Sustraer Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb sustraer means to subtract, to steal, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Sustraer means to subtract or to steal, and it is used for subtracting numbers in maths and, in formal language, for taking something that is not yours. It follows the pattern of traer, with the present sustraigo, the preterite sustraje, the gerund sustrayendo and the participle sustraído. Like every Spanish verb, sustraer 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 sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen, and in the preterite you say sustraje un libro de la biblioteca. 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: sustraer
  • English: to subtract, to steal
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: sustrayendo
  • Past participle: sustraído
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + sustraído)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sustraer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Sustraer follows traer: the present is sustraigo, the preterite is sustraje, and the participle is sustraído.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for sustraer. 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 sustraigo
tú sustraes
él/ella/Ud. sustrae
nosotros/as sustraemos
vosotros/as sustraéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sustraen

Preterite

Person Form
yo sustraje
tú sustrajiste
él/ella/Ud. sustrajo
nosotros/as sustrajimos
vosotros/as sustrajisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sustrajeron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo sustraía
tú sustraías
él/ella/Ud. sustraía
nosotros/as sustraíamos
vosotros/as sustraíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. sustraían

Future

Person Form
yo sustraeré
tú sustraerás
él/ella/Ud. sustraerá
nosotros/as sustraeremos
vosotros/as sustraeréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sustraerán

Conditional

Person Form
yo sustraería
tú sustraerías
él/ella/Ud. sustraería
nosotros/as sustraeríamos
vosotros/as sustraeríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. sustraerían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo sustraiga
tú sustraigas
él/ella/Ud. sustraiga
nosotros/as sustraigamos
vosotros/as sustraigáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sustraigan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo sustrajera
tú sustrajeras
él/ella/Ud. sustrajera
nosotros/as sustrajéramos
vosotros/as sustrajerais
ellos/ellas/Uds. sustrajeran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú sustrae
él/ella/Ud. sustraiga
nosotros/as sustraigamos
vosotros/as sustraed
ellos/ellas/Uds. sustraigan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú sustraigas
él/ella/Ud. sustraiga
nosotros/as sustraigamos
vosotros/as sustraigáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sustraigan

Gerund and past participle

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

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of traer, with a -g- in the present (as in atraigo), a -j- stem in the preterite (as in atraje), the gerund in -yendo (as in atrayendo), and the participle in -ído (as in atraído). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For sustraer, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of traer, with a -g- in the present (as in atraigo), a -j- stem in the preterite (as in atraje), the gerund in -yendo (as in atrayendo), and the participle in -ído (as in atraído). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For sustraer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, sustraje dinero de la caja. 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 sustraer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, sustraía un libro de la biblioteca. 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 sustraer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, sustraeré tres del total. 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 sustraer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Sustraería cinco de veinte en el examen 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is sustraído, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For sustraer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he sustraído dinero de la caja. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is sustraído, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For sustraer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había sustraído un libro de la biblioteca 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is sustraído, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For sustraer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré sustraído tres del total. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is sustraído, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For sustraer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría sustraído cinco de veinte en el examen 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of traer, with a -g- in the present (as in atraigo), a -j- stem in the preterite (as in atraje), the gerund in -yendo (as in atrayendo), and the participle in -ído (as in atraído). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For sustraer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él sustraiga dinero de la caja. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of traer, with a -g- in the present (as in atraigo), a -j- stem in the preterite (as in atraje), the gerund in -yendo (as in atrayendo), and the participle in -ído (as in atraído). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For sustraer, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él sustrajera un libro de la biblioteca, 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of traer, with a -g- in the present (as in atraigo), a -j- stem in the preterite (as in atraje), the gerund in -yendo (as in atrayendo), and the participle in -ído (as in atraído). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For sustraer, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Sustrae tres del total! 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of traer, with a -g- in the present (as in atraigo), a -j- stem in the preterite (as in atraje), the gerund in -yendo (as in atrayendo), and the participle in -ído (as in atraído). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For sustraer, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No sustraigas cinco de veinte en el examen. 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 sustraer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen. — I subtract five from twenty in the exam.
  2. Sustrae dinero de la caja. — He/she subtracts money from the till.
  3. Ayer, sustraje un libro de la biblioteca. — Yesterday, I subtracted a book from the library.
  4. Antes, nosotros sustraíamos tres del total. — Before, we used to subtract three from the total.
  5. Mañana, tú sustraerás cinco de veinte en el examen. — Tomorrow, you will subtract five from twenty in the exam.
  6. Yo sustraería dinero de la caja si tuviera más tiempo. — I would subtract money from the till if I had more time.
  7. Él ha sustraído un libro de la biblioteca. — He has subtracted a book from the library.
  8. Espero que él sustraiga tres del total. — I hope he subtracts three from the total.
  9. Yo ya había sustraído cinco de veinte en el examen antes de salir. — I had already subtracted five from twenty in the exam before leaving.
  10. Ellos sustraían dinero de la caja cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to subtract money from the till when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo sustrae cinco de veinte en el examen. — Right: Yo sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen. — The person matters: sustrae is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is sustraigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo sustraí dinero de la caja. — Right: Ayer yo sustraje dinero de la caja. — Sustraer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is sustraje, not the regular sustraí. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
  3. Wrong: Treating sustraer and robar as identical in every context. — Right: Sustraer means to subtract, to steal, while robar means to steal. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: sustraer fits sentences such as Sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen, while robar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy sustraído dinero de la caja. — Right: Yo he sustraído dinero de la caja. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he sustraído, has sustraído, ha sustraído. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo sustraje un libro de la biblioteca todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo sustraía un libro de la biblioteca todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (sustraía), not the preterite. The preterite (sustraje) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ cinco de veinte en el examen. (present tense) A. sustraigo B. sustraes C. sustrae D. sustraemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ dinero de la caja. (preterite) A. sustraje B. sustrajiste C. sustrajeron D. sustrajo

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ un libro de la biblioteca. (imperfect) A. sustraías B. sustraían C. sustraíamos D. sustraía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ tres del total. (future) A. sustraeremos B. sustraerás C. sustraeré D. sustraerá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ cinco de veinte en el examen si pudiera. (conditional) A. sustraería B. sustraerías C. sustraerían D. sustraigo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ dinero de la caja. (present subjunctive) A. sustraigas B. sustraigamos C. sustraigo D. sustraiga

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ un libro de la biblioteca, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. sustrajéramos B. sustraigo C. sustrajera D. sustrajeras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ tres del total. (present perfect) A. han sustraído B. hemos sustraído C. he sustraído D. has sustraído

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ cinco de veinte en el examen! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. sustrae B. sustraiga C. sustraigamos D. sustraed

  10. Which is the gerund of sustraer, used with estar for the progressive? A. sustraído B. sustraigo C. sustraje D. sustrayendo

Answer key

  1. sustraigo — The first-person present of sustraer is sustraigo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. sustrajo — The third-person preterite of sustraer is sustrajo, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. sustraíamos — The nosotros imperfect of sustraer is sustraíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. sustraerás — The second-person future of sustraer is sustraerás.
  5. sustraería — The first-person conditional of sustraer is sustraería, the form for what would happen.
  6. sustraiga — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of sustraer is sustraiga.
  7. sustrajera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of sustraer is sustrajera.
  8. hemos sustraído — The nosotros present perfect of sustraer is hemos sustraído: hemos + sustraído.
  9. sustrae — The affirmative tú imperative of sustraer is sustrae.
  10. sustrayendo — The gerund of sustraer is sustrayendo: estoy sustrayendo. The participle sustraído is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does sustraer mean in English?

Sustraer means to subtract, to steal. It is used in everyday situations such as Sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is sustraer regular or irregular?

Sustraer is irregular in present, preterite, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The other tenses follow the regular pattern. Learn the irregular forms from the tables above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

What is the difference between sustraer and robar?

Sustraer means to subtract, to steal, while robar means to steal. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use sustraer when you mean to subtract, to steal, as in Sustraigo cinco de veinte en el examen, and use robar for to steal. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I subtract” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo sustraje dinero de la caja. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo sustraía un libro de la biblioteca. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he sustraído dinero de la caja.

How do I practise sustraer?

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

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