Prosperar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb prosperar means to prosper, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Prosperar means to prosper or to thrive, and it is used for businesses, towns, families and crops: el negocio prospera, la ciudad prospera. It is fully regular and common in news and economics. Like every Spanish verb, prosperar 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 prospero con el negocio nuevo, and in the preterite you say prosperé gracias al turismo. 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: prosperar
- English: to prosper
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: prosperando
- Past participle: prosperado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + prosperado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for prosperar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Prosperar is fully regular: prosperé, prosperaba, prosperaré.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for prosperar. 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 | prospero |
| tú | prosperas |
| él/ella/Ud. | prospera |
| nosotros/as | prosperamos |
| vosotros/as | prosperáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prosperan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prosperé |
| tú | prosperaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | prosperó |
| nosotros/as | prosperamos |
| vosotros/as | prosperasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prosperaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prosperaba |
| tú | prosperabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | prosperaba |
| nosotros/as | prosperábamos |
| vosotros/as | prosperabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prosperaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prosperaré |
| tú | prosperarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | prosperará |
| nosotros/as | prosperaremos |
| vosotros/as | prosperaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prosperarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prosperaría |
| tú | prosperarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | prosperaría |
| nosotros/as | prosperaríamos |
| vosotros/as | prosperaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prosperarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he prosperado |
| tú | has prosperado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha prosperado |
| nosotros/as | hemos prosperado |
| vosotros/as | habéis prosperado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han prosperado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había prosperado |
| tú | habías prosperado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había prosperado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos prosperado |
| vosotros/as | habíais prosperado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían prosperado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré prosperado |
| tú | habrás prosperado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá prosperado |
| nosotros/as | habremos prosperado |
| vosotros/as | habréis prosperado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán prosperado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría prosperado |
| tú | habrías prosperado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría prosperado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos prosperado |
| vosotros/as | habríais prosperado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían prosperado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prospere |
| tú | prosperes |
| él/ella/Ud. | prospere |
| nosotros/as | prosperemos |
| vosotros/as | prosperéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prosperen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prosperara |
| tú | prosperaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | prosperara |
| nosotros/as | prosperáramos |
| vosotros/as | prosperarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prosperaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | prospera |
| él/ella/Ud. | prospere |
| nosotros/as | prosperemos |
| vosotros/as | prosperad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prosperen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | prosperes |
| él/ella/Ud. | prospere |
| nosotros/as | prosperemos |
| vosotros/as | prosperéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prosperen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | prosperando | with estar for the progressive: estoy prosperando |
| Past participle | prosperado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he prosperado |
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 prosperar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Prospero con el negocio nuevo. 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 prosperar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, prosperé en la ciudad grande. 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 prosperar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, prosperaba gracias al turismo. 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 prosperar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, prosperaré con los años de trabajo. 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 prosperar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Prosperaría con el negocio nuevo 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 prosperar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he prosperado en la ciudad grande. 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 prosperar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había prosperado gracias al turismo 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 prosperar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré prosperado con los años de trabajo. 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 prosperar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría prosperado con el negocio nuevo 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 prosperar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él prospere en la ciudad grande. 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 prosperar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él prosperara gracias al turismo, 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 prosperar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Prospera con los años de trabajo! 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 prosperar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No prosperes con el negocio nuevo. 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 prosperar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Prospero con el negocio nuevo. — I prosper with the new business.
- Prospera en la ciudad grande. — He/she prospers in the big city.
- Ayer, prosperé gracias al turismo. — Yesterday, I prospered thanks to tourism.
- Antes, nosotros prosperábamos con los años de trabajo. — Before, we used to prosper with years of work.
- Mañana, tú prosperarás con el negocio nuevo. — Tomorrow, you will prosper with the new business.
- Yo prosperaría en la ciudad grande si tuviera más tiempo. — I would prosper in the big city if I had more time.
- Él ha prosperado gracias al turismo. — He has prospered thanks to tourism.
- Espero que él prospere con los años de trabajo. — I hope he prospers with years of work.
- Yo ya había prosperado con el negocio nuevo antes de salir. — I had already prospered with the new business before leaving.
- Ellos prosperaban en la ciudad grande cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to prosper in the big city when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo prospera con el negocio nuevo. — Right: Yo prospero con el negocio nuevo. — The person matters: prospera is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is prospero. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo prospero en la ciudad grande. — Right: Ayer yo prosperé en la ciudad grande. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: prospero is happening now, while prosperé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating prosperar and crecer as identical in every context. — Right: Prosperar means to prosper, while crecer means to grow. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: prosperar fits sentences such as Prospero con el negocio nuevo, while crecer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy prosperado en la ciudad grande. — Right: Yo he prosperado en la ciudad grande. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he prosperado, has prosperado, ha prosperado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo prosperé gracias al turismo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo prosperaba gracias al turismo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (prosperaba), not the preterite. The preterite (prosperé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on prosperar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con el negocio nuevo. (present tense) A. prospero B. prosperas C. prospera D. prosperamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en la ciudad grande. (preterite) A. prosperé B. prosperaste C. prosperamos D. prosperó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ gracias al turismo. (imperfect) A. prosperabas B. prospero C. prosperábamos D. prosperaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ con los años de trabajo. (future) A. prosperaremos B. prosperarás C. prosperaré D. prosperará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con el negocio nuevo si pudiera. (conditional) A. prosperaría B. prosperarías C. prosperaríamos D. prospero
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en la ciudad grande. (present subjunctive) A. prosperes B. prosperemos C. prospero D. prospere
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ gracias al turismo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. prosperáramos B. prospero C. prosperara D. prosperaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con los años de trabajo. (present perfect) A. ha prosperado B. hemos prosperado C. he prosperado D. has prosperado
Complete the command: ¡___ con el negocio nuevo! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. prospera B. prospere C. prosperemos D. prosperad
Which is the gerund of prosperar, used with estar for the progressive? A. prosperado B. prospero C. prosperé D. prosperando
Answer key
- prospero — The yo present tense of prosperar is prospero.
- prosperó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of prosperar is prosperó.
- prosperábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of prosperar is prosperábamos.
- prosperarás — The tú future of prosperar is prosperarás.
- prosperaría — The yo conditional of prosperar is prosperaría.
- prospere — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of prosperar is prospere.
- prosperara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of prosperar is prosperara.
- hemos prosperado — The nosotros/as present perfect of prosperar is hemos prosperado.
- prospera — The affirmative tú imperative of prosperar is prospera.
- prosperando — The gerund of prosperar is prosperando: estoy prosperando. The participle prosperado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does prosperar mean in English?
Prosperar means to prosper. It is used in everyday situations such as Prospero con el negocio nuevo. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is prosperar regular or irregular?
Prosperar 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 prospero in the present and prosperé in the preterite.
What is the difference between prosperar and crecer?
Prosperar means to prosper, while crecer means to grow. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use prosperar when you mean to prosper, as in Prospero con el negocio nuevo, and use crecer for to grow. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I prosper” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo prosperé en la ciudad grande. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo prosperaba gracias al turismo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he prosperado en la ciudad grande.
How do I practise prosperar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the prosperar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Prosperar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for prosperar.
- Prosperar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for prosperar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Propagar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with prosperar.
- Pronosticar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with prosperar.
- Prolongar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with prosperar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.