Proveer Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb proveer means to provide, to supply, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Proveer means to provide or to supply, and it is the verb for supplying what is needed: proveer de agua a la ciudad, proveer material a la escuela. Its famous trap is the past participle: provisto, not proveído. The gerund is proveyendo, with y. Like every Spanish verb, proveer 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 proveo de agua a la ciudad, and in the preterite you say proveí alimentos a los refugiados. 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: proveer
- English: to provide, to supply
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: proveyendo
- Past participle: provisto
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + provisto)
- Pattern to learn: this verb is a -ver verb: the stem vowel becomes y in some forms, so the preterite third person is proveyó, the gerund is proveyendo, and the imperfect subjunctive is proveyera.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for proveer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. The participle is provisto, never proveído: he provisto de agua. The gerund is proveyendo.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for proveer. 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 | proveo |
| tú | provees |
| él/ella/Ud. | provee |
| nosotros/as | proveemos |
| vosotros/as | proveéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proveen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proveí |
| tú | proveíste |
| él/ella/Ud. | proveyó |
| nosotros/as | proveímos |
| vosotros/as | proveísteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proveyeron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proveía |
| tú | proveías |
| él/ella/Ud. | proveía |
| nosotros/as | proveíamos |
| vosotros/as | proveíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proveían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proveeré |
| tú | proveerás |
| él/ella/Ud. | proveerá |
| nosotros/as | proveeremos |
| vosotros/as | proveeréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proveerán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proveería |
| tú | proveerías |
| él/ella/Ud. | proveería |
| nosotros/as | proveeríamos |
| vosotros/as | proveeríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proveerían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he provisto |
| tú | has provisto |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha provisto |
| nosotros/as | hemos provisto |
| vosotros/as | habéis provisto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han provisto |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había provisto |
| tú | habías provisto |
| él/ella/Ud. | había provisto |
| nosotros/as | habíamos provisto |
| vosotros/as | habíais provisto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían provisto |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré provisto |
| tú | habrás provisto |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá provisto |
| nosotros/as | habremos provisto |
| vosotros/as | habréis provisto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán provisto |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría provisto |
| tú | habrías provisto |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría provisto |
| nosotros/as | habríamos provisto |
| vosotros/as | habríais provisto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían provisto |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | provea |
| tú | proveas |
| él/ella/Ud. | provea |
| nosotros/as | proveamos |
| vosotros/as | proveáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | provean |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proveyera |
| tú | proveyeras |
| él/ella/Ud. | proveyera |
| nosotros/as | proveyéramos |
| vosotros/as | proveyerais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proveyeran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | provee |
| él/ella/Ud. | provea |
| nosotros/as | proveamos |
| vosotros/as | proveed |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | provean |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | proveas |
| él/ella/Ud. | provea |
| nosotros/as | proveamos |
| vosotros/as | proveáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | provean |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | proveyendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy proveyendo |
| Past participle | provisto | with haber for the perfect tenses: he provisto |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the pattern here: this verb is a -ver verb: the stem vowel becomes y in some forms, so the preterite third person is proveyó, the gerund is proveyendo, and the imperfect subjunctive is proveyera. For proveer, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Proveo de agua a la ciudad. 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. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -ver verb: the stem vowel becomes y in some forms, so the preterite third person is proveyó, the gerund is proveyendo, and the imperfect subjunctive is proveyera. For proveer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, proveí material a la escuela. 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 proveer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, proveía alimentos a los refugiados. 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 proveer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, proveeré información al equipo. 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 proveer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Proveería de agua a la ciudad 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is provisto, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For proveer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he provisto material a la escuela. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is provisto, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For proveer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había provisto alimentos a los refugiados 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is provisto, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For proveer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré provisto información al equipo. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is provisto, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For proveer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría provisto de agua a la ciudad 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. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -ver verb: the stem vowel becomes y in some forms, so the preterite third person is proveyó, the gerund is proveyendo, and the imperfect subjunctive is proveyera. For proveer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él provea material a la escuela. 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 proveer, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él proveyera alimentos a los refugiados, 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. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -ver verb: the stem vowel becomes y in some forms, so the preterite third person is proveyó, the gerund is proveyendo, and the imperfect subjunctive is proveyera. For proveer, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Provee información al equipo! 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. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -ver verb: the stem vowel becomes y in some forms, so the preterite third person is proveyó, the gerund is proveyendo, and the imperfect subjunctive is proveyera. For proveer, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No proveas de agua a la ciudad. 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 proveer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Proveo de agua a la ciudad. — I provide water to the city.
- Provee material a la escuela. — He/she provides material to the school.
- Ayer, proveí alimentos a los refugiados. — Yesterday, I provided food to the refugees.
- Antes, nosotros proveíamos información al equipo. — Before, we used to provide information to the team.
- Mañana, tú proveerás de agua a la ciudad. — Tomorrow, you will provide water to the city.
- Yo proveería material a la escuela si tuviera más tiempo. — I would provide material to the school if I had more time.
- Él ha provisto alimentos a los refugiados. — He has provided food to the refugees.
- Espero que él provea información al equipo. — I hope he provides information to the team.
- Yo ya había provisto de agua a la ciudad antes de salir. — I had already provided water to the city before leaving.
- Ellos proveían material a la escuela cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to provide material to the school when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo provee de agua a la ciudad. — Right: Yo proveo de agua a la ciudad. — The person matters: provee is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is proveo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo he proveido alimentos a los refugiados. — Right: Yo he provisto alimentos a los refugiados. — The past participle of proveer is irregular: provisto, not proveido. Every perfect tense uses he provisto, había provisto and so on.
- Wrong: Treating proveer and proporcionar as identical in every context. — Right: Proveer means to provide, to supply, while proporcionar means to provide. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: proveer fits sentences such as Proveo de agua a la ciudad, while proporcionar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy provisto material a la escuela. — Right: Yo he provisto material a la escuela. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he provisto, has provisto, ha provisto. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo proveí alimentos a los refugiados todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo proveía alimentos a los refugiados todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (proveía), not the preterite. The preterite (proveí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on proveer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de agua a la ciudad. (present tense) A. proveo B. provees C. provee D. proveemos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ material a la escuela. (preterite) A. proveí B. proveíste C. proveímos D. proveyó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ alimentos a los refugiados. (imperfect) A. proveías B. proveo C. proveíamos D. proveía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ información al equipo. (future) A. proveeremos B. proveerás C. proveeré D. proveerá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de agua a la ciudad si pudiera. (conditional) A. proveería B. proveerías C. proveeríamos D. proveo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ material a la escuela. (present subjunctive) A. proveas B. proveamos C. proveo D. provea
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ alimentos a los refugiados, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. proveyéramos B. proveo C. proveyera D. proveyeras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ información al equipo. (present perfect) A. ha provisto B. hemos provisto C. he provisto D. has provisto
Complete the command: ¡___ de agua a la ciudad! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. provee B. provea C. proveamos D. proveed
Which is the gerund of proveer, used with estar for the progressive? A. provisto B. proveo C. proveí D. proveyendo
Answer key
- proveo — The yo present tense of proveer is proveo.
- proveyó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of proveer is proveyó.
- proveíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of proveer is proveíamos.
- proveerás — The tú future of proveer is proveerás.
- proveería — The yo conditional of proveer is proveería.
- provea — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of proveer is provea.
- proveyera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of proveer is proveyera.
- hemos provisto — The nosotros/as present perfect of proveer is hemos provisto.
- provee — The affirmative tú imperative of proveer is provee.
- proveyendo — The gerund of proveer is proveyendo: estoy proveyendo. The participle provisto is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does proveer mean in English?
Proveer means to provide, to supply. It is used in everyday situations such as Proveo de agua a la ciudad. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is proveer regular or irregular?
Proveer is irregular in past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect. The other tenses follow the regular pattern. Learn the irregular forms from the tables above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
What is the difference between proveer and proporcionar?
Proveer means to provide, to supply, while proporcionar means to provide. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use proveer when you mean to provide, to supply, as in Proveo de agua a la ciudad, and use proporcionar for to provide. 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 proveí material a la escuela. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo proveía alimentos a los refugiados. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he provisto material a la escuela.
How do I practise proveer?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the proveer examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Proveer in the present tense — the full present-tense table for proveer.
- Proveer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for proveer.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Precaver conjugation — another -er verb to compare with proveer.
- Proceder conjugation — another -er verb to compare with proveer.
- Pretender conjugation — another -er verb to compare with proveer.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.