his silence"
  6. Yo perpetuaría la memoria de su abuelo si tuviera más tiempo — "I would perpetuate his grandfather's memory if I had more time"
  7. Él ha perpetuado la tradición en el pueblo — "He has perpetuated the tradition in the village"
  8. Espero que él perpetúe el nombre de su familia — "I hope he perpetuates the family name"
  9. Yo ya había perpetuado el mito en los libros antes de salir — "I already had perpetuated the myth in books before leaving"
  10. Ellos perpetuaban la injusticia con su silencio cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to perpetuate the injustice with his silence when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él perpetúa la tradición en el pueblo — Right: Espero que él perpetúe la tradición en el pueblo — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él perpetúe la tradición en el pueblo — not the indicative Espero que él perpetúa la tradición en el pueblo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo perpetúo el nombre de su familia — Right: Ayer, yo perpetué el nombre de su familia — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo perpetué el nombre de su familia.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo perpetué el mito en los libros todos los días — Right: De niño, yo perpetuaba el mito en los libros todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo perpetuaba el mito en los libros todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo perpetúo en la memoria de su abuelo. — Right: Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo. — perpetuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros perpetuais la injusticia con su silencio. — Right: Vosotros perpetuáis la injusticia con su silencio. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: perpetuáis, not perpetuais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory" (present) A. perpetúa B. perpetuamos C. perpetúo D. perpetúas

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la tradición en el pueblo — "He perpetuated the tradition in the village" (preterite) A. perpetué B. perpetuaste C. perpetuamos D. perpetuó

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el nombre de su familia — "We used to perpetuate the family name" (imperfect) A. perpetuaba B. perpetuabas C. perpetuabais D. perpetuábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el mito en los libros — "You will perpetuate the myth in books" (future) A. perpetuaremos B. perpetuarás C. perpetuaré D. perpetuará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la injusticia con su silencio — "I would perpetuate the injustice with his silence" (conditional) A. perpetuaríais B. perpetuaría C. perpetuarías D. perpetuaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la memoria de su abuelo — "I hope he perpetuates his grandfather's memory" (present subjunctive) A. perpetuemos B. perpetuéis C. perpetúe D. perpetúes

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la tradición en el pueblo, todo cambiaría — "If I perpetuated the tradition in the village, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. perpetuaras B. perpetuáramos C. perpetuarais D. perpetuara

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el nombre de su familia — "We have perpetuated the family name" (present perfect) A. hemos perpetuado B. he perpetuado C. has perpetuado D. ha perpetuado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el mito en los libros. — "Do not perpetuate the myth in books." (negative imperative) A. perpetuéis B. perpetúes C. perpetúe D. perpetuemos

  10. Which is the gerund of perpetuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. perpetúo B. perpetué C. perpetuando D. perpetuado

Answer key

  1. perpetúo — The present form for yo is perpetúo.
  2. perpetuó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is perpetuó.
  3. perpetuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is perpetuábamos.
  4. perpetuarás — The future form for tú is perpetuarás.
  5. perpetuaría — The conditional form for yo is perpetuaría.
  6. perpetúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is perpetúe.
  7. perpetuara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is perpetuara.
  8. hemos perpetuado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos perpetuado.
  9. perpetúes — The negative imperative form is perpetúes.
  10. perpetuando — The gerund of perpetuar is perpetuando: estoy perpetuando. The participle perpetuado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does perpetuar mean in English?

perpetuar means to perpetuate. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is perpetuar regular?

Yes. perpetuar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as perpetuáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of perpetuar?

The gerund is perpetuando and the past participle is perpetuado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I perpetuate" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo perpetué la tradición en el pueblo — "Yesterday, I perpetuated the tradition in the village". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo perpetuaba el nombre de su familia — "As a child, I used to perpetuate the family name". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he perpetuado la tradición en el pueblo — "Today, I have perpetuated the tradition in the village".

What is the difference between perpetuar and mantener?

Mantener is to keep something going. Perpetuar is stronger — to make it last for ever, for better or for worse. Perpetuar means to perpetuate something: perpetuar la memoria de su abuelo, perpetuar la tradición. It is used for memories, traditions, names and, in criticism, injustices.

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