Prohibir Conjugation in Spanish
prohibir means "to forbid, to prohibit" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about bans and prohibitions — what is forbidden by law, by rules or by parents, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of prohibir in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Prohibir is a regular -ir verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: La ley prohíbe la entrada a los menores. — "The law forbids entry to minors.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: prohibir
- English: to forbid, to prohibit
- Verb type: Regular -ir verb
- Gerund: prohibiendo
- Past participle: prohibido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + prohibido)
Full conjugation table
Every tense of prohibir with all six persons. The gerund is prohibiendo and the past participle is prohibido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prohíbo |
| tú | prohíbes |
| él/ella/Ud. | prohíbe |
| nosotros/as | prohibimos |
| vosotros/as | prohibís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prohíben |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prohibí |
| tú | prohibiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | prohibió |
| nosotros/as | prohibimos |
| vosotros/as | prohibisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prohibieron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prohibía |
| tú | prohibías |
| él/ella/Ud. | prohibía |
| nosotros/as | prohibíamos |
| vosotros/as | prohibíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prohibían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prohibiré |
| tú | prohibirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | prohibirá |
| nosotros/as | prohibiremos |
| vosotros/as | prohibiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prohibirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prohibiría |
| tú | prohibirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | prohibiría |
| nosotros/as | prohibiríamos |
| vosotros/as | prohibiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prohibirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he prohibido |
| tú | has prohibido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha prohibido |
| nosotros/as | hemos prohibido |
| vosotros/as | habéis prohibido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han prohibido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había prohibido |
| tú | habías prohibido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había prohibido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos prohibido |
| vosotros/as | habíais prohibido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían prohibido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré prohibido |
| tú | habrás prohibido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá prohibido |
| nosotros/as | habremos prohibido |
| vosotros/as | habréis prohibido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán prohibido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría prohibido |
| tú | habrías prohibido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría prohibido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos prohibido |
| vosotros/as | habríais prohibido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían prohibido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prohíba |
| tú | prohíbas |
| él/ella/Ud. | prohíba |
| nosotros/as | prohibamos |
| vosotros/as | prohibáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prohíban |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prohibiera |
| tú | prohibieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | prohibiera |
| nosotros/as | prohibiéramos |
| vosotros/as | prohibierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prohibieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | prohíbe |
| él/ella/Ud. | prohíba |
| nosotros/as | prohibamos |
| vosotros/as | prohibid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prohíban |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | prohíbas |
| él/ella/Ud. | prohíba |
| nosotros/as | prohibamos |
| vosotros/as | prohibáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prohíban |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | prohibiendo |
| Past participle | prohibido |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with prohibir, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo prohíbo la entrada.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Ayer yo prohibí la entrada.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: En aquella época, yo prohibía la entrada.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Mañana yo prohibiré la entrada.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo prohibiría la entrada si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya he prohibido la entrada.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya había prohibido la entrada antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Para mañana yo ya habré prohibido la entrada.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo habría prohibido la entrada si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Espero que él prohíba la entrada.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Si él prohibiera la entrada, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: ¡Prohíbe la entrada!
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: No prohíbas la entrada.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with prohibir, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- La ley prohíbe la entrada a los menores. — "The law forbids entry to minors."
- ¿Tú prohíbes la entrada a los perros? — "Do you forbid dogs from entering?"
- Ayer el director prohibió la entrada a los periodistas. — "Yesterday the director forbade journalists from entering."
- Antes prohibía la entrada con comida. — "It used to forbid entry with food."
- Mañana prohibiré la entrada sin carné. — "Tomorrow I will forbid entry without a card."
- Yo prohibiría la entrada si fuera el director. — "I would forbid entry if I were the director."
- El ayuntamiento ya ha prohibido la entrada de coches. — "The council has already forbidden cars from entering."
- Espero que no prohíba la entrada a los niños. — "I hope he does not forbid the children from entering."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with prohibir — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo prohibí la entrada — the accent is often dropped: prohibi. → Right: Yo prohibí la entrada.. The preterite yo form is prohibí, with an accent on the final i. Prohibir is regular, so the accent is the main spelling point.
- Wrong: *La ley prohibe la entrada. → Right: La ley prohíbe la entrada.. Prohibir keeps the accent on the i in the present: prohíbe, prohíbes, prohíben. The written accent is part of the verb, not optional.
- Wrong: *El director prohíbe que entran. → Right: El director prohíbe que prohíban.. After prohibir que, use the subjunctive: prohíbe que entren, not the indicative entran.
- Wrong: *Está prohibido fumar — learners sometimes write prohibido as prohibido correctly but confuse it with permitido. → Right: Está prohibido fumar en este edificio.. Prohibido means forbidden; permitido means allowed. Está prohibido fumar means smoking is forbidden here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on prohibir. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of prohibir in the present indicative?
- a) prohíbo
- b) prohíbes
- c) prohibimos
- d) prohíbe
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of prohibir in the preterite (past)?
- a) prohibiste
- b) prohibimos
- c) prohibió
- d) prohibí
What is the nosotros/as form of prohibir in the imperfect (past)?
- a) prohibía
- b) prohibías
- c) prohibíamos
- d) prohibía
What is the tú form of prohibir in the future?
- a) prohibiré
- b) prohibiremos
- c) prohibirás
- d) prohibirá
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of prohibir in the conditional?
- a) prohibirían
- b) prohibirías
- c) prohibiría
- d) prohibiría
What is the yo form of prohibir in the present subjunctive?
- a) prohíba
- b) prohíba
- c) prohibamos
- d) prohíbas
What is the gerund of prohibir?
- a) prohibiendo
- b) prohibir
- c) prohíbe
- d) prohibido
What is the past participle of prohibir?
- a) prohibido
- b) he prohibido
- c) prohibiendo
- d) prohíbo
What does prohibir mean in English?
- a) to give (a gift)
- b) to forbid, to prohibit
- c) to create
- d) to get married
The form prohibí belongs to which tense?
- a) Future
- b) Imperfect
- c) Present
- d) Preterite
Answer key
- prohíbo — The yo form in the present indicative is prohíbo — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- prohibió — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is prohibió — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- prohibíamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is prohibíamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- prohibirás — The tú form in the future is prohibirás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- prohibirían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is prohibirían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- prohíba — The yo form in the present subjunctive is prohíba — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- prohibiendo — The gerund is prohibiendo — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy prohibiendo). The past participle is prohibido.
- prohibido — The past participle is prohibido — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he prohibido).
- to forbid, to prohibit — prohibir means "to forbid, to prohibit".
- Preterite — prohibí is the yo form of the preterite of prohibir — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is prohibía.
Frequently asked questions
Is prohibir regular?
Yes, prohibir is a regular -ir verb. Its only quirk is the written accent on the i in the present (prohíbo, prohíbes, prohíbe, prohíben) and in the preterite (prohibí, prohibió). The endings are all standard.
Why does prohibir have an accent in the present tense?
Because the i in prohíbo is a weak vowel carrying the stress next to the strong vowel o, Spanish writes an accent to show the stress: pro-hí-bo. The same rule gives us prohíbe, prohíbes and prohíben, but not prohibimos, where the stress falls on the ending.
What is the difference between prohibir and no permitir?
Prohibir is stronger and more direct: it states a ban. No permitir simply says permission is not given. On signs you will see Prohibido fumar (smoking forbidden) rather than No se permite fumar, though both are correct.
How do you say "forbidden" in Spanish?
Prohibido — the past participle used as an adjective: Está prohibido aparcar aquí. It agrees in gender and number: prohibida, prohibidos, prohibidas.
Related pages
- Prohibir in the preterite tense — the preterite tense of prohibir in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Prohibir examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with prohibir and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Permitir conjugation — another verb in the same family as prohibir.
- Dejar conjugation — another verb in the same family as prohibir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise prohibir with this tool.
- Imperative Maker — practise prohibir with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.