Quemar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb quemar means to burn, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Quemar means to burn, and it is used for burning wood, burning food in the oven and the sun burning your skin. It is fully regular, and it is the non-reflexive partner of quemarse. Like every Spanish verb, quemar 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 quemo la madera en la chimenea, and in the preterite you say quemé las hojas del jardín. 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: quemar
  • English: to burn
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: quemando
  • Past participle: quemado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + quemado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for quemar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Quemar is fully regular: quemé, quemaba, quemaré. Quemar el pan is to burn the bread.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for quemar. 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 quemo
tú quemas
él/ella/Ud. quema
nosotros/as quemamos
vosotros/as quemáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. queman

Preterite

Person Form
yo quemé
tú quemaste
él/ella/Ud. quemó
nosotros/as quemamos
vosotros/as quemasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. quemaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo quemaba
tú quemabas
él/ella/Ud. quemaba
nosotros/as quemábamos
vosotros/as quemabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. quemaban

Future

Person Form
yo quemaré
tú quemarás
él/ella/Ud. quemará
nosotros/as quemaremos
vosotros/as quemaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. quemarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo quemaría
tú quemarías
él/ella/Ud. quemaría
nosotros/as quemaríamos
vosotros/as quemaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. quemarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he quemado
tú has quemado
él/ella/Ud. ha quemado
nosotros/as hemos quemado
vosotros/as habéis quemado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han quemado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había quemado
tú habías quemado
él/ella/Ud. había quemado
nosotros/as habíamos quemado
vosotros/as habíais quemado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían quemado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré quemado
tú habrás quemado
él/ella/Ud. habrá quemado
nosotros/as habremos quemado
vosotros/as habréis quemado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán quemado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría quemado
tú habrías quemado
él/ella/Ud. habría quemado
nosotros/as habríamos quemado
vosotros/as habríais quemado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían quemado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo queme
tú quemes
él/ella/Ud. queme
nosotros/as quememos
vosotros/as queméis
ellos/ellas/Uds. quemen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo quemara
tú quemaras
él/ella/Ud. quemara
nosotros/as quemáramos
vosotros/as quemarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. quemaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú quema
él/ella/Ud. queme
nosotros/as quememos
vosotros/as quemad
ellos/ellas/Uds. quemen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú quemes
él/ella/Ud. queme
nosotros/as quememos
vosotros/as queméis
ellos/ellas/Uds. quemen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund quemando with estar for the progressive: estoy quemando
Past participle quemado with haber for the perfect tenses: he quemado

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 quemar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Quemo la madera en la chimenea. 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 quemar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, quemé el pan en el horno. 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 quemar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, quemaba las hojas del jardín. 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 quemar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, quemaré la basura en el campo. 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 quemar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Quemaría la madera en la chimenea 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 quemar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he quemado el pan en el horno. 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 quemar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había quemado las hojas del jardín 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 quemar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré quemado la basura en el campo. 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 quemar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría quemado la madera en la chimenea 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 quemar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él queme el pan en el horno. 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 quemar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él quemara las hojas del jardín, 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 quemar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Quema la basura en el campo! 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 quemar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No quemes la madera en la chimenea. 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 quemar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Quemo la madera en la chimenea. — I burn the wood in the fireplace.
  2. Quema el pan en el horno. — He/she burns the bread in the oven.
  3. Ayer, quemé las hojas del jardín. — Yesterday, I burned the leaves in the garden.
  4. Antes, nosotros quemábamos la basura en el campo. — Before, we used to burn the rubbish in the field.
  5. Mañana, tú quemarás la madera en la chimenea. — Tomorrow, you will burn the wood in the fireplace.
  6. Yo quemaría el pan en el horno si tuviera más tiempo. — I would burn the bread in the oven if I had more time.
  7. Él ha quemado las hojas del jardín. — He has burned the leaves in the garden.
  8. Espero que él queme la basura en el campo. — I hope he burns the rubbish in the field.
  9. Yo ya había quemado la madera en la chimenea antes de salir. — I had already burned the wood in the fireplace before leaving.
  10. Ellos quemaban el pan en el horno cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to burn the bread in the oven when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo quema la madera en la chimenea. — Right: Yo quemo la madera en la chimenea. — The person matters: quema is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is quemo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo quemo el pan en el horno. — Right: Ayer yo quemé el pan en el horno. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: quemo is happening now, while quemé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating quemar and quemarse as identical in every context. — Right: Quemar means to burn, while quemarse means to burn oneself. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: quemar fits sentences such as Quemo la madera en la chimenea, while quemarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy quemado el pan en el horno. — Right: Yo he quemado el pan en el horno. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he quemado, has quemado, ha quemado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo quemé las hojas del jardín todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo quemaba las hojas del jardín todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (quemaba), not the preterite. The preterite (quemé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on quemar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la madera en la chimenea. (present tense) A. quemo B. quemas C. quema D. quemamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el pan en el horno. (preterite) A. quemé B. quemaste C. quemaron D. quemó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ las hojas del jardín. (imperfect) A. quemabas B. quemaban C. quemábamos D. quemaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la basura en el campo. (future) A. quemaremos B. quemarás C. quemaré D. quemará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la madera en la chimenea si pudiera. (conditional) A. quemaría B. quemarías C. quemarían D. quemo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el pan en el horno. (present subjunctive) A. quemes B. quememos C. quemo D. queme

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ las hojas del jardín, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. quemáramos B. quemo C. quemara D. quemaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la basura en el campo. (present perfect) A. han quemado B. hemos quemado C. he quemado D. has quemado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ la madera en la chimenea! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. quema B. queme C. quememos D. quemad

  10. Which is the gerund of quemar, used with estar for the progressive? A. quemado B. quemo C. quemé D. quemando

Answer key

  1. quemo — The first-person present of quemar is quemo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. quemó — The third-person preterite of quemar is quemó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. quemábamos — The nosotros imperfect of quemar is quemábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. quemarás — The second-person future of quemar is quemarás.
  5. quemaría — The first-person conditional of quemar is quemaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. queme — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of quemar is queme.
  7. quemara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of quemar is quemara.
  8. hemos quemado — The nosotros present perfect of quemar is hemos quemado: hemos + quemado.
  9. quema — The affirmative tú imperative of quemar is quema.
  10. quemando — The gerund of quemar is quemando: estoy quemando. The participle quemado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does quemar mean in English?

Quemar means to burn. It is used in everyday situations such as Quemo la madera en la chimenea. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is quemar regular or irregular?

Quemar 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 quemo in the present and quemé in the preterite.

What is the difference between quemar and quemarse?

Quemar means to burn, while quemarse means to burn oneself. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use quemar when you mean to burn, as in Quemo la madera en la chimenea, and use quemarse for to burn oneself. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I burn” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo quemé el pan en el horno. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo quemaba las hojas del jardín. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he quemado el pan en el horno.

How do I practise quemar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the quemar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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