Tartamudear Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb tartamudear means to stutter, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Tartamudear 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 tartamudear 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 tartamudeo de nervios — "I stutter from nerves" — and in the preterite you say Yo tartamudeé al hablar en público — "I stuttered when speaking in public". 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: tartamudear
- English: to stutter
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: tartamudeando
- Past participle: tartamudeado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + tartamudeado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for tartamudear, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for tartamudear. 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: tartamudeando · Past participle: tartamudeado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tartamudeo |
| tú | tartamudeas |
| él/ella/Ud. | tartamudea |
| nosotros/as | tartamudeamos |
| vosotros/as | tartamudeáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tartamudean |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tartamudeé |
| tú | tartamudeaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | tartamudeó |
| nosotros/as | tartamudeamos |
| vosotros/as | tartamudeasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tartamudearon |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tartamudeaba |
| tú | tartamudeabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | tartamudeaba |
| nosotros/as | tartamudeábamos |
| vosotros/as | tartamudeabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tartamudeaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tartamudearé |
| tú | tartamudearás |
| él/ella/Ud. | tartamudeará |
| nosotros/as | tartamudearemos |
| vosotros/as | tartamudearéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tartamudearán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tartamudearía |
| tú | tartamudearías |
| él/ella/Ud. | tartamudearía |
| nosotros/as | tartamudearíamos |
| vosotros/as | tartamudearíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tartamudearían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he tartamudeado |
| tú | has tartamudeado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha tartamudeado |
| nosotros/as | hemos tartamudeado |
| vosotros/as | habéis tartamudeado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han tartamudeado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había tartamudeado |
| tú | habías tartamudeado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había tartamudeado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos tartamudeado |
| vosotros/as | habíais tartamudeado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían tartamudeado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré tartamudeado |
| tú | habrás tartamudeado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá tartamudeado |
| nosotros/as | habremos tartamudeado |
| vosotros/as | habréis tartamudeado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán tartamudeado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría tartamudeado |
| tú | habrías tartamudeado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría tartamudeado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos tartamudeado |
| vosotros/as | habríais tartamudeado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían tartamudeado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tartamudee |
| tú | tartamudees |
| él/ella/Ud. | tartamudee |
| nosotros/as | tartamudeemos |
| vosotros/as | tartamudeéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tartamudeen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tartamudeara |
| tú | tartamudearas |
| él/ella/Ud. | tartamudeara |
| nosotros/as | tartamudeáramos |
| vosotros/as | tartamudearais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tartamudearan |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | tartamudea |
| él/ella/Ud. | tartamudee |
| nosotros/as | tartamudeemos |
| vosotros/as | tartamudead |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tartamudeen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | tartamudees |
| él/ella/Ud. | tartamudee |
| nosotros/as | tartamudeemos |
| vosotros/as | tartamudeéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tartamudeen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | tartamudeando | with estar for the progressive: estoy tartamudeando |
| Past participle | tartamudeado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he tartamudeado |
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 tartamudear, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo tartamudeo al hablar en público — "I stutter when speaking in public". 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 tartamudear, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo tartamudeé a veces — "I stuttered sometimes". 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 tartamudear, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo tartamudeaba de nervios — "I used to stutter from nerves". 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 tartamudear, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo tartamudearé al hablar en público — "I will stutter when speaking in public". 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 tartamudear, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo tartamudearía a veces — "I would stutter sometimes". 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 tartamudear, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he tartamudeado de nervios — "I have stuttered from nerves". 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 tartamudear, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había tartamudeado al hablar en público — "I had stuttered when speaking in public". 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 tartamudear, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré tartamudeado a veces — "I will have stuttered sometimes". 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 tartamudear, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría tartamudeado de nervios — "I would have stuttered from nerves". 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 tartamudear, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él tartamudee al hablar en público — "I hope he stutters when speaking in public". 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 tartamudear, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo tartamudeara a veces, todo cambiaría — "If I stuttered sometimes, 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 tartamudear, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Tartamudee de nervios — "Let him stutter from nerves". 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 tartamudear, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No tartamudees al hablar en público — "Don't stutter when speaking in public". 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 tartamudear, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo tartamudeo a veces — "I stutter sometimes"
- Él tartamudea de nervios — "He stutters from nerves"
- Yo tartamudeé al hablar en público — "I stuttered when speaking in public"
- Yo tartamudeaba a veces — "I used to stutter sometimes"
- Tú tartamudearás de nervios — "You will stutter from nerves"
- Yo tartamudearía al hablar en público — "I would stutter when speaking in public"
- Él ha tartamudeado a veces — "He has stuttered sometimes"
- Espero que él tartamudee de nervios — "I hope he stutters from nerves"
- Yo había tartamudeado al hablar en público — "I had stuttered when speaking in public"
- Ellos tartamudeaban a veces — "They used to stutter sometimes"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos tartamudea de nervios — Right: Ellos tartamudean de nervios — Ellos needs the ellos form tartamudean. The singular tartamudea belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo tartamudeo — Right: Ayer, yo tartamudeé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to tartamudeé.
- Wrong: De niño, yo tartamudeé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo tartamudeaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (tartamudeaba), not the preterite. The preterite (tartamudeé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy tartamudeado al hablar en público. — Right: Yo he tartamudeado al hablar en público. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tartamudeado, has tartamudeado, ha tartamudeado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él tartamudea de nervios. — Right: Espero que él tartamudee de nervios. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: tartamudee. The indicative tartamudea is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on tartamudear. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de nervios. (present tense) A. tartamudeabas B. habremos tartamudeado C. habré tartamudeado D. tartamudeo
Complete the sentence: Él ___ de nervios. (preterite) A. habríais tartamudeado B. tartamudearan C. tartamudeó D. tartamudeemos
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de nervios. (imperfect) A. tartamudeé B. ha tartamudeado C. tartamudeábamos D. tartamudeabas
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ de nervios. (future) A. tartamudearás B. habríais tartamudeado C. tartamudeemos D. tartamudearían
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de nervios. (conditional) A. tartamudeáis B. tartamudeabas C. habrías tartamudeado D. tartamudearía
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de nervios. (present subjunctive) A. tartamudee B. tartamudeasteis C. tartamudeéis D. tartamudeemos
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ de nervios, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. tartamudearía B. habrá tartamudeado C. tartamudeara D. tartamudearían
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de nervios. (present perfect) A. había tartamudeado B. hemos tartamudeado C. tartamudearíamos D. habríais tartamudeado
Complete the command: No ___ de nervios. (negative imperative, tú) A. tartamudeéis B. tartamudee C. tartamudeemos D. tartamudees
Which is the gerund of tartamudear, used with estar for the progressive? A. tartamudeé B. tartamudeo C. tartamudeado D. tartamudeando
Answer key
- tartamudeo — The yo present tense of tartamudear is tartamudeo.
- tartamudeó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of tartamudear is tartamudeó.
- tartamudeábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of tartamudear is tartamudeábamos.
- tartamudearás — The tú future of tartamudear is tartamudearás.
- tartamudearía — The yo conditional of tartamudear is tartamudearía.
- tartamudee — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of tartamudear is tartamudee.
- tartamudeara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of tartamudear is tartamudeara.
- hemos tartamudeado — The nosotros/as present perfect of tartamudear is hemos tartamudeado.
- tartamudees — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: tartamudees.
- tartamudeando — The gerund of tartamudear is tartamudeando: estoy tartamudeando. The participle tartamudeado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does tartamudear mean in English?
Tartamudear means to stutter. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo tartamudeo de nervios. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is tartamudear regular?
Yes. Tartamudear is a regular -ar verb: tartamudeo, tartamudeas, tartamudea. 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 tartamudear?
The gerund is tartamudeando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy tartamudeando. The past participle is tartamudeado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he tartamudeado.
How do I say “I stutter” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo tartamudeé al hablar en público. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo tartamudeaba a veces. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he tartamudeado de nervios.
How do I practise tartamudear?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the tartamudear examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Tartamudear in the present tense — the full present-tense table for tartamudear.
- Tartamudear examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for tartamudear.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Cotillear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with tartamudear.
- Chismorrear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with tartamudear.
- Endeudarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with tartamudear.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.