Proporcionar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb proporcionar means to provide, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Proporcionar means to provide or to supply, and it is the formal verb for giving what is needed: proporcionar información, proporcionar ayuda, proporcionar material. It is fully regular and common in work, administration and formal writing. Like every Spanish verb, proporcionar 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 proporciono información al cliente, and in the preterite you say proporcioné material para el taller. 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: proporcionar
- English: to provide
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: proporcionando
- Past participle: proporcionado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + proporcionado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for proporcionar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Proporcionar is fully regular: proporcioné, proporcionaba, proporcionaré.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for proporcionar. 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 | proporciono |
| tú | proporcionas |
| él/ella/Ud. | proporciona |
| nosotros/as | proporcionamos |
| vosotros/as | proporcionáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proporcionan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proporcioné |
| tú | proporcionaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | proporcionó |
| nosotros/as | proporcionamos |
| vosotros/as | proporcionasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proporcionaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proporcionaba |
| tú | proporcionabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | proporcionaba |
| nosotros/as | proporcionábamos |
| vosotros/as | proporcionabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proporcionaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proporcionaré |
| tú | proporcionarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | proporcionará |
| nosotros/as | proporcionaremos |
| vosotros/as | proporcionaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proporcionarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proporcionaría |
| tú | proporcionarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | proporcionaría |
| nosotros/as | proporcionaríamos |
| vosotros/as | proporcionaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proporcionarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he proporcionado |
| tú | has proporcionado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha proporcionado |
| nosotros/as | hemos proporcionado |
| vosotros/as | habéis proporcionado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han proporcionado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había proporcionado |
| tú | habías proporcionado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había proporcionado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos proporcionado |
| vosotros/as | habíais proporcionado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían proporcionado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré proporcionado |
| tú | habrás proporcionado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá proporcionado |
| nosotros/as | habremos proporcionado |
| vosotros/as | habréis proporcionado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán proporcionado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría proporcionado |
| tú | habrías proporcionado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría proporcionado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos proporcionado |
| vosotros/as | habríais proporcionado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían proporcionado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proporcione |
| tú | proporciones |
| él/ella/Ud. | proporcione |
| nosotros/as | proporcionemos |
| vosotros/as | proporcionéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proporcionen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proporcionara |
| tú | proporcionaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | proporcionara |
| nosotros/as | proporcionáramos |
| vosotros/as | proporcionarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proporcionaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | proporciona |
| él/ella/Ud. | proporcione |
| nosotros/as | proporcionemos |
| vosotros/as | proporcionad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proporcionen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | proporciones |
| él/ella/Ud. | proporcione |
| nosotros/as | proporcionemos |
| vosotros/as | proporcionéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proporcionen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | proporcionando | with estar for the progressive: estoy proporcionando |
| Past participle | proporcionado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he proporcionado |
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 proporcionar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Proporciono información al cliente. 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 proporcionar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, proporcioné ayuda a los estudiantes. 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 proporcionar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, proporcionaba material para el taller. 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 proporcionar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, proporcionaré datos para el estudio. 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 proporcionar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Proporcionaría información al cliente 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 proporcionar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he proporcionado ayuda a los estudiantes. 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 proporcionar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había proporcionado material para el taller 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 proporcionar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré proporcionado datos para el estudio. 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 proporcionar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría proporcionado información al cliente 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 proporcionar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él proporcione ayuda a los estudiantes. 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 proporcionar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él proporcionara material para el taller, 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 proporcionar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Proporciona datos para el estudio! 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 proporcionar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No proporciones información al cliente. 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 proporcionar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Proporciono información al cliente. — I provide information to the customer.
- Proporciona ayuda a los estudiantes. — He/she provides help to the students.
- Ayer, proporcioné material para el taller. — Yesterday, I provided material for the workshop.
- Antes, nosotros proporcionábamos datos para el estudio. — Before, we used to provide data for the study.
- Mañana, tú proporcionarás información al cliente. — Tomorrow, you will provide information to the customer.
- Yo proporcionaría ayuda a los estudiantes si tuviera más tiempo. — I would provide help to the students if I had more time.
- Él ha proporcionado material para el taller. — He has provided material for the workshop.
- Espero que él proporcione datos para el estudio. — I hope he provides data for the study.
- Yo ya había proporcionado información al cliente antes de salir. — I had already provided information to the customer before leaving.
- Ellos proporcionaban ayuda a los estudiantes cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to provide help to the students when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo proporciona información al cliente. — Right: Yo proporciono información al cliente. — The person matters: proporciona is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is proporciono. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo proporciono ayuda a los estudiantes. — Right: Ayer yo proporcioné ayuda a los estudiantes. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: proporciono is happening now, while proporcioné is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating proporcionar and proveer as identical in every context. — Right: Proporcionar means to provide, while proveer means to provide, to supply. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: proporcionar fits sentences such as Proporciono información al cliente, while proveer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy proporcionado ayuda a los estudiantes. — Right: Yo he proporcionado ayuda a los estudiantes. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he proporcionado, has proporcionado, ha proporcionado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo proporcioné material para el taller todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo proporcionaba material para el taller todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (proporcionaba), not the preterite. The preterite (proporcioné) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on proporcionar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ información al cliente. (present tense) A. proporciono B. proporcionas C. proporciona D. proporcionamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ ayuda a los estudiantes. (preterite) A. proporcioné B. proporcionaste C. proporcionamos D. proporcionó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ material para el taller. (imperfect) A. proporcionabas B. proporciono C. proporcionábamos D. proporcionaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ datos para el estudio. (future) A. proporcionaremos B. proporcionarás C. proporcionaré D. proporcionará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ información al cliente si pudiera. (conditional) A. proporcionaría B. proporcionarías C. proporcionaríamos D. proporciono
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ ayuda a los estudiantes. (present subjunctive) A. proporciones B. proporcionemos C. proporciono D. proporcione
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ material para el taller, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. proporcionáramos B. proporciono C. proporcionara D. proporcionaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ datos para el estudio. (present perfect) A. ha proporcionado B. hemos proporcionado C. he proporcionado D. has proporcionado
Complete the command: ¡___ información al cliente! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. proporciona B. proporcione C. proporcionemos D. proporcionad
Which is the gerund of proporcionar, used with estar for the progressive? A. proporcionado B. proporciono C. proporcioné D. proporcionando
Answer key
- proporciono — The yo present tense of proporcionar is proporciono.
- proporcionó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of proporcionar is proporcionó.
- proporcionábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of proporcionar is proporcionábamos.
- proporcionarás — The tú future of proporcionar is proporcionarás.
- proporcionaría — The yo conditional of proporcionar is proporcionaría.
- proporcione — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of proporcionar is proporcione.
- proporcionara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of proporcionar is proporcionara.
- hemos proporcionado — The nosotros/as present perfect of proporcionar is hemos proporcionado.
- proporciona — The affirmative tú imperative of proporcionar is proporciona.
- proporcionando — The gerund of proporcionar is proporcionando: estoy proporcionando. The participle proporcionado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does proporcionar mean in English?
Proporcionar means to provide. It is used in everyday situations such as Proporciono información al cliente. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is proporcionar regular or irregular?
Proporcionar 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 proporciono in the present and proporcioné in the preterite.
What is the difference between proporcionar and proveer?
Proporcionar means to provide, while proveer means to provide, to supply. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use proporcionar when you mean to provide, as in Proporciono información al cliente, and use proveer for to provide, to supply. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I provide” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo proporcioné ayuda a los estudiantes. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo proporcionaba material para el taller. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he proporcionado ayuda a los estudiantes.
How do I practise proporcionar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the proporcionar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Proporcionar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for proporcionar.
- Proporcionar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for proporcionar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Pronunciar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with proporcionar.
- Protestar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with proporcionar.
- Procesar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with proporcionar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.