Perseguir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb perseguir means to pursue, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, perseguir 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 persigo a un ladrón por la calle — "I pursue a thief down the street". 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.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: perseguir
  • English: to pursue
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: persiguiendo
  • Past participle: perseguido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + perseguido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | persigo | | tú | persigues | | él/ella/Ud. | persigue | | nosotros/as | perseguimos | | vosotros/as | perseguís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | persiguen |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perseguí | | tú | perseguiste | | él/ella/Ud. | persiguió | | nosotros/as | perseguimos | | vosotros/as | perseguisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | persiguieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perseguía | | tú | perseguías | | él/ella/Ud. | perseguía | | nosotros/as | perseguíamos | | vosotros/as | perseguíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perseguían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perseguiré | | tú | perseguirás | | él/ella/Ud. | perseguirá | | nosotros/as | perseguiremos | | vosotros/as | perseguiréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perseguirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | perseguiría | | tú | perseguirías | | él/ella/Ud. | perseguiría | | nosotros/as | perseguiríamos | | vosotros/as | perseguiríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | perseguirían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | persiga | | tú | persigas | | él/ella/Ud. | persiga | | nosotros/as | persigamos | | vosotros/as | persiguáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | persigan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | persiguiera | | tú | persiguieras | | él/ella/Ud. | persiguiera | | nosotros/as | persiguiéramos | | vosotros/as | persiguierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | persiguieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | persigue | | él/ella/Ud. | persiga | | nosotros/as | persigamos | | vosotros/as | perseguid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | persigan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | persigas | | él/ella/Ud. | persiga | | nosotros/as | persigamos | | vosotros/as | persiguáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | persigan |

Gerund and past participle

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

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For perseguir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo persigo a un ladrón por la calle — "I pursue a thief down the street".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: persiguió, persiguieron. The gerund changes too: persiguiendo. For perseguir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo perseguí sus sueños desde niño — "Yesterday, I pursued his dreams since childhood".

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 perseguir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo perseguía al gato por el jardín — "As a child, I used to pursue the cat around the garden".

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 perseguir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo perseguiré una meta difícil — "Tomorrow, I will pursue a difficult goal".

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 perseguir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo perseguiría a un ladrón por la calle si pudiera — "I would pursue a thief down the street 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 perseguir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he perseguido sus sueños desde niño — "Today, I have pursued his dreams since childhood".

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 perseguir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había perseguido al gato por el jardín antes de salir — "I already had pursued the cat around the garden 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 perseguir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré perseguido una meta difícil — "By tomorrow, I will have pursued a difficult goal".

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 perseguir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría perseguido a un ladrón por la calle con más tiempo — "I would have pursued a thief down the street with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For perseguir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él persiga sus sueños desde niño — "I hope he pursues his dreams since childhood".

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 irregular — see the table above. For perseguir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo persiguiera al gato por el jardín, todo cambiaría — "If I pursued the cat around the garden, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For perseguir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Persigue una meta difícil. — "Pursue a difficult goal.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For perseguir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No persigas a un ladrón por la calle. — "Do not pursue a thief down the street.".

Example sentences

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

  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. Ayer, yo perseguí al gato por el jardín — "Yesterday, I pursued the cat around the garden"
  4. Antes, nosotros perseguíamos una meta difícil — "Before, we used to pursue a difficult goal"
  5. Mañana, tú perseguirás al sospechoso hasta el parque — "Tomorrow, you will pursue the suspect as far as the park"
  6. Yo perseguiría a un ladrón por la calle si tuviera más tiempo — "I would pursue a thief down the street if I had more time"
  7. Él ha perseguido sus sueños desde niño — "He has pursued his dreams since childhood"
  8. Espero que él persiga al gato por el jardín — "I hope he pursues the cat around the garden"
  9. Yo ya había perseguido una meta difícil antes de salir — "I already had pursued a difficult goal before leaving"
  10. Ellos perseguían al sospechoso hasta el parque cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to pursue the suspect as far as the park when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo perseguo sus sueños desde niño. — Right: Yo persigo sus sueños desde niño. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él persigue sus sueños desde niño — Right: Espero que él persiga sus sueños desde niño — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él persiga sus sueños desde niño — not the indicative Espero que él persigue sus sueños desde niño.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo persigo al gato por el jardín — Right: Ayer, yo perseguí al gato por el jardín — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo perseguí al gato por el jardín.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo perseguí una meta difícil todos los días — Right: De niño, yo perseguía una meta difícil todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo perseguía una meta difícil todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo persigo un ladrón por la calle. — Right: Yo persigo a un ladrón por la calle. — perseguir takes a before this complement: Yo persigo a un ladrón por la calle. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  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: Él ______ sus sueños desde niño — "He pursued his dreams since childhood" (preterite) A. perseguí B. perseguiste C. perseguimos D. persiguió

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ una meta difícil — "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: Espero que él ______ a un ladrón por la calle — "I hope he pursues a thief down the street" (present subjunctive) A. persigamos B. persiguáis C. persiga D. persigas

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ sus sueños desde niño, todo cambiaría — "If I pursued his dreams since childhood, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. persiguieras B. persiguiéramos C. persiguierais D. persiguiera

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ al gato por el jardín — "We have pursued the cat around the garden" (present perfect) A. ha perseguido B. hemos perseguido C. he perseguido D. has perseguido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ una meta difícil. — "Do not pursue a difficult goal." (negative imperative) A. persiguáis B. persigas C. persiga D. persigamos

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

Answer key

  1. persigo — The present form for yo is persigo.
  2. persiguió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is persiguió.
  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. persiga — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is persiga.
  7. persiguiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is persiguiera.
  8. hemos perseguido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos perseguido.
  9. persigas — The negative imperative form is persigas.
  10. persiguiendo — The gerund of perseguir is persiguiendo: estoy persiguiendo. The participle perseguido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does perseguir mean in English?

perseguir means to pursue. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of perseguir?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo perseguí sus sueños desde niño — "Yesterday, I pursued his dreams since childhood". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo perseguía al gato por el jardín — "As a child, I used to pursue the cat around the garden". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he perseguido sus sueños desde niño — "Today, I have pursued his dreams since childhood".

What is the difference between perseguir and seguir?

Seguir is to follow someone or something. Perseguir adds the idea of chasing or hunting, or of pursuing a goal over time. 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.

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