Sumar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb sumar means to add up, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Sumar means to add up or to add, and it is used for numbers, points, years and efforts: sumar dos y dos, sumar puntos en el juego. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and it is the opposite of restar in maths. Like every Spanish verb, sumar 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 sumo dos y dos en clase, and in the preterite you say sumé los gastos del mes. 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: sumar
  • English: to add up
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: sumando
  • Past participle: sumado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + sumado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sumar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Sumar is fully regular: sumé, sumaba, sumaré. In maths, sumar is to add and restar is to subtract.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for sumar. 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 sumo
tú sumas
él/ella/Ud. suma
nosotros/as sumamos
vosotros/as sumáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. suman

Preterite

Person Form
yo sumé
tú sumaste
él/ella/Ud. sumó
nosotros/as sumamos
vosotros/as sumasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sumaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo sumaba
tú sumabas
él/ella/Ud. sumaba
nosotros/as sumábamos
vosotros/as sumabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. sumaban

Future

Person Form
yo sumaré
tú sumarás
él/ella/Ud. sumará
nosotros/as sumaremos
vosotros/as sumaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sumarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo sumaría
tú sumarías
él/ella/Ud. sumaría
nosotros/as sumaríamos
vosotros/as sumaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. sumarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he sumado
tú has sumado
él/ella/Ud. ha sumado
nosotros/as hemos sumado
vosotros/as habéis sumado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han sumado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había sumado
tú habías sumado
él/ella/Ud. había sumado
nosotros/as habíamos sumado
vosotros/as habíais sumado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían sumado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré sumado
tú habrás sumado
él/ella/Ud. habrá sumado
nosotros/as habremos sumado
vosotros/as habréis sumado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán sumado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría sumado
tú habrías sumado
él/ella/Ud. habría sumado
nosotros/as habríamos sumado
vosotros/as habríais sumado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían sumado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo sume
tú sumes
él/ella/Ud. sume
nosotros/as sumemos
vosotros/as suméis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sumen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo sumara
tú sumaras
él/ella/Ud. sumara
nosotros/as sumáramos
vosotros/as sumarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. sumaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú suma
él/ella/Ud. sume
nosotros/as sumemos
vosotros/as sumad
ellos/ellas/Uds. sumen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú sumes
él/ella/Ud. sume
nosotros/as sumemos
vosotros/as suméis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sumen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund sumando with estar for the progressive: estoy sumando
Past participle sumado with haber for the perfect tenses: he sumado

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 sumar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Sumo dos y dos en clase. 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 sumar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, sumé puntos en el juego. 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 sumar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, sumaba los gastos del mes. 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 sumar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, sumaré años de experiencia. 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 sumar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Sumaría dos y dos en clase 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 sumar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he sumado puntos en el juego. 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 sumar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había sumado los gastos del mes 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 sumar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré sumado años de experiencia. 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 sumar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría sumado dos y dos en clase 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For sumar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él sume puntos en el juego. 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 sumar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él sumara los gastos del mes, 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For sumar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Suma años de experiencia! 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For sumar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No sumes dos y dos en clase. 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 sumar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Sumo dos y dos en clase. — I add two and two in class.
  2. Suma puntos en el juego. — He/she adds points in the game.
  3. Ayer, sumé los gastos del mes. — Yesterday, I added the month's expenses.
  4. Antes, nosotros sumábamos años de experiencia. — Before, we used to add years of experience.
  5. Mañana, tú sumarás dos y dos en clase. — Tomorrow, you will add two and two in class.
  6. Yo sumaría puntos en el juego si tuviera más tiempo. — I would add points in the game if I had more time.
  7. Él ha sumado los gastos del mes. — He has added the month's expenses.
  8. Espero que él sume años de experiencia. — I hope he adds years of experience.
  9. Yo ya había sumado dos y dos en clase antes de salir. — I had already added two and two in class before leaving.
  10. Ellos sumaban puntos en el juego cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to add points in the game when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo suma dos y dos en clase. — Right: Yo sumo dos y dos en clase. — The person matters: suma is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is sumo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo sumo puntos en el juego. — Right: Ayer yo sumé puntos en el juego. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: sumo is happening now, while sumé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating sumar and restar as identical in every context. — Right: Sumar means to add up, while restar means to subtract, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: sumar fits sentences such as Sumo dos y dos en clase, while restar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy sumado puntos en el juego. — Right: Yo he sumado puntos en el juego. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he sumado, has sumado, ha sumado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo sumé los gastos del mes todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo sumaba los gastos del mes todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (sumaba), not the preterite. The preterite (sumé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on sumar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ dos y dos en clase. (present tense) A. sumo B. sumas C. suma D. sumamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ puntos en el juego. (preterite) A. sumé B. sumaste C. sumamos D. sumó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ los gastos del mes. (imperfect) A. sumabas B. sumo C. sumábamos D. sumaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ años de experiencia. (future) A. sumaremos B. sumarás C. sumaré D. sumará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ dos y dos en clase si pudiera. (conditional) A. sumaría B. sumarías C. sumaríamos D. sumo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ puntos en el juego. (present subjunctive) A. sumes B. sumemos C. sumo D. sume

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los gastos del mes, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. sumáramos B. sumo C. sumara D. sumaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ años de experiencia. (present perfect) A. ha sumado B. hemos sumado C. he sumado D. has sumado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ dos y dos en clase! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. suma B. sume C. sumemos D. sumad

  10. Which is the gerund of sumar, used with estar for the progressive? A. sumado B. sumo C. sumé D. sumando

Answer key

  1. sumo — The yo present tense of sumar is sumo.
  2. sumó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of sumar is sumó.
  3. sumábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of sumar is sumábamos.
  4. sumarás — The tú future of sumar is sumarás.
  5. sumaría — The yo conditional of sumar is sumaría.
  6. sume — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of sumar is sume.
  7. sumara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of sumar is sumara.
  8. hemos sumado — The nosotros/as present perfect of sumar is hemos sumado.
  9. suma — The affirmative tú imperative of sumar is suma.
  10. sumando — The gerund of sumar is sumando: estoy sumando. The participle sumado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does sumar mean in English?

Sumar means to add up. It is used in everyday situations such as Sumo dos y dos en clase. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is sumar regular or irregular?

Sumar 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 sumo in the present and sumé in the preterite.

What is the difference between sumar and restar?

Sumar means to add up, while restar means to subtract, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use sumar when you mean to add up, as in Sumo dos y dos en clase, and use restar for to subtract, its opposite. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I add up” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo sumé puntos en el juego. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo sumaba los gastos del mes. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he sumado puntos en el juego.

How do I practise sumar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the sumar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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