Poseer Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb poseer means to possess — it also means to own, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Poseer is a vowel-stem -er verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. It has a spelling change (vowel stem before preterite/gerund), which keeps the pronunciation of the stem the same when the ending changes. On this page you will find the full conjugation of poseer 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 poseo una casa — "I possess a house" — and in the preterite you say Yo poseí mucho dinero — "I possessed a lot of money". 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: poseer
- English: to possess, to own
- Verb type: vowel-stem -er verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: poseyendo
- Past participle: poseído
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + poseído)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for poseer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for poseer. 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: poseyendo · Past participle: poseído
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | poseo |
| tú | posees |
| él/ella/Ud. | posee |
| nosotros/as | poseemos |
| vosotros/as | poseéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | poseen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | poseí |
| tú | poseíste |
| él/ella/Ud. | poseyó |
| nosotros/as | poseímos |
| vosotros/as | poseísteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | poseyeron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | poseía |
| tú | poseías |
| él/ella/Ud. | poseía |
| nosotros/as | poseíamos |
| vosotros/as | poseíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | poseían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | poseeré |
| tú | poseerás |
| él/ella/Ud. | poseerá |
| nosotros/as | poseeremos |
| vosotros/as | poseeréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | poseerán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | poseería |
| tú | poseerías |
| él/ella/Ud. | poseería |
| nosotros/as | poseeríamos |
| vosotros/as | poseeríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | poseerían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he poseído |
| tú | has poseído |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha poseído |
| nosotros/as | hemos poseído |
| vosotros/as | habéis poseído |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han poseído |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había poseído |
| tú | habías poseído |
| él/ella/Ud. | había poseído |
| nosotros/as | habíamos poseído |
| vosotros/as | habíais poseído |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían poseído |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré poseído |
| tú | habrás poseído |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá poseído |
| nosotros/as | habremos poseído |
| vosotros/as | habréis poseído |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán poseído |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría poseído |
| tú | habrías poseído |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría poseído |
| nosotros/as | habríamos poseído |
| vosotros/as | habríais poseído |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían poseído |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | posea |
| tú | poseas |
| él/ella/Ud. | posea |
| nosotros/as | poseamos |
| vosotros/as | poseáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | posean |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | poseyera |
| tú | poseyeras |
| él/ella/Ud. | poseyera |
| nosotros/as | poseyéramos |
| vosotros/as | poseyerais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | poseyeran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | posee |
| él/ella/Ud. | posea |
| nosotros/as | poseamos |
| vosotros/as | poseed |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | posean |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | poseas |
| él/ella/Ud. | posea |
| nosotros/as | poseamos |
| vosotros/as | poseáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | posean |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | poseyendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy poseyendo |
| Past participle | poseído | with haber for the perfect tenses: he poseído |
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 poseer, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo poseo mucho dinero — "I possess a lot of money". 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 poseer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo poseí un coche nuevo — "I possessed a new car". 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. This is a vowel-stem verb: the third-person preterite and the gerund use y, as in poseyó and poseyendo.
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 poseer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo poseía una casa — "I used to possess a house". 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 poseer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo poseeré mucho dinero — "I will possess a lot of money". 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 poseer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo poseería un coche nuevo — "I would possess a new car". 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 poseer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he poseído una casa — "I have possessed a house". 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. Note the accent on the past participle: poseído — the í carries a written accent because the stem ends in a vowel. Every perfect tense uses poseído after haber.
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 poseer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había poseído mucho dinero — "I had possessed a lot of money". 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. Note the accent on the past participle: poseído — the í carries a written accent because the stem ends in a vowel. Every perfect tense uses poseído after haber.
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 poseer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré poseído un coche nuevo — "I will have possessed a new car". 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. Note the accent on the past participle: poseído — the í carries a written accent because the stem ends in a vowel. Every perfect tense uses poseído after haber.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. It looks back at a past that never happened. For poseer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría poseído una casa — "I would have possessed a house". 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. Note the accent on the past participle: poseído — the í carries a written accent because the stem ends in a vowel. Every perfect tense uses poseído after haber.
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 poseer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él posea mucho dinero — "I hope he possesses a lot of money". 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 poseer, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo poseyera un coche nuevo, todo cambiaría — "If I possessed a new car, 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 poseer, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Posea una casa — "Let him possess a house". 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 poseer, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No poseas mucho dinero — "Don't possess a lot of money". 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 poseer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo poseo un coche nuevo — "I possess a new car"
- Él posee una casa — "He possesses a house"
- Yo poseí mucho dinero — "I possessed a lot of money"
- Yo poseía un coche nuevo — "I used to possess a new car"
- Tú poseerás una casa — "You will possess a house"
- Yo poseería mucho dinero — "I would possess a lot of money"
- Él ha poseído un coche nuevo — "He has possessed a new car"
- Espero que él posea una casa — "I hope he possesses a house"
- Yo había poseído mucho dinero — "I had possessed a lot of money"
- Ellos poseían un coche nuevo — "They used to possess a new car"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos posee una casa — Right: Ellos poseen una casa — Ellos needs the ellos form poseen. The singular posee belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo poseo — Right: Ayer, yo poseí — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to poseí.
- Wrong: De niño, yo poseí todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo poseía — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (poseía), not the preterite. The preterite (poseí) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy poseído mucho dinero. — Right: Yo he poseído mucho dinero. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he poseído, has poseído, ha poseído. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él posee una casa. — Right: Espero que él posea una casa. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: posea. The indicative posee is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on poseer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una casa. (present tense) A. habrán poseído B. poseo C. poseerían D. poseeremos
Complete the sentence: Él ___ una casa. (preterite) A. has poseído B. poseyó C. poseímos D. poseí
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ una casa. (imperfect) A. poseeríais B. poseamos C. habías poseído D. poseíamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ una casa. (future) A. habrían poseído B. poseyeras C. poseerás D. habéis poseído
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una casa. (conditional) A. poseeremos B. poseyéramos C. posee D. poseería
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ una casa. (present subjunctive) A. poseyéramos B. posee C. posea D. poseí
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ una casa, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. poseí B. habrán poseído C. poseéis D. poseyera
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ una casa. (present perfect) A. habría poseído B. hemos poseído C. habíais poseído D. poseas
Complete the command: No ___ una casa. (negative imperative, tú) A. poseas B. posea C. poseáis D. posean
Which is the gerund of poseer, used with estar for the progressive? A. poseyendo B. poseeré C. poseo D. poseí
Answer key
- poseo — The yo present tense of poseer is poseo.
- poseyó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of poseer is poseyó.
- poseíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of poseer is poseíamos.
- poseerás — The tú future of poseer is poseerás.
- poseería — The yo conditional of poseer is poseería.
- posea — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of poseer is posea.
- poseyera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of poseer is poseyera.
- hemos poseído — The nosotros/as present perfect of poseer is hemos poseído.
- poseas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: poseas.
- poseyendo — The gerund of poseer is poseyendo: estoy poseyendo. The participle poseído is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does poseer mean in English?
Poseer means to possess, to own. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo poseo una casa. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is poseer regular?
Mostly. Poseer follows the regular -er endings, but it has a spelling change (vowel stem before preterite/gerund). The tables on this page show every form, so you can see exactly where the spelling changes.
What is the gerund and the past participle of poseer?
The gerund is poseyendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy poseyendo. The past participle is poseído, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he poseído.
How do I say “I possess” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo poseí mucho dinero. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo poseía un coche nuevo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he poseído una casa.
How do I practise poseer?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the poseer examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Poseer in the present tense — the full present-tense table for poseer.
- Poseer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for poseer.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Valer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with poseer.
- Vencer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with poseer.
- Volverse conjugation — another -er verb to compare with poseer.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.