Perseguir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

perseguir means "to pursue" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Perseguir means to pursue or chase someone, or to pursue a goal: perseguir a un ladrón, perseguir sus sueños. The stem changes e to i in the present and the preterite third person. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of perseguir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the perseguir present tense page.

perseguir in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo persigo a un ladrón por la calle — "I pursue a thief down the street"
  2. Mi amigo persigue sus sueños desde niño — "My friend pursues his dreams since childhood"
  3. Mañana, tú perseguirás al gato por el jardín — "Tomorrow, you will pursue the cat around the garden"
  4. Yo perseguiría una meta difícil si pudiera — "I would pursue a difficult goal if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo perseguí a un ladrón por la calle — "Yesterday, I pursued a thief down the street"
  2. Antes, nosotros perseguíamos sus sueños desde niño — "Before, we used to pursue his dreams since childhood"
  3. Él ha perseguido al gato por el jardín — "He has pursued the cat around the garden"
  4. Yo ya había perseguido una meta difícil antes de salir — "I already had pursued a difficult goal before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él persiga a un ladrón por la calle — "I hope he pursues a thief down the street"
  2. Si yo persiguiera sus sueños desde niño, todo cambiaría — "If I pursued his dreams since childhood, everything would change"
  3. Persigue al gato por el jardín. — "Pursue the cat around the garden."
  4. Yo habría perseguido una meta difícil con más tiempo — "I would have pursued a difficult goal with more time"

perseguir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use perseguir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo persigo a un ladrón por la calle — "I pursue a thief down the street"
  • Marcos: Él persigue sus sueños desde niño — "He pursues his dreams since childhood"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo perseguí al gato por el jardín — "Yesterday, I pursued the cat around the garden"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú perseguirás una meta difícil — "Tomorrow, you will pursue a difficult goal"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Persigue al sospechoso hasta el parque. — "Pursue the suspect as far as the park."
  • Lucía: Él ha perseguido a un ladrón por la calle — "He has pursued a thief down the street"
  • Marcos: Espero que él persiga sus sueños desde niño — "I hope he pursues his dreams since childhood"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo perseguía al gato por el jardín — "Before, I used to pursue the cat around the garden"

Common mistakes with perseguir

The errors learners actually make with perseguir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo perseguo una meta difícil.

✓ Correct: Yo persigo una meta difícil.

perseguir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is persigo, not perseguo.

✗ *Espero que él persigue una meta difícil

✓ Correct: Espero que él persiga una meta difícil

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él persiga una meta difícil — not the indicative Espero que él persigue una meta difícil.

✗ *Ayer, yo persigo al sospechoso hasta el parque

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo perseguí al sospechoso hasta el parque

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo perseguí al sospechoso hasta el parque.

✗ *De niño, yo perseguí a un ladrón por la calle todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo perseguía a un ladrón por la calle todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo perseguía a un ladrón por la calle todos los días.

✗ *Yo persigo gato por el jardín.

✓ Correct: Yo persigo al gato por el jardín.

perseguir takes al before this complement: Yo persigo al gato por el jardín. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: perseguir in use

Ten questions on perseguir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a un ladrón por la calle — "I pursue a thief down the street" (present) A. persigue B. perseguimos C. persigo D. persigues

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ sus sueños desde niño — "Yesterday, I pursued his dreams since childhood" (preterite) A. perseguimos B. perseguí C. perseguiste D. persiguió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ al gato por el jardín — "Before, we used to pursue the cat around the garden" (imperfect) A. perseguías B. perseguíais C. perseguíamos D. perseguía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ una meta difícil — "Tomorrow, you will pursue a difficult goal" (future) A. perseguiremos B. perseguirás C. perseguiré D. perseguirá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al sospechoso hasta el parque — "I would pursue the suspect as far as the park" (conditional) A. perseguiríais B. perseguiría C. perseguirías D. perseguiríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a un ladrón por la calle — "He has pursued a thief down the street" (present perfect) A. ha perseguido B. he perseguido C. has perseguido D. hemos perseguido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ sus sueños desde niño — "I hope he pursues his dreams since childhood" (present subjunctive) A. persigas B. persigamos C. persiguáis D. persiga

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ al gato por el jardín. — "Pursue the cat around the garden." (affirmative imperative) A. persigamos B. perseguid C. persigue D. persiga

  9. Which is the gerund of perseguir, used with estar for the progressive? A. persiguiendo B. perseguido C. persigo D. perseguí

  10. What does perseguir mean in English? A. to enjoy B. to cross C. to pursue D. to follow

Answer key

  1. persigo — The present form for yo is persigo.
  2. perseguí — The preterite form for yo is perseguí.
  3. perseguíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is perseguíamos.
  4. perseguirás — The future form for tú is perseguirás.
  5. perseguiría — The conditional form for yo is perseguiría.
  6. ha perseguido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha perseguido.
  7. persiga — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is persiga.
  8. persigue — The affirmative imperative form is persigue.
  9. persiguiendo — The gerund of perseguir is persiguiendo: estoy persiguiendo. The participle perseguido is used with haber instead.
  10. to pursue — perseguir means to pursue.

Frequently asked questions

What does perseguir mean in English?

perseguir means to pursue. For example: Yo persigo a un ladrón por la calle — "I pursue a thief down the street". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with perseguir?

perseguir takes al before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with perseguir.

Is perseguir regular?

No. perseguir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: persigo, persigues, persigue and persiguen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: perseguimos, perseguís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: persiguió, persiguieron, and the gerund is persiguiendo.

How do I practise perseguir?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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