Protestar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb protestar means to protest, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Protestar means to protest, and it covers marching in the street, complaining about a decision, and objecting in a meeting: protestar contra el gobierno, protestar por el precio. It takes contra or por. It is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, protestar 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 protesto contra la subida de precios, and in the preterite you say protesté en la calle con pancartas. 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: protestar
- English: to protest
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: protestando
- Past participle: protestado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + protestado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for protestar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Protestar takes contra or por: protesto contra la subida, protesto por el precio.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for protestar. 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 | protesto |
| tú | protestas |
| él/ella/Ud. | protesta |
| nosotros/as | protestamos |
| vosotros/as | protestáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | protestan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | protesté |
| tú | protestaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | protestó |
| nosotros/as | protestamos |
| vosotros/as | protestasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | protestaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | protestaba |
| tú | protestabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | protestaba |
| nosotros/as | protestábamos |
| vosotros/as | protestabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | protestaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | protestaré |
| tú | protestarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | protestará |
| nosotros/as | protestaremos |
| vosotros/as | protestaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | protestarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | protestaría |
| tú | protestarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | protestaría |
| nosotros/as | protestaríamos |
| vosotros/as | protestaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | protestarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he protestado |
| tú | has protestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha protestado |
| nosotros/as | hemos protestado |
| vosotros/as | habéis protestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han protestado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había protestado |
| tú | habías protestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había protestado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos protestado |
| vosotros/as | habíais protestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían protestado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré protestado |
| tú | habrás protestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá protestado |
| nosotros/as | habremos protestado |
| vosotros/as | habréis protestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán protestado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría protestado |
| tú | habrías protestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría protestado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos protestado |
| vosotros/as | habríais protestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían protestado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proteste |
| tú | protestes |
| él/ella/Ud. | proteste |
| nosotros/as | protestemos |
| vosotros/as | protestéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | protesten |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | protestara |
| tú | protestaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | protestara |
| nosotros/as | protestáramos |
| vosotros/as | protestarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | protestaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | protesta |
| él/ella/Ud. | proteste |
| nosotros/as | protestemos |
| vosotros/as | protestad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | protesten |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | protestes |
| él/ella/Ud. | proteste |
| nosotros/as | protestemos |
| vosotros/as | protestéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | protesten |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | protestando | with estar for the progressive: estoy protestando |
| Past participle | protestado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he protestado |
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 protestar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Protesto contra la subida de precios. 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 protestar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, protesté por el horario nuevo. 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 protestar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, protestaba en la calle con pancartas. 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 protestar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, protestaré contra la decisión del jefe. 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 protestar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Protestaría contra la subida de precios 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 protestar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he protestado por el horario nuevo. 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 protestar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había protestado en la calle con pancartas 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 protestar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré protestado contra la decisión del jefe. 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 protestar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría protestado contra la subida de precios 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 protestar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él proteste por el horario nuevo. 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 protestar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él protestara en la calle con pancartas, 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 protestar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Protesta contra la decisión del jefe! 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 protestar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No protestes contra la subida de precios. 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 protestar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Protesto contra la subida de precios. — I protest against the price rise.
- Protesta por el horario nuevo. — He/she protests about the new timetable.
- Ayer, protesté en la calle con pancartas. — Yesterday, I protested in the street with banners.
- Antes, nosotros protestábamos contra la decisión del jefe. — Before, we used to protest against the boss's decision.
- Mañana, tú protestarás contra la subida de precios. — Tomorrow, you will protest against the price rise.
- Yo protestaría por el horario nuevo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would protest about the new timetable if I had more time.
- Él ha protestado en la calle con pancartas. — He has protested in the street with banners.
- Espero que él proteste contra la decisión del jefe. — I hope he protests against the boss's decision.
- Yo ya había protestado contra la subida de precios antes de salir. — I had already protested against the price rise before leaving.
- Ellos protestaban por el horario nuevo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to protest about the new timetable when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo protesta contra la subida de precios. — Right: Yo protesto contra la subida de precios. — The person matters: protesta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is protesto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo protesto por el horario nuevo. — Right: Ayer yo protesté por el horario nuevo. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: protesto is happening now, while protesté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating protestar and quejarse as identical in every context. — Right: Protestar means to protest, while quejarse means to complain. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: protestar fits sentences such as Protesto contra la subida de precios, while quejarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy protestado por el horario nuevo. — Right: Yo he protestado por el horario nuevo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he protestado, has protestado, ha protestado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo protesté en la calle con pancartas todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo protestaba en la calle con pancartas todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (protestaba), not the preterite. The preterite (protesté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on protestar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ contra la subida de precios. (present tense) A. protesto B. protestas C. protesta D. protestamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ por el horario nuevo. (preterite) A. protesté B. protestaste C. protestamos D. protestó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en la calle con pancartas. (imperfect) A. protestabas B. protesto C. protestábamos D. protestaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ contra la decisión del jefe. (future) A. protestaremos B. protestarás C. protestaré D. protestará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ contra la subida de precios si pudiera. (conditional) A. protestaría B. protestarías C. protestaríamos D. protesto
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ por el horario nuevo. (present subjunctive) A. protestes B. protestemos C. protesto D. proteste
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en la calle con pancartas, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. protestáramos B. protesto C. protestara D. protestaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ contra la decisión del jefe. (present perfect) A. ha protestado B. hemos protestado C. he protestado D. has protestado
Complete the command: ¡___ contra la subida de precios! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. protesta B. proteste C. protestemos D. protestad
Which is the gerund of protestar, used with estar for the progressive? A. protestado B. protesto C. protesté D. protestando
Answer key
- protesto — The yo present tense of protestar is protesto.
- protestó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of protestar is protestó.
- protestábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of protestar is protestábamos.
- protestarás — The tú future of protestar is protestarás.
- protestaría — The yo conditional of protestar is protestaría.
- proteste — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of protestar is proteste.
- protestara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of protestar is protestara.
- hemos protestado — The nosotros/as present perfect of protestar is hemos protestado.
- protesta — The affirmative tú imperative of protestar is protesta.
- protestando — The gerund of protestar is protestando: estoy protestando. The participle protestado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does protestar mean in English?
Protestar means to protest. It is used in everyday situations such as Protesto contra la subida de precios. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is protestar regular or irregular?
Protestar 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 protesto in the present and protesté in the preterite.
What is the difference between protestar and quejarse?
Protestar means to protest, while quejarse means to complain. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use protestar when you mean to protest, as in Protesto contra la subida de precios, and use quejarse for to complain. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I protest” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo protesté por el horario nuevo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo protestaba en la calle con pancartas. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he protestado por el horario nuevo.
How do I practise protestar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the protestar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Protestar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for protestar.
- Protestar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for protestar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Proporcionar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with protestar.
- Provocar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with protestar.
- Pronunciar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with protestar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.