Pulir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb pulir means to polish, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Pulir means to polish, to make a surface smooth and shiny by rubbing it. It is used for shoes, wood, metal, stone and nails, and it is a fully regular -ir verb. Like every Spanish verb, pulir 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 pulo los zapatos antes de la boda, and in the preterite you say pulí el suelo de mármol. 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: pulir
- English: to polish
- Verb type: regular -ir verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: puliendo
- Past participle: pulido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + pulido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pulir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Pulir is fully regular: pulo, pule. Pulir makes a surface shine; limpiar only removes the dirt.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for pulir. 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 | pulo |
| tú | pules |
| él/ella/Ud. | pule |
| nosotros/as | pulimos |
| vosotros/as | pulís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pulen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pulí |
| tú | puliste |
| él/ella/Ud. | pulió |
| nosotros/as | pulimos |
| vosotros/as | pulisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pulieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pulía |
| tú | pulías |
| él/ella/Ud. | pulía |
| nosotros/as | pulíamos |
| vosotros/as | pulíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pulían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | puliré |
| tú | pulirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | pulirá |
| nosotros/as | puliremos |
| vosotros/as | puliréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pulirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | puliría |
| tú | pulirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | puliría |
| nosotros/as | puliríamos |
| vosotros/as | puliríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pulirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he pulido |
| tú | has pulido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha pulido |
| nosotros/as | hemos pulido |
| vosotros/as | habéis pulido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han pulido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había pulido |
| tú | habías pulido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había pulido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos pulido |
| vosotros/as | habíais pulido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían pulido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré pulido |
| tú | habrás pulido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá pulido |
| nosotros/as | habremos pulido |
| vosotros/as | habréis pulido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán pulido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría pulido |
| tú | habrías pulido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría pulido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos pulido |
| vosotros/as | habríais pulido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían pulido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pula |
| tú | pulas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pula |
| nosotros/as | pulamos |
| vosotros/as | puláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pulan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | puliera |
| tú | pulieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | puliera |
| nosotros/as | puliéramos |
| vosotros/as | pulierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pulieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pule |
| él/ella/Ud. | pula |
| nosotros/as | pulamos |
| vosotros/as | pulid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pulan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pulas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pula |
| nosotros/as | pulamos |
| vosotros/as | puláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pulan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | puliendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy puliendo |
| Past participle | pulido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he pulido |
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 pulir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Pulo los zapatos antes de la boda. 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 pulir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, pulí la madera hasta dejarla lisa. 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 pulir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, pulía el suelo de mármol. 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 pulir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, puliré las uñas con cuidado. 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 pulir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Puliría los zapatos antes de la boda 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 pulir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he pulido la madera hasta dejarla lisa. 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 pulir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había pulido el suelo de mármol 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 pulir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré pulido las uñas con cuidado. 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 pulir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría pulido los zapatos antes de la boda 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 pulir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él pula la madera hasta dejarla lisa. 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 pulir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él puliera el suelo de mármol, 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 pulir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Pule las uñas con cuidado! 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 pulir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No pulas los zapatos antes de la boda. 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 pulir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Pulo los zapatos antes de la boda. — I polish the shoes before the wedding.
- Pule la madera hasta dejarla lisa. — He/she polishes the wood until it is smooth.
- Ayer, pulí el suelo de mármol. — Yesterday, I polished the marble floor.
- Antes, nosotros pulíamos las uñas con cuidado. — Before, we used to polish my nails carefully.
- Mañana, tú pulirás los zapatos antes de la boda. — Tomorrow, you will polish the shoes before the wedding.
- Yo puliría la madera hasta dejarla lisa si tuviera más tiempo. — I would polish the wood until it is smooth if I had more time.
- Él ha pulido el suelo de mármol. — He has polished the marble floor.
- Espero que él pula las uñas con cuidado. — I hope he polishes my nails carefully.
- Yo ya había pulido los zapatos antes de la boda antes de salir. — I had already polished the shoes before the wedding before leaving.
- Ellos pulían la madera hasta dejarla lisa cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to polish the wood until it is smooth when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo pule los zapatos antes de la boda. — Right: Yo pulo los zapatos antes de la boda. — The person matters: pule is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is pulo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo pulo la madera hasta dejarla lisa. — Right: Ayer yo pulí la madera hasta dejarla lisa. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: pulo is happening now, while pulí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating pulir and limpiar as identical in every context. — Right: Pulir means to polish, while limpiar means to clean. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: pulir fits sentences such as Pulo los zapatos antes de la boda, while limpiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy pulido la madera hasta dejarla lisa. — Right: Yo he pulido la madera hasta dejarla lisa. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he pulido, has pulido, ha pulido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo pulí el suelo de mármol todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo pulía el suelo de mármol todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (pulía), not the preterite. The preterite (pulí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on pulir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los zapatos antes de la boda. (present tense) A. pulo B. pules C. pule D. pulimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la madera hasta dejarla lisa. (preterite) A. pulí B. puliste C. pulieron D. pulió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el suelo de mármol. (imperfect) A. pulías B. pulían C. pulíamos D. pulía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ las uñas con cuidado. (future) A. puliremos B. pulirás C. puliré D. pulirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los zapatos antes de la boda si pudiera. (conditional) A. puliría B. pulirías C. pulirían D. pulo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la madera hasta dejarla lisa. (present subjunctive) A. pulas B. pulamos C. pulo D. pula
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el suelo de mármol, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. puliéramos B. pulo C. puliera D. pulieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las uñas con cuidado. (present perfect) A. han pulido B. hemos pulido C. he pulido D. has pulido
Complete the command: ¡___ los zapatos antes de la boda! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. pule B. pula C. pulamos D. pulid
Which is the gerund of pulir, used with estar for the progressive? A. pulido B. pulo C. pulí D. puliendo
Answer key
- pulo — The first-person present of pulir is pulo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- pulió — The third-person preterite of pulir is pulió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- pulíamos — The nosotros imperfect of pulir is pulíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- pulirás — The second-person future of pulir is pulirás.
- puliría — The first-person conditional of pulir is puliría, the form for what would happen.
- pula — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of pulir is pula.
- puliera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of pulir is puliera.
- hemos pulido — The nosotros present perfect of pulir is hemos pulido: hemos + pulido.
- pule — The affirmative tú imperative of pulir is pule.
- puliendo — The gerund of pulir is puliendo: estoy puliendo. The participle pulido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does pulir mean in English?
Pulir means to polish. It is used in everyday situations such as Pulo los zapatos antes de la boda. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is pulir regular or irregular?
Pulir is a fully regular -ir 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 pulo in the present and pulí in the preterite.
What is the difference between pulir and limpiar?
Pulir means to polish, while limpiar means to clean. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use pulir when you mean to polish, as in Pulo los zapatos antes de la boda, and use limpiar for to clean. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I polish” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo pulí la madera hasta dejarla lisa. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo pulía el suelo de mármol. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he pulido la madera hasta dejarla lisa.
How do I practise pulir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the pulir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Pulir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for pulir.
- Pulir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for pulir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Exhibir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with pulir.
- Mugir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with pulir.
- Destituir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with pulir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.