Pesar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb pesar means to weigh, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Pesar is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of pesar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example, in the present tense you say Yo peso la fruta — "I weigh the fruit" — and in the preterite you say Yo pesé el equipaje — "I weighed the luggage". 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: pesar
- English: to weigh
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: pesando
- Past participle: pesado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + pesado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pesar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for pesar. 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.
Gerund: pesando · Past participle: pesado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | peso |
| tú | pesas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pesa |
| nosotros/as | pesamos |
| vosotros/as | pesáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pesan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pesé |
| tú | pesaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | pesó |
| nosotros/as | pesamos |
| vosotros/as | pesasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pesaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pesaba |
| tú | pesabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pesaba |
| nosotros/as | pesábamos |
| vosotros/as | pesabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pesaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pesaré |
| tú | pesarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | pesará |
| nosotros/as | pesaremos |
| vosotros/as | pesaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pesarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pesaría |
| tú | pesarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | pesaría |
| nosotros/as | pesaríamos |
| vosotros/as | pesaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pesarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he pesado |
| tú | has pesado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha pesado |
| nosotros/as | hemos pesado |
| vosotros/as | habéis pesado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han pesado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había pesado |
| tú | habías pesado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había pesado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos pesado |
| vosotros/as | habíais pesado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían pesado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré pesado |
| tú | habrás pesado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá pesado |
| nosotros/as | habremos pesado |
| vosotros/as | habréis pesado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán pesado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría pesado |
| tú | habrías pesado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría pesado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos pesado |
| vosotros/as | habríais pesado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían pesado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pese |
| tú | peses |
| él/ella/Ud. | pese |
| nosotros/as | pesemos |
| vosotros/as | peséis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pesen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pesara |
| tú | pesaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | pesara |
| nosotros/as | pesáramos |
| vosotros/as | pesarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pesaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pesa |
| él/ella/Ud. | pese |
| nosotros/as | pesemos |
| vosotros/as | pesad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pesen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | peses |
| él/ella/Ud. | pese |
| nosotros/as | pesemos |
| vosotros/as | peséis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pesen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | pesando | with estar for the progressive: estoy pesando |
| Past participle | pesado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he pesado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For pesar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo peso el equipaje — "I weigh the luggage". Learn the present indicative 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 in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For pesar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pesé las verduras — "I weighed the vegetables". 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 words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For pesar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pesaba la fruta — "I used to weigh the fruit". 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. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For pesar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pesaré el equipaje — "I will weigh the luggage". 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 in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For pesar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pesaría las verduras — "I would weigh the vegetables". 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. It connects the past with the present moment. For pesar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he pesado la fruta — "I have weighed the fruit". 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. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For pesar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había pesado el equipaje — "I had weighed the luggage". 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, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For pesar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré pesado las verduras — "I will have weighed the vegetables". 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. It looks back at a past that never happened. For pesar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría pesado la fruta — "I would have weighed the fruit". 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. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For pesar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él pese el equipaje — "I hope he weighs the luggage". 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 pesar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo pesara las verduras, todo cambiaría — "If I weighed the vegetables, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) 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. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For pesar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Pese la fruta — "Let him weigh the fruit". Learn the imperative (affirmative) 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. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For pesar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No peses el equipaje — "Don't weigh the luggage". Learn the imperative (negative) 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 pesar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo peso las verduras — "I weigh the vegetables"
- Él pesa la fruta — "He weighs the fruit"
- Yo pesé el equipaje — "I weighed the luggage"
- Yo pesaba las verduras — "I used to weigh the vegetables"
- Tú pesarás la fruta — "You will weigh the fruit"
- Yo pesaría el equipaje — "I would weigh the luggage"
- Él ha pesado las verduras — "He has weighed the vegetables"
- Espero que él pese la fruta — "I hope he weighs the fruit"
- Yo había pesado el equipaje — "I had weighed the luggage"
- Ellos pesaban las verduras — "They used to weigh the vegetables"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos pesa la fruta — Right: Ellos pesan la fruta — Ellos needs the ellos form pesan. The singular pesa belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo peso — Right: Ayer, yo pesé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to pesé.
- Wrong: De niño, yo pesé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo pesaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (pesaba), not the preterite. The preterite (pesé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy pesado el equipaje. — Right: Yo he pesado el equipaje. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he pesado, has pesado, ha pesado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él pesa la fruta. — Right: Espero que él pese la fruta. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: pese. The indicative pesa is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on pesar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la fruta. (present tense) A. pesé B. pesabais C. pesarán D. peso
Complete the sentence: Él ___ la fruta. (preterite) A. habrán pesado B. peséis C. pesó D. pesaré
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la fruta. (imperfect) A. habrá pesado B. pesábamos C. habíamos pesado D. pesaréis
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la fruta. (future) A. habían pesado B. pesaremos C. pesarás D. pesad
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la fruta. (conditional) A. pesaría B. hemos pesado C. pesé D. pesaríamos
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la fruta. (present subjunctive) A. pesaremos B. pesarás C. pesaba D. pese
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la fruta, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. habrán pesado B. pesara C. habríais pesado D. pesé
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la fruta. (present perfect) A. pesarían B. pese C. hemos pesado D. he pesado
Complete the command: No ___ la fruta. (negative imperative, tú) A. pesemos B. peséis C. peses D. pesen
Which is the gerund of pesar, used with estar for the progressive? A. pesaba B. pesé C. pesando D. peso
Answer key
- peso — The yo present tense of pesar is peso.
- pesó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of pesar is pesó.
- pesábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of pesar is pesábamos.
- pesarás — The tú future of pesar is pesarás.
- pesaría — The yo conditional of pesar is pesaría.
- pese — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of pesar is pese.
- pesara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of pesar is pesara.
- hemos pesado — The nosotros/as present perfect of pesar is hemos pesado.
- peses — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: peses.
- pesando — The gerund of pesar is pesando: estoy pesando. The participle pesado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does pesar mean in English?
Pesar means to weigh. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo peso la fruta. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is pesar regular?
Yes. Pesar is a regular -ar verb: peso, pesas, pesa. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ar verb.
How do I say “I weigh” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo pesé el equipaje. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo pesaba las verduras. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he pesado la fruta.
How do I practise pesar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the pesar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Pesar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for pesar.
- Pesar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for pesar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Pintarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pesar.
- Pisar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pesar.
- Planear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pesar.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.