Pronunciar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb pronunciar means to pronounce, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Pronunciar means to pronounce, and it is the verb for saying a word correctly, giving a speech, and pronouncing a sentence in court: pronunciar una palabra, pronunciar un discurso. It is fully regular, and it is the verb learners need most when they ask how a word sounds. Like every Spanish verb, pronunciar 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 pronuncio la palabra correctamente, and in the preterite you say pronuncié tu nombre sin errores. 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: pronunciar
- English: to pronounce
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: pronunciando
- Past participle: pronunciado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + pronunciado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pronunciar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Pronunciar is fully regular: pronuncié, pronunciaba, pronunciaré. The ci sounds like th in Spain and s in Latin America.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for pronunciar. 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.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pronuncio |
| tú | pronuncias |
| él/ella/Ud. | pronuncia |
| nosotros/as | pronunciamos |
| vosotros/as | pronunciáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pronuncian |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pronuncié |
| tú | pronunciaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | pronunció |
| nosotros/as | pronunciamos |
| vosotros/as | pronunciasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pronunciaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pronunciaba |
| tú | pronunciabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pronunciaba |
| nosotros/as | pronunciábamos |
| vosotros/as | pronunciabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pronunciaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pronunciaré |
| tú | pronunciarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | pronunciará |
| nosotros/as | pronunciaremos |
| vosotros/as | pronunciaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pronunciarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pronunciaría |
| tú | pronunciarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | pronunciaría |
| nosotros/as | pronunciaríamos |
| vosotros/as | pronunciaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pronunciarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he pronunciado |
| tú | has pronunciado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha pronunciado |
| nosotros/as | hemos pronunciado |
| vosotros/as | habéis pronunciado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han pronunciado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había pronunciado |
| tú | habías pronunciado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había pronunciado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos pronunciado |
| vosotros/as | habíais pronunciado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían pronunciado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré pronunciado |
| tú | habrás pronunciado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá pronunciado |
| nosotros/as | habremos pronunciado |
| vosotros/as | habréis pronunciado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán pronunciado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría pronunciado |
| tú | habrías pronunciado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría pronunciado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos pronunciado |
| vosotros/as | habríais pronunciado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían pronunciado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pronuncie |
| tú | pronuncies |
| él/ella/Ud. | pronuncie |
| nosotros/as | pronunciemos |
| vosotros/as | pronunciéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pronuncien |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pronunciara |
| tú | pronunciaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | pronunciara |
| nosotros/as | pronunciáramos |
| vosotros/as | pronunciarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pronunciaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pronuncia |
| él/ella/Ud. | pronuncie |
| nosotros/as | pronunciemos |
| vosotros/as | pronunciad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pronuncien |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pronuncies |
| él/ella/Ud. | pronuncie |
| nosotros/as | pronunciemos |
| vosotros/as | pronunciéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pronuncien |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | pronunciando | with estar for the progressive: estoy pronunciando |
| Past participle | pronunciado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he pronunciado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Pronuncio la palabra correctamente. Learn the present 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 with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, pronuncié un discurso en la ceremonia. 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 de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, pronunciaba tu nombre sin errores. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, pronunciaré las vocales con claridad. 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 with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Pronunciaría la palabra correctamente si pudiera. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he pronunciado un discurso en la ceremonia. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había pronunciado tu nombre sin errores antes de salir. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré pronunciado las vocales con claridad. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría pronunciado la palabra correctamente con más tiempo. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él pronuncie un discurso en la ceremonia. 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 this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él pronunciara tu nombre sin errores, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Pronuncia las vocales con claridad! Learn the affirmative imperative 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pronunciar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No pronuncies la palabra correctamente. Learn the negative imperative 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 pronunciar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Pronuncio la palabra correctamente. — I pronounce the word correctly.
- Pronuncia un discurso en la ceremonia. — He/she pronounces a speech at the ceremony.
- Ayer, pronuncié tu nombre sin errores. — Yesterday, I pronounced your name without mistakes.
- Antes, nosotros pronunciábamos las vocales con claridad. — Before, we used to pronounce the vowels clearly.
- Mañana, tú pronunciarás la palabra correctamente. — Tomorrow, you will pronounce the word correctly.
- Yo pronunciaría un discurso en la ceremonia si tuviera más tiempo. — I would pronounce a speech at the ceremony if I had more time.
- Él ha pronunciado tu nombre sin errores. — He has pronounced your name without mistakes.
- Espero que él pronuncie las vocales con claridad. — I hope he pronounces the vowels clearly.
- Yo ya había pronunciado la palabra correctamente antes de salir. — I had already pronounced the word correctly before leaving.
- Ellos pronunciaban un discurso en la ceremonia cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to pronounce a speech at the ceremony when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo pronuncia la palabra correctamente. — Right: Yo pronuncio la palabra correctamente. — The person matters: pronuncia is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is pronuncio. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo pronuncio un discurso en la ceremonia. — Right: Ayer yo pronuncié un discurso en la ceremonia. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: pronuncio is happening now, while pronuncié is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating pronunciar and decir as identical in every context. — Right: Pronunciar means to pronounce, while decir means to say. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: pronunciar fits sentences such as Pronuncio la palabra correctamente, while decir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy pronunciado un discurso en la ceremonia. — Right: Yo he pronunciado un discurso en la ceremonia. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he pronunciado, has pronunciado, ha pronunciado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo pronuncié tu nombre sin errores todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo pronunciaba tu nombre sin errores todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (pronunciaba), not the preterite. The preterite (pronuncié) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on pronunciar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la palabra correctamente. (present tense) A. pronuncio B. pronuncias C. pronuncia D. pronunciamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ un discurso en la ceremonia. (preterite) A. pronuncié B. pronunciaste C. pronunciamos D. pronunció
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ tu nombre sin errores. (imperfect) A. pronunciabas B. pronuncio C. pronunciábamos D. pronunciaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ las vocales con claridad. (future) A. pronunciaremos B. pronunciarás C. pronunciaré D. pronunciará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la palabra correctamente si pudiera. (conditional) A. pronunciaría B. pronunciarías C. pronunciaríamos D. pronuncio
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ un discurso en la ceremonia. (present subjunctive) A. pronuncies B. pronunciemos C. pronuncio D. pronuncie
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ tu nombre sin errores, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. pronunciáramos B. pronuncio C. pronunciara D. pronunciaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las vocales con claridad. (present perfect) A. ha pronunciado B. hemos pronunciado C. he pronunciado D. has pronunciado
Complete the command: ¡___ la palabra correctamente! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. pronuncia B. pronuncie C. pronunciemos D. pronunciad
Which is the gerund of pronunciar, used with estar for the progressive? A. pronunciado B. pronuncio C. pronuncié D. pronunciando
Answer key
- pronuncio — The yo present tense of pronunciar is pronuncio.
- pronunció — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of pronunciar is pronunció.
- pronunciábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of pronunciar is pronunciábamos.
- pronunciarás — The tú future of pronunciar is pronunciarás.
- pronunciaría — The yo conditional of pronunciar is pronunciaría.
- pronuncie — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of pronunciar is pronuncie.
- pronunciara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of pronunciar is pronunciara.
- hemos pronunciado — The nosotros/as present perfect of pronunciar is hemos pronunciado.
- pronuncia — The affirmative tú imperative of pronunciar is pronuncia.
- pronunciando — The gerund of pronunciar is pronunciando: estoy pronunciando. The participle pronunciado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does pronunciar mean in English?
Pronunciar means to pronounce. It is used in everyday situations such as Pronuncio la palabra correctamente. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is pronunciar regular or irregular?
Pronunciar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including pronuncio in the present and pronuncié in the preterite.
What is the difference between pronunciar and decir?
Pronunciar means to pronounce, while decir means to say. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use pronunciar when you mean to pronounce, as in Pronuncio la palabra correctamente, and use decir for to say. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I pronounce” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo pronuncié un discurso en la ceremonia. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo pronunciaba tu nombre sin errores. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he pronunciado un discurso en la ceremonia.
How do I practise pronunciar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the pronunciar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Pronunciar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for pronunciar.
- Pronunciar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for pronunciar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Procesar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pronunciar.
- Proporcionar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pronunciar.
- Protestar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pronunciar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.