Introduction

representar means “to represent”. It belongs to the group of Spanish verbs that express “to represent”, and once you can conjugate it you can say a surprising amount with a single verb. This page is the complete reference for representar: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, with notes on usage, real example sentences, common mistakes, a quiz and frequently asked questions. representar is a regular -ar verb. If it is irregular in a tense, the note under that table says so plainly, and the forms in the table are the correct ones — copy them, do not guess them from the infinitive. A first example to fix the verb in your mind: “Yo represento a mi país todos los días.” — “I represent my country.”

Quick facts
Infinitive representar
English to represent
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund representando
Past participle representado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: representando · Past participle: representado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo represento
tú representas
él/ella/Ud. representa
nosotros/as representamos
vosotros/as representáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. representan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For representar, the yo form is represento, as in “Yo represento a mi país.” — “I represent my country.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo representé
tú representaste
él/ella/Ud. representó
nosotros/as representamos
vosotros/as representasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. representaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For representar, the yo form is representé, as in “Yo representé a mi país.” — “I represented my country.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo representaba
tú representabas
él/ella/Ud. representaba
nosotros/as representábamos
vosotros/as representabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. representaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For representar, the yo form is representaba, as in “Yo representaba a mi país.” — “I used to represent my country.”

Future

Person Form
yo representaré
tú representarás
él/ella/Ud. representará
nosotros/as representaremos
vosotros/as representaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. representarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For representar, the yo form is representaré, as in “Yo representaré a mi país.” — “I will represent my country.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo representaría
tú representarías
él/ella/Ud. representaría
nosotros/as representaríamos
vosotros/as representaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. representarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For representar, the yo form is representaría, as in “Yo representaría a mi país.” — “I would represent my country.”

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For representar, the yo form is he representado, as in “Yo he representado a mi país.” — “I have represented my country.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For representar, the yo form is había representado, as in “Yo había representado a mi país.” — “I had represented my country.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For representar, the yo form is habré representado, as in “Yo habré representado a mi país.” — “I will have represented my country.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For representar, the yo form is habría representado, as in “Yo habría representado a mi país.” — “I would have represented my country.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo represente
tú representes
él/ella/Ud. represente
nosotros/as representemos
vosotros/as representéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. representen

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For representar, the yo form is represente, as in “Espero que yo represente a mi país.” — “I hope that I represent my country.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo representara
tú representaras
él/ella/Ud. representara
nosotros/as representáramos
vosotros/as representarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. representaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For representar, the yo form is representara, as in “Si yo representara a mi país, ...” — “If I represented my country, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: representara becomes representase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú representa
Ud. represente
nosotros/as representemos
vosotros/as representad
Uds. representen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú representes
Ud. represente
nosotros/as representemos
vosotros/as representéis
Uds. representen

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is representa, as in “¡Representa a mi país” — “Represent my country” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no representes. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with representar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with representar, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo represento a mi país cada día.” — “I represent my country.”
  2. “Él representa a mi país todos los días.” — “He represents my country.”
  3. “Yo representé a mi país ayer.” — “I represented my country.”
  4. “Él representó a mi país ayer.” — “He represented my country.”
  5. “Yo representaba a mi país cuando era joven.” — “I used to represent my country.”
  6. “Nosotros representaremos a mi país mañana.” — “We will represent my country.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo representaría a mi país.” — “If I could, i would represent my country.”
  8. “Yo he representado a mi país hoy.” — “I have represented my country.”
  9. “Espero que yo represente a mi país.” — “I hope that I represent my country.”
  10. “estoy representando a mi país ahora mismo.” — “I am representing my country.”

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is representé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — represente — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of representar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For representar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: representamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he representado a mi país. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy representado is not the present perfect of representar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing representar with reproducir

representar and reproducir look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of representar — represent — the sentence needs representar; if it needs the meaning of reproducir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo represente a mi país. Using the indicative — Espero que yo represento — is one of the most frequent learner errors with representar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of representar in the present?

  • A. representas
  • B. representa
  • C. representamos
  • D. represento

2. What is the tu form of representar in the preterite?

  • A. representamos
  • B. representaste
  • C. representé
  • D. representó

3. What is the el form of representar in the imperfect?

  • A. representabas
  • B. representábamos
  • C. representabais
  • D. representaba

4. What is the nosotros form of representar in the future?

  • A. representará
  • B. representaremos
  • C. representaré
  • D. representarás

5. What is the vosotros form of representar in the present perfect?

  • A. he representado
  • B. has representado
  • C. ha representado
  • D. habéis representado

6. What is the ellos form of representar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. represente
  • B. representen
  • C. represente
  • D. representes

7. What is the yo form of representar in the preterite?

  • A. representaste
  • B. representó
  • C. representamos
  • D. representé

8. What is the tu form of representar in the imperfect?

  • A. representábamos
  • B. representabas
  • C. representaba
  • D. representaba

9. What is the el form of representar in the future?

  • A. representaré
  • B. representarás
  • C. representaremos
  • D. representará

10. What is the nosotros form of representar in the conditional?

  • A. representaría
  • B. representaríamos
  • C. representaría
  • D. representarías

Answer key

  1. represento — The present table gives yo = represento.
  2. representaste — The preterite table gives tu = representaste.
  3. representaba — The imperfect table gives el = representaba.
  4. representaremos — The future table gives nosotros = representaremos.
  5. habéis representado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis representado.
  6. representen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = representen.
  7. representé — The preterite table gives yo = representé.
  8. representabas — The imperfect table gives tu = representabas.
  9. representará — The future table gives el = representará.
  10. representaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = representaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

Is representar regular or irregular?

representar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of representar?

The past participle of representar is representado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he representado, había representado, habré representado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund representando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of representar?

The gerund of representar is representando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy representando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle representado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of representar in the present?

The yo form is represento — “Yo represento a mi país.” means “I represent my country.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú representas, él representa, nosotros representamos, ellos representan.

What is the difference between representar and reproducir?

representar means “to represent”, while reproducir means “to reproduce”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to represent”, use representar; if it is about the meaning of reproducir, use reproducir instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

Related links