Secar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb secar means to dry, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Secar is a spelling-changing -ar (c → qu before e) verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. It has a spelling change (c → qu before e), which keeps the pronunciation of the stem the same when the ending changes. On this page you will find the full conjugation of secar 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 seco la ropa — "I dry the clothes" — and in the preterite you say Yo sequé el pelo — "I dried my hair". 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: secar
- English: to dry
- Verb type: spelling-changing -ar (c → qu before e) verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: secando
- Past participle: secado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + secado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for secar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for secar. 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: secando · Past participle: secado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | seco |
| tú | secas |
| él/ella/Ud. | seca |
| nosotros/as | secamos |
| vosotros/as | secáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | secan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sequé |
| tú | secaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | secó |
| nosotros/as | secamos |
| vosotros/as | secasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | secaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | secaba |
| tú | secabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | secaba |
| nosotros/as | secábamos |
| vosotros/as | secabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | secaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | secaré |
| tú | secarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | secará |
| nosotros/as | secaremos |
| vosotros/as | secaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | secarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | secaría |
| tú | secarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | secaría |
| nosotros/as | secaríamos |
| vosotros/as | secaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | secarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he secado |
| tú | has secado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha secado |
| nosotros/as | hemos secado |
| vosotros/as | habéis secado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han secado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había secado |
| tú | habías secado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había secado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos secado |
| vosotros/as | habíais secado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían secado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré secado |
| tú | habrás secado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá secado |
| nosotros/as | habremos secado |
| vosotros/as | habréis secado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán secado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría secado |
| tú | habrías secado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría secado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos secado |
| vosotros/as | habríais secado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían secado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | seque |
| tú | seques |
| él/ella/Ud. | seque |
| nosotros/as | sequemos |
| vosotros/as | sequéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sequen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | secara |
| tú | secaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | secara |
| nosotros/as | secáramos |
| vosotros/as | secarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | secaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | seca |
| él/ella/Ud. | seque |
| nosotros/as | sequemos |
| vosotros/as | secad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sequen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | seques |
| él/ella/Ud. | seque |
| nosotros/as | sequemos |
| vosotros/as | sequéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sequen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | secando | with estar for the progressive: estoy secando |
| Past participle | secado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he secado |
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 secar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo seco el pelo — "I dry my hair". 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 secar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sequé los platos — "I dried the dishes". 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. Spelling change in the preterite: the yo form is sequé (c → qu before e), so the sound of the stem stays the same.
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 secar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo secaba la ropa — "I used to dry the clothes". 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 secar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo secaré el pelo — "I will dry my hair". 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 secar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo secaría los platos — "I would dry the dishes". 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 secar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he secado la ropa — "I have dried the clothes". 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 secar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había secado el pelo — "I had dried my hair". 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 secar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré secado los platos — "I will have dried the dishes". 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 secar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría secado la ropa — "I would have dried the clothes". 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 secar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él seque el pelo — "I hope he dries my hair". 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. The subjunctive keeps the spelling change: seque, seques, seque all show c → qu before e, just like the preterite yo form.
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 secar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo secara los platos, todo cambiaría — "If I dried the dishes, 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 secar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Seque la ropa — "Let him dry the clothes". 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 secar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No seques el pelo — "Don't dry my hair". 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 secar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo seco los platos — "I dry the dishes"
- Él seca la ropa — "He dries the clothes"
- Yo sequé el pelo — "I dried my hair"
- Yo secaba los platos — "I used to dry the dishes"
- Tú secarás la ropa — "You will dry the clothes"
- Yo secaría el pelo — "I would dry my hair"
- Él ha secado los platos — "He has dried the dishes"
- Espero que él seque la ropa — "I hope he dries the clothes"
- Yo había secado el pelo — "I had dried my hair"
- Ellos secaban los platos — "They used to dry the dishes"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos seca la ropa — Right: Ellos secan la ropa — Ellos needs the ellos form secan. The singular seca belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo seco — Right: Ayer, yo sequé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to sequé, with the spelling change c → qu before e.
- Wrong: De niño, yo sequé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo secaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (secaba), not the preterite. The preterite (sequé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy secado el pelo. — Right: Yo he secado el pelo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he secado, has secado, ha secado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él seca la ropa. — Right: Espero que él seque la ropa. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: seque. The indicative seca is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on secar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la ropa. (present tense) A. seco B. habré secado C. habremos secado D. seques
Complete the sentence: Él ___ la ropa. (preterite) A. ha secado B. secó C. he secado D. secarían
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la ropa. (imperfect) A. has secado B. habían secado C. habremos secado D. secábamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la ropa. (future) A. habían secado B. secarás C. habríamos secado D. secaríamos
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la ropa. (conditional) A. secábamos B. sequen C. secarán D. secaría
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la ropa. (present subjunctive) A. secaron B. secamos C. seque D. han secado
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la ropa, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. secara B. secaríamos C. secad D. habíamos secado
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la ropa. (present perfect) A. hemos secado B. secaríais C. secarás D. habrá secado
Complete the command: No ___ la ropa. (negative imperative, tú) A. sequéis B. sequen C. sequemos D. seques
Which is the gerund of secar, used with estar for the progressive? A. secando B. seco C. secaré D. secado
Answer key
- seco — The yo present tense of secar is seco.
- secó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of secar is secó.
- secábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of secar is secábamos.
- secarás — The tú future of secar is secarás.
- secaría — The yo conditional of secar is secaría.
- seque — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of secar is seque.
- secara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of secar is secara.
- hemos secado — The nosotros/as present perfect of secar is hemos secado.
- seques — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: seques.
- secando — The gerund of secar is secando: estoy secando. The participle secado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does secar mean in English?
Secar means to dry. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo seco la ropa. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is secar regular?
Mostly. Secar follows the regular -ar endings, but it has a spelling change (c → qu before e). The tables on this page show every form, so you can see exactly where the spelling changes.
What is the gerund and the past participle of secar?
The gerund is secando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy secando. The past participle is secado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he secado.
How do I say “I dry” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo sequé el pelo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo secaba los platos. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he secado la ropa.
How do I practise secar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the secar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Secar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for secar.
- Secar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for secar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Seleccionar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with secar.
- Sembrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with secar.
- Separar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with secar.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.