Relampaguear Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb relampaguear means to flash (lightning), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Relampaguear is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of relampaguear in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example, in the present tense you say Relampaguea toda la noche — "It flashes with lightning all night" — and in the preterite you say Relampagueó a lo lejos — "It flashed with lightning in the distance". 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: relampaguear
- English: to flash (lightning)
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: relampagueando
- Past participle: relampagueado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + relampagueado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for relampaguear, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for relampaguear. 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.
Gerund: relampagueando · Past participle: relampagueado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | relampagueo |
| tú | relampagueas |
| él/ella/Ud. | relampaguea |
| nosotros/as | relampagueamos |
| vosotros/as | relampagueáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | relampaguean |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | relampagueé |
| tú | relampagueaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | relampagueó |
| nosotros/as | relampagueamos |
| vosotros/as | relampagueasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | relampaguearon |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | relampagueaba |
| tú | relampagueabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | relampagueaba |
| nosotros/as | relampagueábamos |
| vosotros/as | relampagueabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | relampagueaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | relampaguearé |
| tú | relampaguearás |
| él/ella/Ud. | relampagueará |
| nosotros/as | relampaguearemos |
| vosotros/as | relampaguearéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | relampaguearán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | relampaguearía |
| tú | relampaguearías |
| él/ella/Ud. | relampaguearía |
| nosotros/as | relampaguearíamos |
| vosotros/as | relampaguearíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | relampaguearían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he relampagueado |
| tú | has relampagueado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha relampagueado |
| nosotros/as | hemos relampagueado |
| vosotros/as | habéis relampagueado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han relampagueado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había relampagueado |
| tú | habías relampagueado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había relampagueado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos relampagueado |
| vosotros/as | habíais relampagueado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían relampagueado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré relampagueado |
| tú | habrás relampagueado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá relampagueado |
| nosotros/as | habremos relampagueado |
| vosotros/as | habréis relampagueado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán relampagueado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría relampagueado |
| tú | habrías relampagueado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría relampagueado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos relampagueado |
| vosotros/as | habríais relampagueado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían relampagueado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | relampaguee |
| tú | relampaguees |
| él/ella/Ud. | relampaguee |
| nosotros/as | relampagueemos |
| vosotros/as | relampagueéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | relampagueen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | relampagueara |
| tú | relampaguearas |
| él/ella/Ud. | relampagueara |
| nosotros/as | relampagueáramos |
| vosotros/as | relampaguearais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | relampaguearan |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | relampaguea |
| él/ella/Ud. | relampaguee |
| nosotros/as | relampagueemos |
| vosotros/as | relampaguead |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | relampagueen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | relampaguees |
| él/ella/Ud. | relampaguee |
| nosotros/as | relampagueemos |
| vosotros/as | relampagueéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | relampagueen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | relampagueando | with estar for the progressive: estoy relampagueando |
| Past participle | relampagueado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he relampagueado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For relampaguear, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Relampaguea a lo lejos — "It flashes with lightning in the distance". Learn the present indicative 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 in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For relampaguear, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Relampagueó sin parar — "It flashed with lightning without stopping". 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 words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For relampaguear, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Relampagueaba toda la noche — "It used to flash with lightning all night". 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. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For relampaguear, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Relampagueará a lo lejos — "It will flash with lightning in the distance". 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 in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For relampaguear, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Relampaguearía sin parar — "It would flash with lightning without stopping". 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. It connects the past with the present moment. For relampaguear, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Ha relampagueado toda la noche — "It has flashed with lightning all night". 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. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For relampaguear, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había relampagueado a lo lejos — "It had flashed with lightning in the distance". 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, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For relampaguear, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habrá relampagueado sin parar — "It will have flashed with lightning without stopping". 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. It looks back at a past that never happened. For relampaguear, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría relampagueado toda la noche — "It would have flashed with lightning all night". 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. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For relampaguear, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que relampaguee a lo lejos — "I hope it flashes with lightning in the distance". 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 relampaguear, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si relampagueara sin parar, todo cambiaría — "If it flashed with lightning without stopping, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) 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. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For relampaguear, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Relampaguee toda la noche — "Let it flash all night". Learn the imperative (affirmative) 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. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For relampaguear, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No relampaguees a lo lejos — "Don't flash in the distance". Learn the imperative (negative) 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 relampaguear, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Relampaguea sin parar — "It flashes with lightning without stopping"
- Relampagueó toda la noche — "It flashed with lightning all night"
- Relampagueaba a lo lejos — "It used to flash with lightning in the distance"
- Relampagueará sin parar — "It will flash with lightning without stopping"
- Ha relampagueado toda la noche — "It has flashed with lightning all night"
- Relampaguearía a lo lejos — "It would flash with lightning in the distance"
- Había relampagueado sin parar — "It had flashed with lightning without stopping"
- Habrá relampagueado toda la noche — "It will have flashed with lightning all night"
- Espero que relampaguee a lo lejos — "I hope it flashes with lightning in the distance"
- Si relampagueara sin parar, todo cambiaría — "If it flashed with lightning without stopping, everything would change"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Mañana relampaguea toda la noche. — Right: Mañana relampagueará toda la noche. — For something that will happen tomorrow, use the future (relampagueará), not the present. The present (relampaguea) describes what is happening now.
- Wrong: Ayer, relampaguea — Right: Ayer, relampagueó — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to relampagueé.
- Wrong: Cada día, relampagueó. — Right: Cada día, relampagueaba. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (relampagueaba), not the preterite. The preterite (relampagueó) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy relampagueado a lo lejos. — Right: Yo he relampagueado a lo lejos. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he relampagueado, has relampagueado, ha relampagueado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él relampaguea toda la noche. — Right: Espero que él relampaguee toda la noche. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: relampaguee. The indicative relampaguea is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on relampaguear. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Hoy, ___ toda la noche. (present tense) A. relampaguead B. relampagueáis C. relampaguee D. relampaguea
Complete the sentence: Ayer, ___ toda la noche. (preterite) A. relampaguearían B. relampagueó C. habéis relampagueado D. relampagueo
Complete the sentence: Antes, ___ toda la noche. (imperfect) A. relampagueaste B. he relampagueado C. han relampagueado D. relampagueaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, ___ toda la noche. (future) A. relampagueará B. relampaguearán C. relampagueé D. relampaguearon
Complete the sentence: Si pudiera, ___ toda la noche. (conditional) A. relampaguead B. relampaguearía C. relampagueen D. relampagueemos
Complete the sentence: Espero que ___ toda la noche. (present subjunctive) A. habíais relampagueado B. había relampagueado C. relampaguee D. relampaguees
Complete the sentence: Si ___ toda la noche, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. ha relampagueado B. relampaguead C. relampagueen D. relampagueara
Complete the sentence: Hoy, ___ toda la noche. (present perfect) A. relampaguearé B. he relampagueado C. ha relampagueado D. habríamos relampagueado
Complete the command: No ___ toda la noche. (negative imperative, él/ella/Ud.) A. relampaguees B. relampaguee C. relampagueéis D. relampagueen
Which is the gerund of relampaguear, used with estar for the progressive? A. relampaguearé B. relampagueando C. relampagueé D. relampagueado
Answer key
- relampaguea — The él/ella/Ud. present tense of relampaguear is relampaguea.
- relampagueó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of relampaguear is relampagueó.
- relampagueaba — The él/ella/Ud. imperfect of relampaguear is relampagueaba.
- relampagueará — The él/ella/Ud. future of relampaguear is relampagueará.
- relampaguearía — The él/ella/Ud. conditional of relampaguear is relampaguearía.
- relampaguee — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of relampaguear is relampaguee.
- relampagueara — The él/ella/Ud. imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of relampaguear is relampagueara.
- ha relampagueado — The él/ella/Ud. present perfect of relampaguear is ha relampagueado.
- relampaguee — The negative él/ella/Ud. imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: relampaguee.
- relampagueando — The gerund of relampaguear is relampagueando: estoy relampagueando. The participle relampagueado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does relampaguear mean in English?
Relampaguear means to flash (lightning). It is used in everyday situations such as Relampaguea toda la noche. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is relampaguear regular?
Yes. Relampaguear is a regular -ar verb: relampagueo, relampagueas, relampaguea. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ar verb.
What is the gerund and the past participle of relampaguear?
The gerund is relampagueando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy relampagueando. The past participle is relampagueado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he relampagueado.
How do I say “I flash” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Relampagueó a lo lejos. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Relampagueaba sin parar. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Ha relampagueado toda la noche.
How do I practise relampaguear?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the relampaguear examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Relampaguear in the present tense — the full present-tense table for relampaguear.
- Relampaguear examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for relampaguear.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Granizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with relampaguear.
- Escampar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with relampaguear.
- Brotar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with relampaguear.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.