Rociar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb rociar means to spray, to sprinkle, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Rociar means to spray or sprinkle: rociar las plantas con agua, rociar la ensalada con limón. It takes the thing sprayed as its object and con for the liquid. Like every Spanish verb, rociar 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 Yo rocío las plantas con agua — "I spray the plants with water". 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: rociar
  • English: to spray, to sprinkle
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: rociando
  • Past participle: rociado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + rociado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for rociar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for rociar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | rocío | | tú | rocías | | él/ella/Ud. | rocía | | nosotros/as | rociamos | | vosotros/as | rociáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rocían |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | rocié | | tú | rociaste | | él/ella/Ud. | roció | | nosotros/as | rociamos | | vosotros/as | rociasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rociaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | rociaba | | tú | rociabas | | él/ella/Ud. | rociaba | | nosotros/as | rociábamos | | vosotros/as | rociabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rociaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | rociaré | | tú | rociarás | | él/ella/Ud. | rociará | | nosotros/as | rociaremos | | vosotros/as | rociaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rociarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | rociaría | | tú | rociarías | | él/ella/Ud. | rociaría | | nosotros/as | rociaríamos | | vosotros/as | rociaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rociarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | rocíe | | tú | rocíes | | él/ella/Ud. | rocíe | | nosotros/as | rociemos | | vosotros/as | rociéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rocíen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | rociara | | tú | rociaras | | él/ella/Ud. | rociara | | nosotros/as | rociáramos | | vosotros/as | rociarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rociaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | rocía | | él/ella/Ud. | rocíe | | nosotros/as | rociemos | | vosotros/as | rociad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rocíen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | rocíes | | él/ella/Ud. | rocíe | | nosotros/as | rociemos | | vosotros/as | rociéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rocíen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund rociando with estar for the progressive: está rociando
Past participle rociado with haber for the perfect tenses: he rociado

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 rociar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo rocío las plantas con agua — "I spray the plants with water".

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 rociar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo rocié el jardín con la manguera — "Yesterday, I sprayed the garden with the hose".

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 rociar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo rociaba la ensalada con limón — "As a child, I used to spray the salad with lemon".

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 rociar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo rociaré el pastel con azúcar — "Tomorrow, I will spray the cake with sugar".

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 rociar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo rociaría las plantas con agua si pudiera — "I would spray the plants with water if I could".

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 rociar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he rociado el jardín con la manguera — "Today, I have sprayed the garden with the hose".

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 rociar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había rociado la ensalada con limón antes de salir — "I already had sprayed the salad with lemon before leaving".

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 rociar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré rociado el pastel con azúcar — "By tomorrow, I will have sprayed the cake with sugar".

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 rociar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría rociado las plantas con agua con más tiempo — "I would have sprayed the plants with water with more time".

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 rociar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él rocíe el jardín con la manguera — "I hope he sprays the garden with the hose".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 rociar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo rociara la ensalada con limón, todo cambiaría — "If I sprayed the salad with lemon, everything would change".

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 rociar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Rocía el pastel con azúcar. — "Spray the cake with sugar.".

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 rociar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No rocíes las plantas con agua. — "Do not spray the plants with water.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with rociar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo rocío las plantas con agua — "I spray the plants with water"
  2. Mi amigo rocía el jardín con la manguera — "My friend sprays the garden with the hose"
  3. Ayer, yo rocié la ensalada con limón — "Yesterday, I sprayed the salad with lemon"
  4. Antes, nosotros rociábamos el pastel con azúcar — "Before, we used to spray the cake with sugar"
  5. Mañana, tú rociarás la ropa antes de planchar — "Tomorrow, you will spray the clothes before ironing"
  6. Yo rociaría las plantas con agua si tuviera más tiempo — "I would spray the plants with water if I had more time"
  7. Él ha rociado el jardín con la manguera — "He has sprayed the garden with the hose"
  8. Espero que él rocíe la ensalada con limón — "I hope he sprays the salad with lemon"
  9. Yo ya había rociado el pastel con azúcar antes de salir — "I already had sprayed the cake with sugar before leaving"
  10. Ellos rociaban la ropa antes de planchar cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to spray the clothes before ironing when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él rocía el jardín con la manguera — Right: Espero que él rocíe el jardín con la manguera — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él rocíe el jardín con la manguera — not the indicative Espero que él rocía el jardín con la manguera.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo rocío la ensalada con limón — Right: Ayer, yo rocié la ensalada con limón — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo rocié la ensalada con limón.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo rocié el pastel con azúcar todos los días — Right: De niño, yo rociaba el pastel con azúcar todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo rociaba el pastel con azúcar todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo rocío en las plantas con agua. — Right: Yo rocío las plantas con agua. — rociar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo rocío las plantas con agua.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros rociais la ropa antes de planchar. — Right: Vosotros rociáis la ropa antes de planchar. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: rociáis, not rociais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ las plantas con agua — "I spray the plants with water" (present) A. rocío B. rocías C. rocía D. rociamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el jardín con la manguera — "He sprayed the garden with the hose" (preterite) A. rociaste B. rociamos C. roció D. rocié

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la ensalada con limón — "We used to spray the salad with lemon" (imperfect) A. rociabais B. rociábamos C. rociaba D. rociabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el pastel con azúcar — "You will spray the cake with sugar" (future) A. rociaré B. rociará C. rociaremos D. rociarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la ropa antes de planchar — "I would spray the clothes before ironing" (conditional) A. rociaríais B. rociaría C. rociarías D. rociaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ las plantas con agua — "I hope he sprays the plants with water" (present subjunctive) A. rocíe B. rocíes C. rociemos D. rociéis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el jardín con la manguera, todo cambiaría — "If I sprayed the garden with the hose, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. rociáramos B. rociarais C. rociara D. rociaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la ensalada con limón — "We have sprayed the salad with lemon" (present perfect) A. ha rociado B. hemos rociado C. he rociado D. has rociado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el pastel con azúcar. — "Do not spray the cake with sugar." (negative imperative) A. rocíe B. rociemos C. rociéis D. rocíes

  10. Which is the gerund of rociar, used with estar for the progressive? A. rocío B. rocié C. rociando D. rociado

Answer key

  1. rocío — The present form for yo is rocío.
  2. roció — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is roció.
  3. rociábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is rociábamos.
  4. rociarás — The future form for tú is rociarás.
  5. rociaría — The conditional form for yo is rociaría.
  6. rocíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is rocíe.
  7. rociara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is rociara.
  8. hemos rociado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos rociado.
  9. rocíes — The negative imperative form is rocíes.
  10. rociando — The gerund of rociar is rociando: estoy rociando. The participle rociado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does rociar mean in English?

rociar means to spray, to sprinkle. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo rocío las plantas con agua — "I spray the plants with water". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is rociar regular?

Yes. rociar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as rociáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of rociar?

The gerund is rociando and the past participle is rociado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I spray" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo rocié el jardín con la manguera — "Yesterday, I sprayed the garden with the hose". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo rociaba la ensalada con limón — "As a child, I used to spray the salad with lemon". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he rociado el jardín con la manguera — "Today, I have sprayed the garden with the hose".

What is the difference between rociar and pulverizar?

Pulverizar is to spray a fine mist, often with a spray bottle. Rociar is the everyday verb for sprinkling water, lemon or sugar. Rociar means to spray or sprinkle: rociar las plantas con agua, rociar la ensalada con limón. It takes the thing sprayed as its object and con for the liquid.

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