Separar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb separar means to separate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Separar is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of separar 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 separo la ropa blanca — "I separate the white clothes" — and in the preterite you say Yo separé los libros — "I separated the books". 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: separar
- English: to separate
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: separando
- Past participle: separado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + separado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for separar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for separar. 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: separando · Past participle: separado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | separo |
| tú | separas |
| él/ella/Ud. | separa |
| nosotros/as | separamos |
| vosotros/as | separáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | separan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | separé |
| tú | separaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | separó |
| nosotros/as | separamos |
| vosotros/as | separasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | separaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | separaba |
| tú | separabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | separaba |
| nosotros/as | separábamos |
| vosotros/as | separabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | separaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | separaré |
| tú | separarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | separará |
| nosotros/as | separaremos |
| vosotros/as | separaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | separarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | separaría |
| tú | separarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | separaría |
| nosotros/as | separaríamos |
| vosotros/as | separaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | separarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he separado |
| tú | has separado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha separado |
| nosotros/as | hemos separado |
| vosotros/as | habéis separado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han separado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había separado |
| tú | habías separado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había separado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos separado |
| vosotros/as | habíais separado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían separado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré separado |
| tú | habrás separado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá separado |
| nosotros/as | habremos separado |
| vosotros/as | habréis separado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán separado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría separado |
| tú | habrías separado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría separado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos separado |
| vosotros/as | habríais separado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían separado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | separe |
| tú | separes |
| él/ella/Ud. | separe |
| nosotros/as | separemos |
| vosotros/as | separéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | separen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | separara |
| tú | separaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | separara |
| nosotros/as | separáramos |
| vosotros/as | separarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | separaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | separa |
| él/ella/Ud. | separe |
| nosotros/as | separemos |
| vosotros/as | separad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | separen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | separes |
| él/ella/Ud. | separe |
| nosotros/as | separemos |
| vosotros/as | separéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | separen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | separando | with estar for the progressive: estoy separando |
| Past participle | separado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he separado |
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 separar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo separo los libros — "I separate the books". 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 separar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo separé a los niños — "I separated the children". 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 separar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo separaba la ropa blanca — "I used to separate the white 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 separar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo separaré los libros — "I will separate the books". 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 separar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo separaría a los niños — "I would separate the children". 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 separar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he separado la ropa blanca — "I have separated the white 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 separar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había separado los libros — "I had separated the books". 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 separar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré separado a los niños — "I will have separated the children". 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 separar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría separado la ropa blanca — "I would have separated the white 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 separar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él separe los libros — "I hope he separates the books". 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 separar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo separara a los niños, todo cambiaría — "If I separated the children, 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 separar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Separe la ropa blanca — "Let him separate the white 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 separar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No separes los libros — "Don't separate the books". 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 separar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo separo a los niños — "I separate the children"
- Él separa la ropa blanca — "He separates the white clothes"
- Yo separé los libros — "I separated the books"
- Yo separaba a los niños — "I used to separate the children"
- Tú separarás la ropa blanca — "You will separate the white clothes"
- Yo separaría los libros — "I would separate the books"
- Él ha separado a los niños — "He has separated the children"
- Espero que él separe la ropa blanca — "I hope he separates the white clothes"
- Yo había separado los libros — "I had separated the books"
- Ellos separaban a los niños — "They used to separate the children"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos separa la ropa blanca — Right: Ellos separan la ropa blanca — Ellos needs the ellos form separan. The singular separa belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo separo — Right: Ayer, yo separé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to separé.
- Wrong: De niño, yo separé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo separaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (separaba), not the preterite. The preterite (separé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy separado los libros. — Right: Yo he separado los libros. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he separado, has separado, ha separado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él separa la ropa blanca. — Right: Espero que él separe la ropa blanca. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: separe. The indicative separa is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on separar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la ropa blanca. (present tense) A. separaré B. separasteis C. separo D. habían separado
Complete the sentence: Él ___ la ropa blanca. (preterite) A. separarais B. separó C. ha separado D. separe
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la ropa blanca. (imperfect) A. separé B. separábamos C. he separado D. separara
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la ropa blanca. (future) A. separarás B. separó C. separéis D. separaba
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la ropa blanca. (conditional) A. separaba B. separaríamos C. he separado D. separaría
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la ropa blanca. (present subjunctive) A. separaría B. separe C. habéis separado D. has separado
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la ropa blanca, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. separara B. separamos C. separábamos D. has separado
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la ropa blanca. (present perfect) A. separasteis B. habríamos separado C. hemos separado D. separáramos
Complete the command: No ___ la ropa blanca. (negative imperative, tú) A. separemos B. separes C. separen D. separe
Which is the gerund of separar, used with estar for the progressive? A. separando B. separaré C. separaba D. separo
Answer key
- separo — The yo present tense of separar is separo.
- separó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of separar is separó.
- separábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of separar is separábamos.
- separarás — The tú future of separar is separarás.
- separaría — The yo conditional of separar is separaría.
- separe — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of separar is separe.
- separara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of separar is separara.
- hemos separado — The nosotros/as present perfect of separar is hemos separado.
- separes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: separes.
- separando — The gerund of separar is separando: estoy separando. The participle separado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does separar mean in English?
Separar means to separate. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo separo la ropa blanca. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is separar regular?
Yes. Separar is a regular -ar verb: separo, separas, separa. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ar verb.
What is the gerund and the past participle of separar?
The gerund is separando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy separando. The past participle is separado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he separado.
How do I say “I separate” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo separé los libros. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo separaba a los niños. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he separado la ropa blanca.
How do I practise separar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the separar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Separar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for separar.
- Separar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for separar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Silbar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with separar.
- Simular conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with separar.
- Socializar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with separar.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.