Purificar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb purificar means to purify, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Purificar means to purify, and it covers purifying water before drinking it, purifying air and, figuratively, purifying a metal or a reputation. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. Like every Spanish verb, purificar 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 purifico el agua antes de beberla, and in the preterite you say purifiqué la sangre con la dieta. 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: purificar
- English: to purify
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: purificando
- Past participle: purificado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + purificado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for purificar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is purifiqué and the subjunctive is purifique.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for purificar. 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 | purifico |
| tú | purificas |
| él/ella/Ud. | purifica |
| nosotros/as | purificamos |
| vosotros/as | purificáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | purifican |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | purifiqué |
| tú | purificaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | purificó |
| nosotros/as | purificamos |
| vosotros/as | purificasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | purificaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | purificaba |
| tú | purificabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | purificaba |
| nosotros/as | purificábamos |
| vosotros/as | purificabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | purificaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | purificaré |
| tú | purificarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | purificará |
| nosotros/as | purificaremos |
| vosotros/as | purificaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | purificarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | purificaría |
| tú | purificarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | purificaría |
| nosotros/as | purificaríamos |
| vosotros/as | purificaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | purificarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he purificado |
| tú | has purificado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha purificado |
| nosotros/as | hemos purificado |
| vosotros/as | habéis purificado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han purificado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había purificado |
| tú | habías purificado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había purificado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos purificado |
| vosotros/as | habíais purificado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían purificado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré purificado |
| tú | habrás purificado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá purificado |
| nosotros/as | habremos purificado |
| vosotros/as | habréis purificado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán purificado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría purificado |
| tú | habrías purificado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría purificado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos purificado |
| vosotros/as | habríais purificado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían purificado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | purifique |
| tú | purifiques |
| él/ella/Ud. | purifique |
| nosotros/as | purifiquemos |
| vosotros/as | purifiquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | purifiquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | purificara |
| tú | purificaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | purificara |
| nosotros/as | purificáramos |
| vosotros/as | purificarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | purificaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | purifica |
| él/ella/Ud. | purifique |
| nosotros/as | purifiquemos |
| vosotros/as | purificad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | purifiquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | purifiques |
| él/ella/Ud. | purifique |
| nosotros/as | purifiquemos |
| vosotros/as | purifiquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | purifiquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | purificando | with estar for the progressive: estoy purificando |
| Past participle | purificado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he purificado |
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 purificar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Purifico el agua antes de beberla. 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 purifiqué. For purificar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, purifiqué el aire de la habitación. 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 purificar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, purificaba la sangre con la dieta. 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 purificar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, purificaré el metal en el horno. 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 purificar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Purificaría el agua antes de beberla 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 purificar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he purificado el aire de la habitación. 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 purificar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había purificado la sangre con la dieta 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 purificar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré purificado el metal en el horno. 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 purificar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría purificado el agua antes de beberla 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 purificar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él purifique el aire de la habitación. 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 purificar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él purificara la sangre con la dieta, 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 purificar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Purifica el metal en el horno! 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 purificar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No purifiques el agua antes de beberla. 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 purificar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Purifico el agua antes de beberla. — I purify the water before drinking it.
- Purifica el aire de la habitación. — He/she purifies the air in the room.
- Ayer, purifiqué la sangre con la dieta. — Yesterday, I purified the blood with the diet.
- Antes, nosotros purificábamos el metal en el horno. — Before, we used to purify the metal in the furnace.
- Mañana, tú purificarás el agua antes de beberla. — Tomorrow, you will purify the water before drinking it.
- Yo purificaría el aire de la habitación si tuviera más tiempo. — I would purify the air in the room if I had more time.
- Él ha purificado la sangre con la dieta. — He has purified the blood with the diet.
- Espero que él purifique el metal en el horno. — I hope he purifies the metal in the furnace.
- Yo ya había purificado el agua antes de beberla antes de salir. — I had already purified the water before drinking it before leaving.
- Ellos purificaban el aire de la habitación cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to purify the air in the room when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo purifica el agua antes de beberla. — Right: Yo purifico el agua antes de beberla. — The person matters: purifica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is purifico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo purificé el aire de la habitación. — Right: Yo purifiqué el aire de la habitación. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is purifiqué, not purificé. purificar 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 purificar and limpiar as identical in every context. — Right: Purificar means to purify, while limpiar means to clean, the general verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: purificar fits sentences such as Purifico el agua antes de beberla, while limpiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy purificado el aire de la habitación. — Right: Yo he purificado el aire de la habitación. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he purificado, has purificado, ha purificado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo purifiqué la sangre con la dieta todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo purificaba la sangre con la dieta todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (purificaba), not the preterite. The preterite (purifiqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on purificar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el agua antes de beberla. (present tense) A. purifico B. purificas C. purifica D. purificamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el aire de la habitación. (preterite) A. purifiqué B. purificaste C. purificaron D. purificó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la sangre con la dieta. (imperfect) A. purificabas B. purificaban C. purificábamos D. purificaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el metal en el horno. (future) A. purificaremos B. purificarás C. purificaré D. purificará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el agua antes de beberla si pudiera. (conditional) A. purificaría B. purificarías C. purificarían D. purifico
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el aire de la habitación. (present subjunctive) A. purifiques B. purifiquemos C. purifico D. purifique
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la sangre con la dieta, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. purificáramos B. purifico C. purificara D. purificaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el metal en el horno. (present perfect) A. han purificado B. hemos purificado C. he purificado D. has purificado
Complete the command: ¡___ el agua antes de beberla! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. purifica B. purifique C. purifiquemos D. purificad
Which is the gerund of purificar, used with estar for the progressive? A. purificado B. purifico C. purifiqué D. purificando
Answer key
- purifico — The first-person present of purificar is purifico. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- purificó — The third-person preterite of purificar is purificó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- purificábamos — The nosotros imperfect of purificar is purificábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- purificarás — The second-person future of purificar is purificarás.
- purificaría — The first-person conditional of purificar is purificaría, the form for what would happen.
- purifique — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of purificar is purifique.
- purificara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of purificar is purificara.
- hemos purificado — The nosotros present perfect of purificar is hemos purificado: hemos + purificado.
- purifica — The affirmative tú imperative of purificar is purifica.
- purificando — The gerund of purificar is purificando: estoy purificando. The participle purificado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does purificar mean in English?
Purificar means to purify. It is used in everyday situations such as Purifico el agua antes de beberla. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is purificar regular or irregular?
Purificar 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 purifico in the present and purifiqué in the preterite.
What is the difference between purificar and limpiar?
Purificar means to purify, while limpiar means to clean, the general verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use purificar when you mean to purify, as in Purifico el agua antes de beberla, and use limpiar for to clean, the general verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I purify” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo purifiqué el aire de la habitación. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo purificaba la sangre con la dieta. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he purificado el aire de la habitación.
How do I practise purificar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the purificar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Purificar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for purificar.
- Purificar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for purificar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Certificar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with purificar.
- Diversificar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with purificar.
- Intensificar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with purificar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.