Silbar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb silbar means to whistle, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Silbar 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 silbar 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 silbo una canción — "I whistle a song" — and in the preterite you say Yo silbé en la calle — "I whistled in the street". 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: silbar
- English: to whistle
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: silbando
- Past participle: silbado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + silbado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for silbar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for silbar. 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: silbando · Past participle: silbado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | silbo |
| tú | silbas |
| él/ella/Ud. | silba |
| nosotros/as | silbamos |
| vosotros/as | silbáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | silban |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | silbé |
| tú | silbaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | silbó |
| nosotros/as | silbamos |
| vosotros/as | silbasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | silbaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | silbaba |
| tú | silbabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | silbaba |
| nosotros/as | silbábamos |
| vosotros/as | silbabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | silbaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | silbaré |
| tú | silbarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | silbará |
| nosotros/as | silbaremos |
| vosotros/as | silbaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | silbarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | silbaría |
| tú | silbarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | silbaría |
| nosotros/as | silbaríamos |
| vosotros/as | silbaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | silbarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he silbado |
| tú | has silbado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha silbado |
| nosotros/as | hemos silbado |
| vosotros/as | habéis silbado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han silbado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había silbado |
| tú | habías silbado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había silbado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos silbado |
| vosotros/as | habíais silbado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían silbado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré silbado |
| tú | habrás silbado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá silbado |
| nosotros/as | habremos silbado |
| vosotros/as | habréis silbado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán silbado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría silbado |
| tú | habrías silbado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría silbado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos silbado |
| vosotros/as | habríais silbado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían silbado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | silbe |
| tú | silbes |
| él/ella/Ud. | silbe |
| nosotros/as | silbemos |
| vosotros/as | silbéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | silben |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | silbara |
| tú | silbaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | silbara |
| nosotros/as | silbáramos |
| vosotros/as | silbarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | silbaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | silba |
| él/ella/Ud. | silbe |
| nosotros/as | silbemos |
| vosotros/as | silbad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | silben |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | silbes |
| él/ella/Ud. | silbe |
| nosotros/as | silbemos |
| vosotros/as | silbéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | silben |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | silbando | with estar for the progressive: estoy silbando |
| Past participle | silbado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he silbado |
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 silbar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo silbo en la calle — "I whistle in the street". 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 silbar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo silbé mientras trabaja — "I whistled while he works". 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 silbar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo silbaba una canción — "I used to whistle a song". 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 silbar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo silbaré en la calle — "I will whistle in the street". 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 silbar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo silbaría mientras trabaja — "I would whistle while he works". 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 silbar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he silbado una canción — "I have whistled a song". 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 silbar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había silbado en la calle — "I had whistled in the street". 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 silbar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré silbado mientras trabaja — "I will have whistled while he works". 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 silbar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría silbado una canción — "I would have whistled a song". 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 silbar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él silbe en la calle — "I hope he whistles in the street". 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 silbar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo silbara mientras trabaja, todo cambiaría — "If I whistled while he works, 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 silbar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Silbe una canción — "Let him whistle a song". 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 silbar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No silbes en la calle — "Don't whistle in the street". 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 silbar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo silbo mientras trabaja — "I whistle while he works"
- Él silba una canción — "He whistles a song"
- Yo silbé en la calle — "I whistled in the street"
- Yo silbaba mientras trabaja — "I used to whistle while he works"
- Tú silbarás una canción — "You will whistle a song"
- Yo silbaría en la calle — "I would whistle in the street"
- Él ha silbado mientras trabaja — "He has whistled while he works"
- Espero que él silbe una canción — "I hope he whistles a song"
- Yo había silbado en la calle — "I had whistled in the street"
- Ellos silbaban mientras trabaja — "They used to whistle while he works"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos silba una canción — Right: Ellos silban una canción — Ellos needs the ellos form silban. The singular silba belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo silbo — Right: Ayer, yo silbé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to silbé.
- Wrong: De niño, yo silbé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo silbaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (silbaba), not the preterite. The preterite (silbé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy silbado en la calle. — Right: Yo he silbado en la calle. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he silbado, has silbado, ha silbado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él silba una canción. — Right: Espero que él silbe una canción. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: silbe. The indicative silba is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on silbar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una canción. (present tense) A. habrían silbado B. silbaban C. silbo D. silbaras
Complete the sentence: Él ___ una canción. (preterite) A. habremos silbado B. silbabais C. habías silbado D. silbó
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ una canción. (imperfect) A. silbábamos B. habrían silbado C. ha silbado D. silbéis
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ una canción. (future) A. habrías silbado B. silbamos C. silbabais D. silbarás
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una canción. (conditional) A. habríais silbado B. silbaréis C. silbaría D. habré silbado
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ una canción. (present subjunctive) A. habrías silbado B. silbemos C. silbe D. habrán silbado
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ una canción, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. ha silbado B. silbes C. silbaran D. silbara
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ una canción. (present perfect) A. hemos silbado B. habríais silbado C. habría silbado D. silbarías
Complete the command: No ___ una canción. (negative imperative, tú) A. silben B. silbemos C. silbes D. silbéis
Which is the gerund of silbar, used with estar for the progressive? A. silbando B. silbaba C. silbado D. silbaré
Answer key
- silbo — The yo present tense of silbar is silbo.
- silbó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of silbar is silbó.
- silbábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of silbar is silbábamos.
- silbarás — The tú future of silbar is silbarás.
- silbaría — The yo conditional of silbar is silbaría.
- silbe — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of silbar is silbe.
- silbara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of silbar is silbara.
- hemos silbado — The nosotros/as present perfect of silbar is hemos silbado.
- silbes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: silbes.
- silbando — The gerund of silbar is silbando: estoy silbando. The participle silbado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does silbar mean in English?
Silbar means to whistle. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo silbo una canción. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is silbar regular?
Yes. Silbar is a regular -ar verb: silbo, silbas, silba. 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 silbar?
The gerund is silbando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy silbando. The past participle is silbado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he silbado.
How do I say “I whistle” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo silbé en la calle. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo silbaba mientras trabaja. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he silbado una canción.
How do I practise silbar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the silbar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Silbar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for silbar.
- Silbar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for silbar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Simular conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with silbar.
- Socializar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with silbar.
- Solemnizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with silbar.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.