Saborear Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb saborear means to savour, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Saborear means to savour, and it is used for tasting food slowly, enjoying a meal and enjoying a moment. It is fully regular, and it is the slow, appreciative partner of probar. Like every Spanish verb, saborear 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 saboreo la comida con calma, and in the preterite you say saboreé cada bocado del postre. 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: saborear
- English: to savour
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: saboreando
- Past participle: saboreado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + saboreado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for saborear, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Saborear is fully regular: saboreé, saboreaba, saborearé. Saborear la comida is to savour the food.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for saborear. 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 | saboreo |
| tú | saboreas |
| él/ella/Ud. | saborea |
| nosotros/as | saboreamos |
| vosotros/as | saboreáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saborean |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | saboreé |
| tú | saboreaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | saboreó |
| nosotros/as | saboreamos |
| vosotros/as | saboreasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saborearon |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | saboreaba |
| tú | saboreabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | saboreaba |
| nosotros/as | saboreábamos |
| vosotros/as | saboreabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saboreaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | saborearé |
| tú | saborearás |
| él/ella/Ud. | saboreará |
| nosotros/as | saborearemos |
| vosotros/as | saborearéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saborearán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | saborearía |
| tú | saborearías |
| él/ella/Ud. | saborearía |
| nosotros/as | saborearíamos |
| vosotros/as | saborearíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saborearían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he saboreado |
| tú | has saboreado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha saboreado |
| nosotros/as | hemos saboreado |
| vosotros/as | habéis saboreado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han saboreado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había saboreado |
| tú | habías saboreado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había saboreado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos saboreado |
| vosotros/as | habíais saboreado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían saboreado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré saboreado |
| tú | habrás saboreado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá saboreado |
| nosotros/as | habremos saboreado |
| vosotros/as | habréis saboreado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán saboreado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría saboreado |
| tú | habrías saboreado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría saboreado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos saboreado |
| vosotros/as | habríais saboreado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían saboreado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | saboree |
| tú | saborees |
| él/ella/Ud. | saboree |
| nosotros/as | saboreemos |
| vosotros/as | saboreéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saboreen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | saboreara |
| tú | saborearas |
| él/ella/Ud. | saboreara |
| nosotros/as | saboreáramos |
| vosotros/as | saborearais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saborearan |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | saborea |
| él/ella/Ud. | saboree |
| nosotros/as | saboreemos |
| vosotros/as | saboread |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saboreen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | saborees |
| él/ella/Ud. | saboree |
| nosotros/as | saboreemos |
| vosotros/as | saboreéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saboreen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | saboreando | with estar for the progressive: estoy saboreando |
| Past participle | saboreado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he saboreado |
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 saborear, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Saboreo la comida con calma. 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 saborear, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, saboreé el vino en la cena. 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 saborear, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, saboreaba cada bocado del postre. 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 saborear, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, saborearé el momento sin prisa. 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 saborear, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Saborearía la comida con calma 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 saborear, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he saboreado el vino en la cena. 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 saborear, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había saboreado cada bocado del postre 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 saborear, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré saboreado el momento sin prisa. 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 saborear, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría saboreado la comida con calma 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 saborear, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él saboree el vino en la cena. 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 saborear, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él saboreara cada bocado del postre, 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 saborear, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Saborea el momento sin prisa! 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 saborear, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No saborees la comida con calma. 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 saborear, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Saboreo la comida con calma. — I savour the food calmly.
- Saborea el vino en la cena. — He/she savours the wine at dinner.
- Ayer, saboreé cada bocado del postre. — Yesterday, I savoured every mouthful of the dessert.
- Antes, nosotros saboreábamos el momento sin prisa. — Before, we used to savour the moment without hurrying.
- Mañana, tú saborearás la comida con calma. — Tomorrow, you will savour the food calmly.
- Yo saborearía el vino en la cena si tuviera más tiempo. — I would savour the wine at dinner if I had more time.
- Él ha saboreado cada bocado del postre. — He has savoured every mouthful of the dessert.
- Espero que él saboree el momento sin prisa. — I hope he savours the moment without hurrying.
- Yo ya había saboreado la comida con calma antes de salir. — I had already savoured the food calmly before leaving.
- Ellos saboreaban el vino en la cena cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to savour the wine at dinner when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo saborea la comida con calma. — Right: Yo saboreo la comida con calma. — The person matters: saborea is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is saboreo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo saboreo el vino en la cena. — Right: Ayer yo saboreé el vino en la cena. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: saboreo is happening now, while saboreé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating saborear and probar as identical in every context. — Right: Saborear means to savour, while probar means to taste, to try. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: saborear fits sentences such as Saboreo la comida con calma, while probar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy saboreado el vino en la cena. — Right: Yo he saboreado el vino en la cena. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he saboreado, has saboreado, ha saboreado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo saboreé cada bocado del postre todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo saboreaba cada bocado del postre todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (saboreaba), not the preterite. The preterite (saboreé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on saborear. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la comida con calma. (present tense) A. saboreo B. saboreas C. saborea D. saboreamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el vino en la cena. (preterite) A. saboreé B. saboreaste C. saborearon D. saboreó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ cada bocado del postre. (imperfect) A. saboreabas B. saboreaban C. saboreábamos D. saboreaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el momento sin prisa. (future) A. saborearemos B. saborearás C. saborearé D. saboreará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la comida con calma si pudiera. (conditional) A. saborearía B. saborearías C. saborearían D. saboreo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el vino en la cena. (present subjunctive) A. saborees B. saboreemos C. saboreo D. saboree
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ cada bocado del postre, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. saboreáramos B. saboreo C. saboreara D. saborearas
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el momento sin prisa. (present perfect) A. han saboreado B. hemos saboreado C. he saboreado D. has saboreado
Complete the command: ¡___ la comida con calma! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. saborea B. saboree C. saboreemos D. saboread
Which is the gerund of saborear, used with estar for the progressive? A. saboreado B. saboreo C. saboreé D. saboreando
Answer key
- saboreo — The first-person present of saborear is saboreo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- saboreó — The third-person preterite of saborear is saboreó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- saboreábamos — The nosotros imperfect of saborear is saboreábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- saborearás — The second-person future of saborear is saborearás.
- saborearía — The first-person conditional of saborear is saborearía, the form for what would happen.
- saboree — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of saborear is saboree.
- saboreara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of saborear is saboreara.
- hemos saboreado — The nosotros present perfect of saborear is hemos saboreado: hemos + saboreado.
- saborea — The affirmative tú imperative of saborear is saborea.
- saboreando — The gerund of saborear is saboreando: estoy saboreando. The participle saboreado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does saborear mean in English?
Saborear means to savour. It is used in everyday situations such as Saboreo la comida con calma. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is saborear regular or irregular?
Saborear 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 saboreo in the present and saboreé in the preterite.
What is the difference between saborear and probar?
Saborear means to savour, while probar means to taste, to try. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use saborear when you mean to savour, as in Saboreo la comida con calma, and use probar for to taste, to try. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I savour” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo saboreé el vino en la cena. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo saboreaba cada bocado del postre. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he saboreado el vino en la cena.
How do I practise saborear?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the saborear examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Saborear in the present tense — the full present-tense table for saborear.
- Saborear examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for saborear.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Masticar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with saborear.
- Rallar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with saborear.
- Amasar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with saborear.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.