Suspender Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb suspender means to suspend, to fail (an exam), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Suspender means to suspend or to fail, and it has two everyday uses in Spain: failing an exam (suspender el examen) and suspending a class or a payment. In Latin America it more often means to hang something up. Context tells you which sense is meant. Like every Spanish verb, suspender 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 suspendo el examen de matemáticas, and in the preterite you say suspendí el pago hasta enero. 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: suspender
- English: to suspend, to fail (an exam)
- Verb type: regular -er verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: suspendiendo
- Past participle: suspendido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + suspendido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for suspender, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Suspender el examen is to fail it, not to suspend it in time. Aprobar is the opposite.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for suspender. 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 | suspendo |
| tú | suspendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | suspende |
| nosotros/as | suspendemos |
| vosotros/as | suspendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | suspenden |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | suspendí |
| tú | suspendiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | suspendió |
| nosotros/as | suspendimos |
| vosotros/as | suspendisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | suspendieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | suspendía |
| tú | suspendías |
| él/ella/Ud. | suspendía |
| nosotros/as | suspendíamos |
| vosotros/as | suspendíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | suspendían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | suspenderé |
| tú | suspenderás |
| él/ella/Ud. | suspenderá |
| nosotros/as | suspenderemos |
| vosotros/as | suspenderéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | suspenderán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | suspendería |
| tú | suspenderías |
| él/ella/Ud. | suspendería |
| nosotros/as | suspenderíamos |
| vosotros/as | suspenderíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | suspenderían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he suspendido |
| tú | has suspendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha suspendido |
| nosotros/as | hemos suspendido |
| vosotros/as | habéis suspendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han suspendido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había suspendido |
| tú | habías suspendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había suspendido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos suspendido |
| vosotros/as | habíais suspendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían suspendido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré suspendido |
| tú | habrás suspendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá suspendido |
| nosotros/as | habremos suspendido |
| vosotros/as | habréis suspendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán suspendido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría suspendido |
| tú | habrías suspendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría suspendido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos suspendido |
| vosotros/as | habríais suspendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían suspendido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | suspenda |
| tú | suspendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | suspenda |
| nosotros/as | suspendamos |
| vosotros/as | suspendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | suspendan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | suspendiera |
| tú | suspendieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | suspendiera |
| nosotros/as | suspendiéramos |
| vosotros/as | suspendierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | suspendieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | suspende |
| él/ella/Ud. | suspenda |
| nosotros/as | suspendamos |
| vosotros/as | suspended |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | suspendan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | suspendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | suspenda |
| nosotros/as | suspendamos |
| vosotros/as | suspendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | suspendan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | suspendiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy suspendiendo |
| Past participle | suspendido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he suspendido |
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 suspender, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Suspendo el examen de matemáticas. 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 suspender, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, suspendí la clase por la huelga. 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 suspender, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, suspendía el pago hasta enero. 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 suspender, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, suspenderé a tres alumnos en junio. 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 suspender, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Suspendería el examen de matemáticas 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 suspender, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he suspendido la clase por la huelga. 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 suspender, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había suspendido el pago hasta enero 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 suspender, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré suspendido a tres alumnos en junio. 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 suspender, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría suspendido el examen de matemáticas 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 suspender, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él suspenda la clase por la huelga. 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 suspender, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él suspendiera el pago hasta enero, 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 suspender, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Suspende a tres alumnos en junio! 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 suspender, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No suspendas el examen de matemáticas. 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 suspender, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Suspendo el examen de matemáticas. — I fail the maths exam.
- Suspende la clase por la huelga. — He/she fails the class because of the strike.
- Ayer, suspendí el pago hasta enero. — Yesterday, I failed the payment until January.
- Antes, nosotros suspendíamos a tres alumnos en junio. — Before, we used to fail three students in June.
- Mañana, tú suspenderás el examen de matemáticas. — Tomorrow, you will fail the maths exam.
- Yo suspendería la clase por la huelga si tuviera más tiempo. — I would fail the class because of the strike if I had more time.
- Él ha suspendido el pago hasta enero. — He has failed the payment until January.
- Espero que él suspenda a tres alumnos en junio. — I hope he fails three students in June.
- Yo ya había suspendido el examen de matemáticas antes de salir. — I had already failed the maths exam before leaving.
- Ellos suspendían la clase por la huelga cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to fail the class because of the strike when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo suspende el examen de matemáticas. — Right: Yo suspendo el examen de matemáticas. — The person matters: suspende is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is suspendo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo suspendo la clase por la huelga. — Right: Ayer yo suspendí la clase por la huelga. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: suspendo is happening now, while suspendí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating suspender and aprobar as identical in every context. — Right: Suspender means to suspend, to fail (an exam), while aprobar means to pass, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: suspender fits sentences such as Suspendo el examen de matemáticas, while aprobar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy suspendido la clase por la huelga. — Right: Yo he suspendido la clase por la huelga. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he suspendido, has suspendido, ha suspendido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo suspendí el pago hasta enero todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo suspendía el pago hasta enero todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (suspendía), not the preterite. The preterite (suspendí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on suspender. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el examen de matemáticas. (present tense) A. suspendo B. suspendes C. suspende D. suspendemos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la clase por la huelga. (preterite) A. suspendí B. suspendiste C. suspendimos D. suspendió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el pago hasta enero. (imperfect) A. suspendías B. suspendo C. suspendíamos D. suspendía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a tres alumnos en junio. (future) A. suspenderemos B. suspenderás C. suspenderé D. suspenderá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el examen de matemáticas si pudiera. (conditional) A. suspendería B. suspenderías C. suspenderíamos D. suspendo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la clase por la huelga. (present subjunctive) A. suspendas B. suspendamos C. suspendo D. suspenda
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el pago hasta enero, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. suspendiéramos B. suspendo C. suspendiera D. suspendieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a tres alumnos en junio. (present perfect) A. ha suspendido B. hemos suspendido C. he suspendido D. has suspendido
Complete the command: ¡___ el examen de matemáticas! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. suspende B. suspenda C. suspendamos D. suspended
Which is the gerund of suspender, used with estar for the progressive? A. suspendido B. suspendo C. suspendí D. suspendiendo
Answer key
- suspendo — The yo present tense of suspender is suspendo.
- suspendió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of suspender is suspendió.
- suspendíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of suspender is suspendíamos.
- suspenderás — The tú future of suspender is suspenderás.
- suspendería — The yo conditional of suspender is suspendería.
- suspenda — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of suspender is suspenda.
- suspendiera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of suspender is suspendiera.
- hemos suspendido — The nosotros/as present perfect of suspender is hemos suspendido.
- suspende — The affirmative tú imperative of suspender is suspende.
- suspendiendo — The gerund of suspender is suspendiendo: estoy suspendiendo. The participle suspendido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does suspender mean in English?
Suspender means to suspend, to fail (an exam). It is used in everyday situations such as Suspendo el examen de matemáticas. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is suspender regular or irregular?
Suspender is a fully regular -er 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 suspendo in the present and suspendí in the preterite.
What is the difference between suspender and aprobar?
Suspender means to suspend, to fail (an exam), while aprobar means to pass, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use suspender when you mean to suspend, to fail (an exam), as in Suspendo el examen de matemáticas, and use aprobar for to pass, its opposite. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I suspend” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo suspendí la clase por la huelga. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo suspendía el pago hasta enero. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he suspendido la clase por la huelga.
How do I practise suspender?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the suspender examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Suspender in the present tense — the full present-tense table for suspender.
- Suspender examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for suspender.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Toser conjugation — another -er verb to compare with suspender.
- Abastecer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with suspender.
- Aborrecer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with suspender.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.