Sacudir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb sacudir means to shake, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Sacudir is a regular -ir verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of sacudir 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 Yo sacudo la alfombra — "I shake the rug" — and in the preterite you say Yo sacudí el polvo — "I shook the dust". 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: sacudir
- English: to shake
- Verb type: regular -ir verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: sacudiendo
- Past participle: sacudido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + sacudido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sacudir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for sacudir. 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: sacudiendo · Past participle: sacudido
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacudo |
| tú | sacudes |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacude |
| nosotros/as | sacudimos |
| vosotros/as | sacudís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacuden |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacudí |
| tú | sacudiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacudió |
| nosotros/as | sacudimos |
| vosotros/as | sacudisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacudieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacudía |
| tú | sacudías |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacudía |
| nosotros/as | sacudíamos |
| vosotros/as | sacudíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacudían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacudiré |
| tú | sacudirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacudirá |
| nosotros/as | sacudiremos |
| vosotros/as | sacudiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacudirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacudiría |
| tú | sacudirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacudiría |
| nosotros/as | sacudiríamos |
| vosotros/as | sacudiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacudirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he sacudido |
| tú | has sacudido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha sacudido |
| nosotros/as | hemos sacudido |
| vosotros/as | habéis sacudido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han sacudido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había sacudido |
| tú | habías sacudido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había sacudido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos sacudido |
| vosotros/as | habíais sacudido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían sacudido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré sacudido |
| tú | habrás sacudido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá sacudido |
| nosotros/as | habremos sacudido |
| vosotros/as | habréis sacudido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán sacudido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría sacudido |
| tú | habrías sacudido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría sacudido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos sacudido |
| vosotros/as | habríais sacudido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían sacudido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacuda |
| tú | sacudas |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacuda |
| nosotros/as | sacudamos |
| vosotros/as | sacudáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacudan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sacudiera |
| tú | sacudieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacudiera |
| nosotros/as | sacudiéramos |
| vosotros/as | sacudierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacudieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | sacude |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacuda |
| nosotros/as | sacudamos |
| vosotros/as | sacudid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacudan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | sacudas |
| él/ella/Ud. | sacuda |
| nosotros/as | sacudamos |
| vosotros/as | sacudáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sacudan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | sacudiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy sacudiendo |
| Past participle | sacudido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he sacudido |
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 sacudir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sacudo el polvo — "I shake the dust". 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 sacudir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sacudí la manta — "I shook the blanket". 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 sacudir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sacudía la alfombra — "I used to shake the rug". 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 sacudir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sacudiré el polvo — "I will shake the dust". 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 sacudir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sacudiría la manta — "I would shake the blanket". 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 sacudir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he sacudido la alfombra — "I have shaken the rug". 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 sacudir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había sacudido el polvo — "I had shaken the dust". 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 sacudir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré sacudido la manta — "I will have shaken the blanket". 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 sacudir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría sacudido la alfombra — "I would have shaken the rug". 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 sacudir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él sacuda el polvo — "I hope he shakes the dust". 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 sacudir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo sacudiera la manta, todo cambiaría — "If I shook the blanket, 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 sacudir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Sacuda la alfombra — "Let him shake the rug". 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 sacudir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No sacudas el polvo — "Don't shake the dust". 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 sacudir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo sacudo la manta — "I shake the blanket"
- Él sacude la alfombra — "He shakes the rug"
- Yo sacudí el polvo — "I shook the dust"
- Yo sacudía la manta — "I used to shake the blanket"
- Tú sacudirás la alfombra — "You will shake the rug"
- Yo sacudiría el polvo — "I would shake the dust"
- Él ha sacudido la manta — "He has shaken the blanket"
- Espero que él sacuda la alfombra — "I hope he shakes the rug"
- Yo había sacudido el polvo — "I had shaken the dust"
- Ellos sacudían la manta — "They used to shake the blanket"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos sacude la alfombra — Right: Ellos sacuden la alfombra — Ellos needs the ellos form sacuden. The singular sacude belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo sacudo — Right: Ayer, yo sacudí — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to sacudí.
- Wrong: De niño, yo sacudí todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo sacudía — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (sacudía), not the preterite. The preterite (sacudí) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy sacudido el polvo. — Right: Yo he sacudido el polvo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he sacudido, has sacudido, ha sacudido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él sacude la alfombra. — Right: Espero que él sacuda la alfombra. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: sacuda. The indicative sacude is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on sacudir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la alfombra. (present tense) A. sacudo B. sacudí C. sacudió D. habían sacudido
Complete the sentence: Él ___ la alfombra. (preterite) A. sacudió B. habrías sacudido C. sacudid D. habíais sacudido
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la alfombra. (imperfect) A. habrían sacudido B. sacudíamos C. sacudiremos D. sacudieran
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la alfombra. (future) A. sacudían B. sacudirás C. habríais sacudido D. habrán sacudido
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la alfombra. (conditional) A. sacudierais B. habrías sacudido C. sacudisteis D. sacudiría
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la alfombra. (present subjunctive) A. habíais sacudido B. sacuda C. sacudíais D. sacudes
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la alfombra, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. sacudiéramos B. sacudieron C. sacudiera D. sacudiríais
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la alfombra. (present perfect) A. habrían sacudido B. hemos sacudido C. sacudieras D. sacudiré
Complete the command: No ___ la alfombra. (negative imperative, tú) A. sacudas B. sacudan C. sacudáis D. sacuda
Which is the gerund of sacudir, used with estar for the progressive? A. sacudiré B. sacudo C. sacudiendo D. sacudía
Answer key
- sacudo — The yo present tense of sacudir is sacudo.
- sacudió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of sacudir is sacudió.
- sacudíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of sacudir is sacudíamos.
- sacudirás — The tú future of sacudir is sacudirás.
- sacudiría — The yo conditional of sacudir is sacudiría.
- sacuda — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of sacudir is sacuda.
- sacudiera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of sacudir is sacudiera.
- hemos sacudido — The nosotros/as present perfect of sacudir is hemos sacudido.
- sacudas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: sacudas.
- sacudiendo — The gerund of sacudir is sacudiendo: estoy sacudiendo. The participle sacudido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does sacudir mean in English?
Sacudir means to shake. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo sacudo la alfombra. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is sacudir regular?
Yes. Sacudir is a regular -ir verb: sacudo, sacudes, sacude. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ir verb.
What is the gerund and the past participle of sacudir?
The gerund is sacudiendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy sacudiendo. The past participle is sacudido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he sacudido.
How do I say “I shake” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo sacudí el polvo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo sacudía la manta. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he sacudido la alfombra.
How do I practise sacudir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the sacudir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Sacudir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for sacudir.
- Sacudir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for sacudir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Zambullirse conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with sacudir.
- Zurcir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with sacudir.
- Sofreír conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with sacudir.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.