Sacar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb sacar means to take out, to get, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Sacar means to take out or to get, and it covers taking money from the bank, taking out the rubbish, getting good marks and taking the dog for a walk. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e, so the subjunctive is saque. Like every Spanish verb, sacar 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 saco dinero del banco, and in the preterite you say saqué buenas notas en el examen. 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: sacar
- English: to take out, to get
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: sacando
- Past participle: sacado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + sacado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sacar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the subjunctive is saque, never sace.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for sacar. 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 | saco |
| tú | sacas |
| él/ella/Ud. | saca |
| nosotros/as | sacamos |
| vosotros/as | sacáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | saqué |
| tú | sacaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacó |
| nosotros/as | sacamos |
| vosotros/as | sacasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacaba |
| tú | sacabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacaba |
| nosotros/as | sacábamos |
| vosotros/as | sacabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacaré |
| tú | sacarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacará |
| nosotros/as | sacaremos |
| vosotros/as | sacaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacaría |
| tú | sacarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacaría |
| nosotros/as | sacaríamos |
| vosotros/as | sacaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he sacado |
| tú | has sacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha sacado |
| nosotros/as | hemos sacado |
| vosotros/as | habéis sacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han sacado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había sacado |
| tú | habías sacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había sacado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos sacado |
| vosotros/as | habíais sacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían sacado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré sacado |
| tú | habrás sacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá sacado |
| nosotros/as | habremos sacado |
| vosotros/as | habréis sacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán sacado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría sacado |
| tú | habrías sacado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría sacado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos sacado |
| vosotros/as | habríais sacado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían sacado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | saque |
| tú | saques |
| él/ella/Ud. | saque |
| nosotros/as | saquemos |
| vosotros/as | saquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacara |
| tú | sacaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacara |
| nosotros/as | sacáramos |
| vosotros/as | sacarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | saca |
| él/ella/Ud. | saque |
| nosotros/as | saquemos |
| vosotros/as | sacad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | saques |
| él/ella/Ud. | saque |
| nosotros/as | saquemos |
| vosotros/as | saquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | saquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | sacando | with estar for the progressive: estoy sacando |
| Past participle | sacado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he sacado |
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 sacar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Saco dinero del banco. 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 sacar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, saqué la basura por la noche. 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 sacar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, sacaba buenas notas en el examen. 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 sacar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, sacaré el perro a pasear. 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 sacar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Sacaría dinero del banco 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 sacar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he sacado la basura por la noche. 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 sacar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había sacado buenas notas en el examen 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 sacar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré sacado el perro a pasear. 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 sacar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría sacado dinero del banco 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms use saqu-, keeping the hard k sound. For sacar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él saque la basura por la noche. 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 sacar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él sacara buenas notas en el examen, 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms use saqu-, keeping the hard k sound. For sacar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Saca el perro a pasear! 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms use saqu-, keeping the hard k sound. For sacar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No saques dinero del banco. 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 sacar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Saco dinero del banco. — I take out money from the bank.
- Saca la basura por la noche. — He/she takes out the rubbish at night.
- Ayer, saqué buenas notas en el examen. — Yesterday, I took out good marks in the exam.
- Antes, nosotros sacábamos el perro a pasear. — Before, we used to take out the dog for a walk.
- Mañana, tú sacarás dinero del banco. — Tomorrow, you will take out money from the bank.
- Yo sacaría la basura por la noche si tuviera más tiempo. — I would take out the rubbish at night if I had more time.
- Él ha sacado buenas notas en el examen. — He has taken out good marks in the exam.
- Espero que él saque el perro a pasear. — I hope he takes out the dog for a walk.
- Yo ya había sacado dinero del banco antes de salir. — I had already taken out money from the bank before leaving.
- Ellos sacaban la basura por la noche cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to take out the rubbish at night when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo saca dinero del banco. — Right: Yo saco dinero del banco. — The person matters: saca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is saco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Espero que yo sace dinero del banco. — Right: Espero que yo saque dinero del banco. — Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is saque, never sace.
- Wrong: Treating sacar and meter as identical in every context. — Right: Sacar means to take out, to get, while meter means to put in, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: sacar fits sentences such as Saco dinero del banco, while meter belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy sacado la basura por la noche. — Right: Yo he sacado la basura por la noche. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he sacado, has sacado, ha sacado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo saqué buenas notas en el examen todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo sacaba buenas notas en el examen todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (sacaba), not the preterite. The preterite (saqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on sacar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ dinero del banco. (present tense) A. saco B. sacas C. saca D. sacamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la basura por la noche. (preterite) A. saqué B. sacaste C. sacaron D. sacó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ buenas notas en el examen. (imperfect) A. sacabas B. sacaban C. sacábamos D. sacaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el perro a pasear. (future) A. sacaremos B. sacarás C. sacaré D. sacará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ dinero del banco si pudiera. (conditional) A. sacaría B. sacarías C. sacarían D. saco
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la basura por la noche. (present subjunctive) A. saques B. saquemos C. saco D. saque
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ buenas notas en el examen, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. sacáramos B. saco C. sacara D. sacaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el perro a pasear. (present perfect) A. han sacado B. hemos sacado C. he sacado D. has sacado
Complete the command: ¡___ dinero del banco! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. saca B. saque C. saquemos D. sacad
Which is the gerund of sacar, used with estar for the progressive? A. sacado B. saco C. saqué D. sacando
Answer key
- saco — The first-person present of sacar is saco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- sacó — The third-person preterite of sacar is sacó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- sacábamos — The nosotros imperfect of sacar is sacábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- sacarás — The second-person future of sacar is sacarás.
- sacaría — The first-person conditional of sacar is sacaría, the form for what would happen.
- saque — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of sacar is saque.
- sacara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of sacar is sacara.
- hemos sacado — The nosotros present perfect of sacar is hemos sacado: hemos + sacado.
- saca — The affirmative tú imperative of sacar is saca.
- sacando — The gerund of sacar is sacando: estoy sacando. The participle sacado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does sacar mean in English?
Sacar means to take out, to get. It is used in everyday situations such as Saco dinero del banco. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is sacar regular or irregular?
Sacar 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 saco in the present and saqué in the preterite.
What is the difference between sacar and meter?
Sacar means to take out, to get, while meter means to put in, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use sacar when you mean to take out, to get, as in Saco dinero del banco, and use meter for to put in, its opposite. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I take out” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo saqué la basura por la noche. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo sacaba buenas notas en el examen. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he sacado la basura por la noche.
How do I practise sacar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the sacar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Sacar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for sacar.
- Sacar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for sacar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Guardar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with sacar.
- Echar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with sacar.
- Cobrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with sacar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.