Tumbar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb tumbar means to knock down, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Tumbar means to knock down or to lay down, and it covers knocking down a wall, a tree and a person in a game: tumbar la pared, tumbar a su rival. It is a fully regular -ar verb. Its reflexive partner tumbarse means to lie down. Like every Spanish verb, tumbar 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 tumbo la pared del jardín, and in the preterite you say tumbé a su rival en el juego. 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: tumbar
  • English: to knock down
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: tumbando
  • Past participle: tumbado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + tumbado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for tumbar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Tumbar is fully regular: tumbé, tumbaba, tumbaré.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for tumbar. 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 tumbo
tú tumbas
él/ella/Ud. tumba
nosotros/as tumbamos
vosotros/as tumbáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tumban

Preterite

Person Form
yo tumbé
tú tumbaste
él/ella/Ud. tumbó
nosotros/as tumbamos
vosotros/as tumbasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tumbaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo tumbaba
tú tumbabas
él/ella/Ud. tumbaba
nosotros/as tumbábamos
vosotros/as tumbabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tumbaban

Future

Person Form
yo tumbaré
tú tumbarás
él/ella/Ud. tumbará
nosotros/as tumbaremos
vosotros/as tumbaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tumbarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo tumbaría
tú tumbarías
él/ella/Ud. tumbaría
nosotros/as tumbaríamos
vosotros/as tumbaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tumbarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo tumbe
tú tumbes
él/ella/Ud. tumbe
nosotros/as tumbemos
vosotros/as tumbéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tumben

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo tumbara
tú tumbaras
él/ella/Ud. tumbara
nosotros/as tumbáramos
vosotros/as tumbarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tumbaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú tumba
él/ella/Ud. tumbe
nosotros/as tumbemos
vosotros/as tumbad
ellos/ellas/Uds. tumben

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú tumbes
él/ella/Ud. tumbe
nosotros/as tumbemos
vosotros/as tumbéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tumben

Gerund and past participle

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

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 tumbar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Tumbo la pared del jardín. 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 tumbar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, tumbé un árbol con la sierra. 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 tumbar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, tumbaba a su rival en el juego. 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 tumbar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, tumbaré la puerta de una patada. 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 tumbar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Tumbaría la pared del jardín 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 tumbar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he tumbado un árbol con la sierra. 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 tumbar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había tumbado a su rival en el juego 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 tumbar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré tumbado la puerta de una patada. 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 tumbar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría tumbado la pared del jardín 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 tumbar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él tumbe un árbol con la sierra. 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 tumbar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él tumbara a su rival en el juego, 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 tumbar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Tumba la puerta de una patada! 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 tumbar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No tumbes la pared del jardín. 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 tumbar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Tumbo la pared del jardín. — I knock down the garden wall.
  2. Tumba un árbol con la sierra. — He/she knocks down a tree with the saw.
  3. Ayer, tumbé a su rival en el juego. — Yesterday, I knocked down his rival in the game.
  4. Antes, nosotros tumbábamos la puerta de una patada. — Before, we used to knock down the door with a kick.
  5. Mañana, tú tumbarás la pared del jardín. — Tomorrow, you will knock down the garden wall.
  6. Yo tumbaría un árbol con la sierra si tuviera más tiempo. — I would knock down a tree with the saw if I had more time.
  7. Él ha tumbado a su rival en el juego. — He has knocked down his rival in the game.
  8. Espero que él tumbe la puerta de una patada. — I hope he knocks down the door with a kick.
  9. Yo ya había tumbado la pared del jardín antes de salir. — I had already knocked down the garden wall before leaving.
  10. Ellos tumbaban un árbol con la sierra cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to knock down a tree with the saw when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo tumba la pared del jardín. — Right: Yo tumbo la pared del jardín. — The person matters: tumba is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is tumbo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo tumbo un árbol con la sierra. — Right: Ayer yo tumbé un árbol con la sierra. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: tumbo is happening now, while tumbé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating tumbar and tumbarse as identical in every context. — Right: Tumbar means to knock down, while tumbarse means to lie down. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: tumbar fits sentences such as Tumbo la pared del jardín, while tumbarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy tumbado un árbol con la sierra. — Right: Yo he tumbado un árbol con la sierra. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tumbado, has tumbado, ha tumbado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo tumbé a su rival en el juego todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo tumbaba a su rival en el juego todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (tumbaba), not the preterite. The preterite (tumbé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la pared del jardín. (present tense) A. tumbo B. tumbas C. tumba D. tumbamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ un árbol con la sierra. (preterite) A. tumbé B. tumbaste C. tumbamos D. tumbó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a su rival en el juego. (imperfect) A. tumbabas B. tumbo C. tumbábamos D. tumbaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la puerta de una patada. (future) A. tumbaremos B. tumbarás C. tumbaré D. tumbará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la pared del jardín si pudiera. (conditional) A. tumbaría B. tumbarías C. tumbaríamos D. tumbo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ un árbol con la sierra. (present subjunctive) A. tumbes B. tumbemos C. tumbo D. tumbe

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a su rival en el juego, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. tumbáramos B. tumbo C. tumbara D. tumbaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la puerta de una patada. (present perfect) A. ha tumbado B. hemos tumbado C. he tumbado D. has tumbado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ la pared del jardín! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. tumba B. tumbe C. tumbemos D. tumbad

  10. Which is the gerund of tumbar, used with estar for the progressive? A. tumbado B. tumbo C. tumbé D. tumbando

Answer key

  1. tumbo — The yo present tense of tumbar is tumbo.
  2. tumbó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of tumbar is tumbó.
  3. tumbábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of tumbar is tumbábamos.
  4. tumbarás — The tú future of tumbar is tumbarás.
  5. tumbaría — The yo conditional of tumbar is tumbaría.
  6. tumbe — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of tumbar is tumbe.
  7. tumbara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of tumbar is tumbara.
  8. hemos tumbado — The nosotros/as present perfect of tumbar is hemos tumbado.
  9. tumba — The affirmative tú imperative of tumbar is tumba.
  10. tumbando — The gerund of tumbar is tumbando: estoy tumbando. The participle tumbado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does tumbar mean in English?

Tumbar means to knock down. It is used in everyday situations such as Tumbo la pared del jardín. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is tumbar regular or irregular?

Tumbar 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 tumbo in the present and tumbé in the preterite.

What is the difference between tumbar and tumbarse?

Tumbar means to knock down, while tumbarse means to lie down. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use tumbar when you mean to knock down, as in Tumbo la pared del jardín, and use tumbarse for to lie down. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I knock down” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo tumbé un árbol con la sierra. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo tumbaba a su rival en el juego. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he tumbado un árbol con la sierra.

How do I practise tumbar?

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

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