Podar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb podar means to prune, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Podar 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 podar 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 podo los árboles — "I prune the trees" — and in the preterite you say Yo podé las rosas — "I pruned the roses". 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: podar
- English: to prune
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: podando
- Past participle: podado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + podado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for podar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for podar. 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: podando · Past participle: podado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | podo |
| tú | podas |
| él/ella/Ud. | poda |
| nosotros/as | podamos |
| vosotros/as | podáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | podan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | podé |
| tú | podaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | podó |
| nosotros/as | podamos |
| vosotros/as | podasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | podaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | podaba |
| tú | podabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | podaba |
| nosotros/as | podábamos |
| vosotros/as | podabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | podaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | podaré |
| tú | podarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | podará |
| nosotros/as | podaremos |
| vosotros/as | podaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | podarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | podaría |
| tú | podarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | podaría |
| nosotros/as | podaríamos |
| vosotros/as | podaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | podarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he podado |
| tú | has podado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha podado |
| nosotros/as | hemos podado |
| vosotros/as | habéis podado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han podado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había podado |
| tú | habías podado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había podado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos podado |
| vosotros/as | habíais podado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían podado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré podado |
| tú | habrás podado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá podado |
| nosotros/as | habremos podado |
| vosotros/as | habréis podado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán podado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría podado |
| tú | habrías podado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría podado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos podado |
| vosotros/as | habríais podado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían podado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pode |
| tú | podes |
| él/ella/Ud. | pode |
| nosotros/as | podemos |
| vosotros/as | podéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | poden |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | podara |
| tú | podaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | podara |
| nosotros/as | podáramos |
| vosotros/as | podarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | podaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | poda |
| él/ella/Ud. | pode |
| nosotros/as | podemos |
| vosotros/as | podad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | poden |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | podes |
| él/ella/Ud. | pode |
| nosotros/as | podemos |
| vosotros/as | podéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | poden |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | podando | with estar for the progressive: estoy podando |
| Past participle | podado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he podado |
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 podar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo podo las rosas — "I prune the roses". 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 podar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: En invierno, yo podé — "In winter, I pruned". 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 podar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo podaba los árboles — "I used to prune the trees". 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 podar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo podaré las rosas — "I will prune the roses". 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 podar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: En invierno, yo podaría — "In winter, I would prune". 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 podar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he podado los árboles — "I have pruned the trees". 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 podar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había podado las rosas — "I had pruned the roses". 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 podar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: En invierno, yo habré podado — "In winter, I will have pruned". 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 podar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría podado los árboles — "I would have pruned the trees". 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 podar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él pode las rosas — "I hope he prunes the roses". 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 podar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo podara en invierno, todo cambiaría — "If I pruned in winter, 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 podar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Pode los árboles — "Let him prune the trees". 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 podar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No podes las rosas — "Don't prune the roses". 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 podar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- En invierno, yo podo — "In winter, I prune"
- Él poda los árboles — "He prunes the trees"
- Yo podé las rosas — "I pruned the roses"
- En invierno, yo podaba — "In winter, I used to prune"
- Tú podarás los árboles — "You will prune the trees"
- Yo podaría las rosas — "I would prune the roses"
- En invierno, él ha podado — "In winter, he has pruned"
- Espero que él pode los árboles — "I hope he prunes the trees"
- Yo había podado las rosas — "I had pruned the roses"
- En invierno, ellos podaban — "In winter, they used to prune"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos poda los árboles — Right: Ellos podan los árboles — Ellos needs the ellos form podan. The singular poda belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo podo — Right: Ayer, yo podé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to podé.
- Wrong: De niño, yo podé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo podaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (podaba), not the preterite. The preterite (podé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy podado las rosas. — Right: Yo he podado las rosas. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he podado, has podado, ha podado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él poda los árboles. — Right: Espero que él pode los árboles. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: pode. The indicative poda is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on podar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los árboles. (present tense) A. habíamos podado B. pode C. podo D. podasteis
Complete the sentence: Él ___ los árboles. (preterite) A. podó B. podes C. podan D. podaban
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los árboles. (imperfect) A. podarais B. habéis podado C. podábamos D. habrás podado
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ los árboles. (future) A. podarás B. podo C. podábamos D. podarais
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los árboles. (conditional) A. habían podado B. podo C. podaría D. habíamos podado
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ los árboles. (present subjunctive) A. poden B. podabais C. habrá podado D. pode
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los árboles, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. podaría B. podara C. podad D. he podado
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los árboles. (present perfect) A. hemos podado B. habrán podado C. habéis podado D. podará
Complete the command: No ___ los árboles. (negative imperative, tú) A. podemos B. pode C. podes D. poden
Which is the gerund of podar, used with estar for the progressive? A. podando B. podaba C. podado D. podé
Answer key
- podo — The yo present tense of podar is podo.
- podó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of podar is podó.
- podábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of podar is podábamos.
- podarás — The tú future of podar is podarás.
- podaría — The yo conditional of podar is podaría.
- pode — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of podar is pode.
- podara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of podar is podara.
- hemos podado — The nosotros/as present perfect of podar is hemos podado.
- podes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: podes.
- podando — The gerund of podar is podando: estoy podando. The participle podado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does podar mean in English?
Podar means to prune. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo podo los árboles. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is podar regular?
Yes. Podar is a regular -ar verb: podo, podas, poda. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ar verb.
What is the gerund and the past participle of podar?
The gerund is podando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy podando. The past participle is podado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he podado.
How do I say “I prune” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo podé las rosas. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: En invierno, yo podaba. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he podado los árboles.
How do I practise podar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the podar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Podar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for podar.
- Podar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for podar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Arar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with podar.
- Pastar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with podar.
- Matricularse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with podar.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.