Publicar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb publicar means to publish, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Publicar means to publish, and it is used for publishing a book of poems, news in a newspaper, photos on social media and an article in a magazine. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is publiqué. Like every Spanish verb, publicar 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 publico un libro de poemas, and in the preterite you say publiqué las fotos en las redes sociales. 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: publicar
- English: to publish
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: publicando
- Past participle: publicado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + publicado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for publicar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is publiqué and the subjunctive is publique, never publicé.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for publicar. 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 | publico |
| tú | publicas |
| él/ella/Ud. | publica |
| nosotros/as | publicamos |
| vosotros/as | publicáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | publican |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | publiqué |
| tú | publicaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | publicó |
| nosotros/as | publicamos |
| vosotros/as | publicasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | publicaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | publicaba |
| tú | publicabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | publicaba |
| nosotros/as | publicábamos |
| vosotros/as | publicabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | publicaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | publicaré |
| tú | publicarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | publicará |
| nosotros/as | publicaremos |
| vosotros/as | publicaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | publicarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | publicaría |
| tú | publicarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | publicaría |
| nosotros/as | publicaríamos |
| vosotros/as | publicaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | publicarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he publicado |
| tú | has publicado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha publicado |
| nosotros/as | hemos publicado |
| vosotros/as | habéis publicado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han publicado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había publicado |
| tú | habías publicado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había publicado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos publicado |
| vosotros/as | habíais publicado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían publicado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré publicado |
| tú | habrás publicado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá publicado |
| nosotros/as | habremos publicado |
| vosotros/as | habréis publicado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán publicado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría publicado |
| tú | habrías publicado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría publicado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos publicado |
| vosotros/as | habríais publicado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían publicado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | publique |
| tú | publiques |
| él/ella/Ud. | publique |
| nosotros/as | publiquemos |
| vosotros/as | publiquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | publiquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | publicara |
| tú | publicaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | publicara |
| nosotros/as | publicáramos |
| vosotros/as | publicarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | publicaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | publica |
| él/ella/Ud. | publique |
| nosotros/as | publiquemos |
| vosotros/as | publicad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | publiquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | publiques |
| él/ella/Ud. | publique |
| nosotros/as | publiquemos |
| vosotros/as | publiquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | publiquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | publicando | with estar for the progressive: estoy publicando |
| Past participle | publicado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he publicado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For publicar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Publico un libro de poemas. 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 in the first person: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is publiqué. For publicar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, publiqué la noticia en el periódico. 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 publicar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, publicaba las fotos en las redes sociales. 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 publicar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, publicaré el artículo en la revista. 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 publicar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Publicaría un libro de poemas 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 publicar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he publicado la noticia en el periódico. 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 publicar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había publicado las fotos en las redes sociales 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 publicar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré publicado el artículo en la revista. 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 publicar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría publicado un libro de poemas 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: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For publicar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él publique la noticia en el periódico. 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 publicar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él publicara las fotos en las redes sociales, 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: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For publicar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Publica el artículo en la revista! 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: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For publicar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No publiques un libro de poemas. 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 publicar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Publico un libro de poemas. — I publish a book of poems.
- Publica la noticia en el periódico. — He/she publishes the news in the newspaper.
- Ayer, publiqué las fotos en las redes sociales. — Yesterday, I published the photos on social media.
- Antes, nosotros publicábamos el artículo en la revista. — Before, we used to publish the article in the magazine.
- Mañana, tú publicarás un libro de poemas. — Tomorrow, you will publish a book of poems.
- Yo publicaría la noticia en el periódico si tuviera más tiempo. — I would publish the news in the newspaper if I had more time.
- Él ha publicado las fotos en las redes sociales. — He has published the photos on social media.
- Espero que él publique el artículo en la revista. — I hope he publishes the article in the magazine.
- Yo ya había publicado un libro de poemas antes de salir. — I had already published a book of poems before leaving.
- Ellos publicaban la noticia en el periódico cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to publish the news in the newspaper when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo publica un libro de poemas. — Right: Yo publico un libro de poemas. — The person matters: publica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is publico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo publicé la noticia en el periódico. — Right: Yo publiqué la noticia en el periódico. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is publiqué, not publicé. publicar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
- Wrong: Treating publicar and editar as identical in every context. — Right: Publicar means to publish, while editar means to edit or publish, the book partner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: publicar fits sentences such as Publico un libro de poemas, while editar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy publicado la noticia en el periódico. — Right: Yo he publicado la noticia en el periódico. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he publicado, has publicado, ha publicado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo publiqué las fotos en las redes sociales todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo publicaba las fotos en las redes sociales todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (publicaba), not the preterite. The preterite (publiqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on publicar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ un libro de poemas. (present tense) A. publico B. publicas C. publica D. publicamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la noticia en el periódico. (preterite) A. publiqué B. publicaste C. publicaron D. publicó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ las fotos en las redes sociales. (imperfect) A. publicabas B. publicaban C. publicábamos D. publicaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el artículo en la revista. (future) A. publicaremos B. publicarás C. publicaré D. publicará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ un libro de poemas si pudiera. (conditional) A. publicaría B. publicarías C. publicarían D. publico
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la noticia en el periódico. (present subjunctive) A. publiques B. publiquemos C. publico D. publique
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ las fotos en las redes sociales, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. publicáramos B. publico C. publicara D. publicaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el artículo en la revista. (present perfect) A. han publicado B. hemos publicado C. he publicado D. has publicado
Complete the command: ¡___ un libro de poemas! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. publica B. publique C. publiquemos D. publicad
Which is the gerund of publicar, used with estar for the progressive? A. publicado B. publico C. publiqué D. publicando
Answer key
- publico — The first-person present of publicar is publico. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- publicó — The third-person preterite of publicar is publicó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- publicábamos — The nosotros imperfect of publicar is publicábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- publicarás — The second-person future of publicar is publicarás.
- publicaría — The first-person conditional of publicar is publicaría, the form for what would happen.
- publique — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of publicar is publique.
- publicara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of publicar is publicara.
- hemos publicado — The nosotros present perfect of publicar is hemos publicado: hemos + publicado.
- publica — The affirmative tú imperative of publicar is publica.
- publicando — The gerund of publicar is publicando: estoy publicando. The participle publicado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does publicar mean in English?
Publicar means to publish. It is used in everyday situations such as Publico un libro de poemas. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is publicar regular or irregular?
Publicar 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 publico in the present and publiqué in the preterite.
What is the difference between publicar and editar?
Publicar means to publish, while editar means to edit or publish, the book partner. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use publicar when you mean to publish, as in Publico un libro de poemas, and use editar for to edit or publish, the book partner. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I publish” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo publiqué la noticia en el periódico. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo publicaba las fotos en las redes sociales. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he publicado la noticia en el periódico.
How do I practise publicar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the publicar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Publicar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for publicar.
- Publicar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for publicar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Dedicar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with publicar.
- Duplicar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with publicar.
- Indicar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with publicar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.