Tender Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb tender means to tend, to lay out, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Tender means to lay something out flat: tender la ropa al sol, tender el mantel sobre la mesa. It also means to tend towards something — tender a + infinitive — and to offer a hand: tender la mano. Like every Spanish verb, tender 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 tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun". 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: tiendo, tiendes, tiende and tienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: tendemos, tendéis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: tender
  • English: to tend, to lay out
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: tendiendo
  • Past participle: tendido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + tendido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tiendo | | tú | tiendes | | él/ella/Ud. | tiende | | nosotros/as | tendemos | | vosotros/as | tendéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tienden |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tendí | | tú | tendiste | | él/ella/Ud. | tendió | | nosotros/as | tendimos | | vosotros/as | tendisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tendieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tendía | | tú | tendías | | él/ella/Ud. | tendía | | nosotros/as | tendíamos | | vosotros/as | tendíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tendían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tenderé | | tú | tenderás | | él/ella/Ud. | tenderá | | nosotros/as | tenderemos | | vosotros/as | tenderéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tenderán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tendería | | tú | tenderías | | él/ella/Ud. | tendería | | nosotros/as | tenderíamos | | vosotros/as | tenderíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tenderían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tienda | | tú | tiendas | | él/ella/Ud. | tienda | | nosotros/as | tendamos | | vosotros/as | tendáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiendan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tendiera | | tú | tendieras | | él/ella/Ud. | tendiera | | nosotros/as | tendiéramos | | vosotros/as | tendierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tendieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | tiende | | él/ella/Ud. | tienda | | nosotros/as | tendamos | | vosotros/as | tended | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiendan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | tiendas | | él/ella/Ud. | tienda | | nosotros/as | tendamos | | vosotros/as | tendáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiendan |

Gerund and past participle

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

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: tiendo, tiendes, tiende and tienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: tendemos, tendéis. For tender, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun".

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 tender, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo tendí el mantel sobre la mesa — "Yesterday, I laid out the tablecloth on the table".

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 tender, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo tendía una manta sobre la cama — "As a child, I used to lay out a blanket over the bed".

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 tender, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo tenderé la toalla sobre la silla — "Tomorrow, I will lay out the towel over the chair".

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 tender, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo tendería la ropa al sol si pudiera — "I would lay out the washing in the sun 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 tender, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he tendido el mantel sobre la mesa — "Today, I have laid out the tablecloth on the table".

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 tender, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había tendido una manta sobre la cama antes de salir — "I already had laid out a blanket over the bed 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 tender, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré tendido la toalla sobre la silla — "By tomorrow, I will have laid out the towel over the chair".

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 tender, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría tendido la ropa al sol con más tiempo — "I would have laid out the washing in the sun 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: tiendo, tiendes, tiende and tienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: tendemos, tendéis. For tender, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él tienda el mantel sobre la mesa — "I hope he lays out the tablecloth on the table".

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 tender, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo tendiera una manta sobre la cama, todo cambiaría — "If I laid out a blanket over the bed, 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: tiendo, tiendes, tiende and tienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: tendemos, tendéis. For tender, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Tiende la toalla sobre la silla. — "Lay out the towel over the chair.".

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: tiendo, tiendes, tiende and tienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: tendemos, tendéis. For tender, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No tiendas la ropa al sol. — "Do not lay out the washing in the sun.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun"
  2. Mi amigo tiende el mantel sobre la mesa — "My friend lays out the tablecloth on the table"
  3. Ayer, yo tendí una manta sobre la cama — "Yesterday, I laid out a blanket over the bed"
  4. Antes, nosotros tendíamos la toalla sobre la silla — "Before, we used to lay out the towel over the chair"
  5. Mañana, tú tenderás el mapa sobre el escritorio — "Tomorrow, you will lay out the map on the desk"
  6. Yo tendería la ropa al sol si tuviera más tiempo — "I would lay out the washing in the sun if I had more time"
  7. Él ha tendido el mantel sobre la mesa — "He has laid out the tablecloth on the table"
  8. Espero que él tienda una manta sobre la cama — "I hope he lays out a blanket over the bed"
  9. Yo ya había tendido la toalla sobre la silla antes de salir — "I already had laid out the towel over the chair before leaving"
  10. Ellos tendían el mapa sobre el escritorio cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to lay out the map on the desk when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo tendo el mantel sobre la mesa. — Right: Yo tiendo el mantel sobre la mesa. — tender is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is tiendo, not tendo.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él tiende el mantel sobre la mesa — Right: Espero que él tienda el mantel sobre la mesa — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él tienda el mantel sobre la mesa — not the indicative Espero que él tiende el mantel sobre la mesa.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo tiendo una manta sobre la cama — Right: Ayer, yo tendí una manta sobre la cama — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo tendí una manta sobre la cama.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo tendí la toalla sobre la silla todos los días — Right: De niño, yo tendía la toalla sobre la silla todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo tendía la toalla sobre la silla todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo tiendo en la ropa al sol. — Right: Yo tiendo la ropa al sol. — tender takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo tiendo la ropa al sol.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun" (present) A. tiende B. tendemos C. tiendo D. tiendes

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el mantel sobre la mesa — "He laid out the tablecloth on the table" (preterite) A. tendí B. tendiste C. tendimos D. tendió

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ una manta sobre la cama — "We used to lay out a blanket over the bed" (imperfect) A. tendía B. tendías C. tendíais D. tendíamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ la toalla sobre la silla — "You will lay out the towel over the chair" (future) A. tenderemos B. tenderás C. tenderé D. tenderá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el mapa sobre el escritorio — "I would lay out the map on the desk" (conditional) A. tenderías B. tenderíamos C. tenderíais D. tendería

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la ropa al sol — "I hope he lays out the washing in the sun" (present subjunctive) A. tendamos B. tendáis C. tienda D. tiendas

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el mantel sobre la mesa, todo cambiaría — "If I laid out the tablecloth on the table, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. tendieras B. tendiéramos C. tendierais D. tendiera

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ una manta sobre la cama — "We have laid out a blanket over the bed" (present perfect) A. hemos tendido B. he tendido C. has tendido D. ha tendido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ la toalla sobre la silla. — "Do not lay out the towel over the chair." (negative imperative) A. tendáis B. tiendas C. tienda D. tendamos

  10. Which is the gerund of tender, used with estar for the progressive? A. tendiendo B. tendido C. tiendo D. tendí

Answer key

  1. tiendo — The present form for yo is tiendo.
  2. tendió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is tendió.
  3. tendíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is tendíamos.
  4. tenderás — The future form for tú is tenderás.
  5. tendería — The conditional form for yo is tendería.
  6. tienda — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is tienda.
  7. tendiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is tendiera.
  8. hemos tendido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos tendido.
  9. tiendas — The negative imperative form is tiendas.
  10. tendiendo — The gerund of tender is tendiendo: estoy tendiendo. The participle tendido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does tender mean in English?

tender means to tend, to lay out. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is tender regular?

No. tender is a stem-changing -er verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiendo, tiendes, tiende and tienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: tendemos, tendéis. 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 tender?

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

How do I say "I lay out" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo tendí el mantel sobre la mesa — "Yesterday, I laid out the tablecloth on the table". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo tendía una manta sobre la cama — "As a child, I used to lay out a blanket over the bed". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he tendido el mantel sobre la mesa — "Today, I have laid out the tablecloth on the table".

What is the difference between tender and extender?

Extender is to stretch something out or to spread it. Tender is the everyday verb for laying out washing, a tablecloth or a blanket. Tender means to lay something out flat: tender la ropa al sol, tender el mantel sobre la mesa. It also means to tend towards something — tender a + infinitive — and to offer a hand: tender la mano.

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