Tirar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb tirar means to pull, to throw, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Tirar has two main meanings: to pull, as in tirar de la cuerda, and to throw, as in tirar la pelota. It also appears in tirar a la basura, to throw away, and tirar la toalla, to throw in the towel. The preposition de usually signals pulling, while a direct object usually signals throwing. Like every Spanish verb, tirar 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 tiro de la cuerda con fuerza, and in the preterite you say tiré los papeles viejos a la basura. 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: tirar
  • English: to pull, to throw
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: tirando
  • Past participle: tirado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + tirado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for tirar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Tirar de means to pull, tirar a la basura means to throw away. The phrase after the verb tells you which meaning is meant.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for tirar. 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 tiro
tú tiras
él/ella/Ud. tira
nosotros/as tiramos
vosotros/as tiráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tiran

Preterite

Person Form
yo tiré
tú tiraste
él/ella/Ud. tiró
nosotros/as tiramos
vosotros/as tirasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tiraron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo tiraba
tú tirabas
él/ella/Ud. tiraba
nosotros/as tirábamos
vosotros/as tirabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tiraban

Future

Person Form
yo tiraré
tú tirarás
él/ella/Ud. tirará
nosotros/as tiraremos
vosotros/as tiraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tirarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo tiraría
tú tirarías
él/ella/Ud. tiraría
nosotros/as tiraríamos
vosotros/as tiraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tirarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo tire
tú tires
él/ella/Ud. tire
nosotros/as tiremos
vosotros/as tiréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tiren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo tirara
tú tiraras
él/ella/Ud. tirara
nosotros/as tiráramos
vosotros/as tirarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tiraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú tira
él/ella/Ud. tire
nosotros/as tiremos
vosotros/as tirad
ellos/ellas/Uds. tiren

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú tires
él/ella/Ud. tire
nosotros/as tiremos
vosotros/as tiréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tiren

Gerund and past participle

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

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 tirar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Tiro de la cuerda con fuerza. 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 tirar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, tiré la pelota al perro. 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 tirar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, tiraba los papeles viejos a la basura. 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 tirar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, tiraré de la puerta para abrirla. 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 tirar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Tiraría de la cuerda con fuerza 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 tirar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he tirado la pelota al perro. 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 tirar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había tirado los papeles viejos a la basura 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 tirar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré tirado de la puerta para abrirla. 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 tirar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría tirado de la cuerda con fuerza 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 tirar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él tire la pelota al perro. 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 tirar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él tirara los papeles viejos a la basura, 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 tirar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Tira de la puerta para abrirla! 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 tirar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No tires de la cuerda con fuerza. 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 tirar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Tiro de la cuerda con fuerza. — I pull the rope hard.
  2. Tira la pelota al perro. — He/she pulls the ball to the dog.
  3. Ayer, tiré los papeles viejos a la basura. — Yesterday, I pulled the old papers in the bin.
  4. Antes, nosotros tirábamos de la puerta para abrirla. — Before, we used to pull the door to open it.
  5. Mañana, tú tirarás de la cuerda con fuerza. — Tomorrow, you will pull the rope hard.
  6. Yo tiraría la pelota al perro si tuviera más tiempo. — I would pull the ball to the dog if I had more time.
  7. Él ha tirado los papeles viejos a la basura. — He has pulled the old papers in the bin.
  8. Espero que él tire de la puerta para abrirla. — I hope he pulls the door to open it.
  9. Yo ya había tirado de la cuerda con fuerza antes de salir. — I had already pulled the rope hard before leaving.
  10. Ellos tiraban la pelota al perro cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to pull the ball to the dog when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo tira de la cuerda con fuerza. — Right: Yo tiro de la cuerda con fuerza. — The person matters: tira is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is tiro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros tirais la pelota al perro. — Right: Vosotros tiráis la pelota al perro. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: tiráis, not tirais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating tirar and empujar as identical in every context. — Right: Tirar means to pull, to throw, while empujar means to push. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: tirar fits sentences such as Tiro de la cuerda con fuerza, while empujar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy tirado la pelota al perro. — Right: Yo he tirado la pelota al perro. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tirado, has tirado, ha tirado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo tiré los papeles viejos a la basura todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo tiraba los papeles viejos a la basura todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (tiraba), not the preterite. The preterite (tiré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de la cuerda con fuerza. (present tense) A. tiro B. tiras C. tira D. tiramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la pelota al perro. (preterite) A. tiré B. tiraste C. tiraron D. tiró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ los papeles viejos a la basura. (imperfect) A. tirabas B. tiraban C. tirábamos D. tiraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ de la puerta para abrirla. (future) A. tiraremos B. tirarás C. tiraré D. tirará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de la cuerda con fuerza si pudiera. (conditional) A. tiraría B. tirarías C. tirarían D. tiro

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la pelota al perro. (present subjunctive) A. tires B. tiremos C. tiro D. tire

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los papeles viejos a la basura, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. tiráramos B. tiro C. tirara D. tiraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de la puerta para abrirla. (present perfect) A. han tirado B. hemos tirado C. he tirado D. has tirado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ de la cuerda con fuerza! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. tira B. tire C. tiremos D. tirad

  10. Which is the gerund of tirar, used with estar for the progressive? A. tirado B. tiro C. tiré D. tirando

Answer key

  1. tiro — The first-person present of tirar is tiro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. tiró — The third-person preterite of tirar is tiró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. tirábamos — The nosotros imperfect of tirar is tirábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. tirarás — The second-person future of tirar is tirarás.
  5. tiraría — The first-person conditional of tirar is tiraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. tire — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of tirar is tire.
  7. tirara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of tirar is tirara.
  8. hemos tirado — The nosotros present perfect of tirar is hemos tirado: hemos + tirado.
  9. tira — The affirmative tú imperative of tirar is tira.
  10. tirando — The gerund of tirar is tirando: estoy tirando. The participle tirado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does tirar mean in English?

Tirar means to pull, to throw. It is used in everyday situations such as Tiro de la cuerda con fuerza. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is tirar regular or irregular?

Tirar is a fully regular -ar 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 tiro in the present and tiré in the preterite.

What is the difference between tirar and empujar?

Tirar means to pull, to throw, while empujar means to push. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use tirar when you mean to pull, to throw, as in Tiro de la cuerda con fuerza, and use empujar for to push. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I pull” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo tiré la pelota al perro. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo tiraba los papeles viejos a la basura. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he tirado la pelota al perro.

How do I practise tirar?

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

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