Temblar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb temblar means to tremble, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Temblar means to tremble or shake: temblar de frío, temblar de miedo. It takes de before the cause, and it can take a body part as its subject: le tiemblan las manos. Like every Spanish verb, temblar 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 Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter". 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.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiemblo, tiemblas, tiembla and tiemblan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: temblamos, tembláis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: temblar
  • English: to tremble
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: temblando
  • Past participle: temblado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + temblado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for temblar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for temblar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tiemblo | | tú | tiemblas | | él/ella/Ud. | tiembla | | nosotros/as | temblamos | | vosotros/as | tembláis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiemblan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | temblé | | tú | temblaste | | él/ella/Ud. | tembló | | nosotros/as | temblamos | | vosotros/as | temblasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | temblaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | temblaba | | tú | temblabas | | él/ella/Ud. | temblaba | | nosotros/as | temblábamos | | vosotros/as | temblabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | temblaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | temblaré | | tú | temblarás | | él/ella/Ud. | temblará | | nosotros/as | temblaremos | | vosotros/as | temblaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | temblarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | temblaría | | tú | temblarías | | él/ella/Ud. | temblaría | | nosotros/as | temblaríamos | | vosotros/as | temblaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | temblarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tiemble | | tú | tiembles | | él/ella/Ud. | tiemble | | nosotros/as | temblemos | | vosotros/as | tembléis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiemblen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | temblara | | tú | temblaras | | él/ella/Ud. | temblara | | nosotros/as | tembláramos | | vosotros/as | temblarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | temblaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | tiembla | | él/ella/Ud. | tiemble | | nosotros/as | temblemos | | vosotros/as | temblad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiemblen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | tiembles | | él/ella/Ud. | tiemble | | nosotros/as | temblemos | | vosotros/as | tembléis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiemblen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund temblando with estar for the progressive: está temblando
Past participle temblado with haber for the perfect tenses: he temblado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiemblo, tiemblas, tiembla and tiemblan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: temblamos, tembláis. For temblar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter".

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 temblar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo temblé de miedo ante el examen — "Yesterday, I trembled with fear before the exam".

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 temblar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo temblaba de nervios en el escenario — "As a child, I used to tremble with nerves on stage".

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 temblar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo temblaré las manos al hablar — "Tomorrow, I will tremble his hands when speaking".

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 temblar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo temblaría de frío en invierno si pudiera — "I would tremble with cold in winter if I could".

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 temblar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he temblado de miedo ante el examen — "Today, I have trembled with fear before the exam".

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 temblar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había temblado de nervios en el escenario antes de salir — "I already had trembled with nerves on stage before leaving".

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 temblar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré temblado las manos al hablar — "By tomorrow, I will have trembled his hands when speaking".

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 temblar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría temblado de frío en invierno con más tiempo — "I would have trembled with cold in winter with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiemblo, tiemblas, tiembla and tiemblan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: temblamos, tembláis. For temblar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él tiemble de miedo ante el examen — "I hope he trembles with fear before the exam".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 temblar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo temblara de nervios en el escenario, todo cambiaría — "If I trembled with nerves on stage, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiemblo, tiemblas, tiembla and tiemblan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: temblamos, tembláis. For temblar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Tiembla las manos al hablar. — "Tremble his hands when speaking.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiemblo, tiemblas, tiembla and tiemblan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: temblamos, tembláis. For temblar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No tiembles de frío en invierno. — "Do not tremble with cold in winter.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with temblar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter"
  2. Mi amigo tiembla de miedo ante el examen — "My friend trembles with fear before the exam"
  3. Ayer, yo temblé de nervios en el escenario — "Yesterday, I trembled with nerves on stage"
  4. Antes, nosotros temblábamos las manos al hablar — "Before, we used to tremble his hands when speaking"
  5. Mañana, tú temblarás de rabia tras la discusión — "Tomorrow, you will tremble with rage after the argument"
  6. Yo temblaría de frío en invierno si tuviera más tiempo — "I would tremble with cold in winter if I had more time"
  7. Él ha temblado de miedo ante el examen — "He has trembled with fear before the exam"
  8. Espero que él tiemble de nervios en el escenario — "I hope he trembles with nerves on stage"
  9. Yo ya había temblado las manos al hablar antes de salir — "I already had trembled his hands when speaking before leaving"
  10. Ellos temblaban de rabia tras la discusión cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to tremble with rage after the argument when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo temblo de miedo ante el examen. — Right: Yo tiemblo de miedo ante el examen. — temblar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is tiemblo, not temblo.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él tiembla de miedo ante el examen — Right: Espero que él tiemble de miedo ante el examen — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él tiemble de miedo ante el examen — not the indicative Espero que él tiembla de miedo ante el examen.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo tiemblo de nervios en el escenario — Right: Ayer, yo temblé de nervios en el escenario — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo temblé de nervios en el escenario.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo temblé las manos al hablar todos los días — Right: De niño, yo temblaba las manos al hablar todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo temblaba las manos al hablar todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo tiemblo frío en invierno. — Right: Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno. — temblar takes de before this complement: Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter" (present) A. tiemblas B. tiembla C. temblamos D. tiemblo

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ de miedo ante el examen — "He trembled with fear before the exam" (preterite) A. tembló B. temblé C. temblaste D. temblamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ de nervios en el escenario — "We used to tremble with nerves on stage" (imperfect) A. temblaba B. temblabas C. temblabais D. temblábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ las manos al hablar — "You will tremble his hands when speaking" (future) A. temblarás B. temblaré C. temblará D. temblaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de rabia tras la discusión — "I would tremble with rage after the argument" (conditional) A. temblaría B. temblarías C. temblaríamos D. temblaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ de frío en invierno — "I hope he trembles with cold in winter" (present subjunctive) A. tiembles B. temblemos C. tembléis D. tiemble

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ de miedo ante el examen, todo cambiaría — "If I trembled with fear before the exam, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. temblara B. temblaras C. tembláramos D. temblarais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ de nervios en el escenario — "We have trembled with nerves on stage" (present perfect) A. hemos temblado B. he temblado C. has temblado D. ha temblado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ las manos al hablar. — "Do not tremble his hands when speaking." (negative imperative) A. tiembles B. tiemble C. temblemos D. tembléis

  10. Which is the gerund of temblar, used with estar for the progressive? A. temblado B. tiemblo C. temblé D. temblando

Answer key

  1. tiemblo — The present form for yo is tiemblo.
  2. tembló — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is tembló.
  3. temblábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is temblábamos.
  4. temblarás — The future form for tú is temblarás.
  5. temblaría — The conditional form for yo is temblaría.
  6. tiemble — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is tiemble.
  7. temblara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is temblara.
  8. hemos temblado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos temblado.
  9. tiembles — The negative imperative form is tiembles.
  10. temblando — The gerund of temblar is temblando: estoy temblando. The participle temblado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does temblar mean in English?

temblar means to tremble. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is temblar regular?

No. temblar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiemblo, tiemblas, tiembla and tiemblan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: temblamos, tembláis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of temblar?

The gerund is temblando and the past participle is temblado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I tremble" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo temblé de miedo ante el examen — "Yesterday, I trembled with fear before the exam". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo temblaba de nervios en el escenario — "As a child, I used to tremble with nerves on stage". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he temblado de miedo ante el examen — "Today, I have trembled with fear before the exam".

What is the difference between temblar and tiritar?

Tiritar is specifically to shiver with cold. Temblar is wider — you tremble with cold, fear, nerves or rage. Temblar means to tremble or shake: temblar de frío, temblar de miedo. It takes de before the cause, and it can take a body part as its subject: le tiemblan las manos.

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