Variar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb variar means to vary, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Variar means to vary or to change: variar el menú, variar de opinión. It is used for menus, prices, weather and opinions that change from time to time. Like every Spanish verb, variar 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 varío el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week". 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: variar
  • English: to vary
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: variando
  • Past participle: variado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + variado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | varío | | tú | varías | | él/ella/Ud. | varía | | nosotros/as | variamos | | vosotros/as | variáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | varían |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | varié | | tú | variaste | | él/ella/Ud. | varió | | nosotros/as | variamos | | vosotros/as | variasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | variaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | variaba | | tú | variabas | | él/ella/Ud. | variaba | | nosotros/as | variábamos | | vosotros/as | variabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | variaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | variaré | | tú | variarás | | él/ella/Ud. | variará | | nosotros/as | variaremos | | vosotros/as | variaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | variarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | variaría | | tú | variarías | | él/ella/Ud. | variaría | | nosotros/as | variaríamos | | vosotros/as | variaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | variarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | varíe | | tú | varíes | | él/ella/Ud. | varíe | | nosotros/as | variemos | | vosotros/as | variéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | varíen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | variara | | tú | variaras | | él/ella/Ud. | variara | | nosotros/as | variáramos | | vosotros/as | variarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | variaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | varía | | él/ella/Ud. | varíe | | nosotros/as | variemos | | vosotros/as | variad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | varíen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | varíes | | él/ella/Ud. | varíe | | nosotros/as | variemos | | vosotros/as | variéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | varíen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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 variar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo varío el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week".

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 variar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo varié de opinión según el día — "Yesterday, I varied his opinion depending on the day".

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 variar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo variaba los precios en invierno — "As a child, I used to vary prices in winter".

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 variar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo variaré el clima de un día a otro — "Tomorrow, I will vary the weather from one day to the next".

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 variar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo variaría el menú cada semana si pudiera — "I would vary the menu every week 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 variar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he variado de opinión según el día — "Today, I have varied his opinion depending on the day".

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 variar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había variado los precios en invierno antes de salir — "I already had varied prices in winter 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 variar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré variado el clima de un día a otro — "By tomorrow, I will have varied the weather from one day to the next".

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 variar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría variado el menú cada semana con más tiempo — "I would have varied the menu every week with more time".

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 variar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él varíe de opinión según el día — "I hope he varies his opinion depending on the day".

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 variar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo variara los precios en invierno, todo cambiaría — "If I varied prices in winter, everything would change".

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 variar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Varía el clima de un día a otro. — "Vary the weather from one day to the next.".

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 variar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No varíes el menú cada semana. — "Do not vary the menu every week.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo varío el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week"
  2. Mi amigo varía de opinión según el día — "My friend varies his opinion depending on the day"
  3. Ayer, yo varié los precios en invierno — "Yesterday, I varied prices in winter"
  4. Antes, nosotros variábamos el clima de un día a otro — "Before, we used to vary the weather from one day to the next"
  5. Mañana, tú variarás la ruta para no aburrirse — "Tomorrow, you will vary the route to avoid boredom"
  6. Yo variaría el menú cada semana si tuviera más tiempo — "I would vary the menu every week if I had more time"
  7. Él ha variado de opinión según el día — "He has varied his opinion depending on the day"
  8. Espero que él varíe los precios en invierno — "I hope he varies prices in winter"
  9. Yo ya había variado el clima de un día a otro antes de salir — "I already had varied the weather from one day to the next before leaving"
  10. Ellos variaban la ruta para no aburrirse cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to vary the route to avoid boredom when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él varía de opinión según el día — Right: Espero que él varíe de opinión según el día — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él varíe de opinión según el día — not the indicative Espero que él varía de opinión según el día.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo varío los precios en invierno — Right: Ayer, yo varié los precios en invierno — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo varié los precios en invierno.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo varié el clima de un día a otro todos los días — Right: De niño, yo variaba el clima de un día a otro todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo variaba el clima de un día a otro todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo varío en el menú cada semana. — Right: Yo varío el menú cada semana. — variar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo varío el menú cada semana.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros variais la ruta para no aburrirse. — Right: Vosotros variáis la ruta para no aburrirse. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: variáis, not variais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week" (present) A. varía B. variamos C. varío D. varías

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ de opinión según el día — "He varied his opinion depending on the day" (preterite) A. variaste B. variamos C. varió D. varié

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ los precios en invierno — "We used to vary prices in winter" (imperfect) A. variabas B. variabais C. variábamos D. variaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el clima de un día a otro — "You will vary the weather from one day to the next" (future) A. variará B. variaremos C. variarás D. variaré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la ruta para no aburrirse — "I would vary the route to avoid boredom" (conditional) A. variarías B. variaríamos C. variaríais D. variaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el menú cada semana — "I hope he varies the menu every week" (present subjunctive) A. variéis B. varíe C. varíes D. variemos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ de opinión según el día, todo cambiaría — "If I varied his opinion depending on the day, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. variáramos B. variarais C. variara D. variaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ los precios en invierno — "We have varied prices in winter" (present perfect) A. has variado B. ha variado C. hemos variado D. he variado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el clima de un día a otro. — "Do not vary the weather from one day to the next." (negative imperative) A. variemos B. variéis C. varíes D. varíe

  10. Which is the gerund of variar, used with estar for the progressive? A. varié B. variando C. variado D. varío

Answer key

  1. varío — The present form for yo is varío.
  2. varió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is varió.
  3. variábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is variábamos.
  4. variarás — The future form for tú is variarás.
  5. variaría — The conditional form for yo is variaría.
  6. varíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is varíe.
  7. variara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is variara.
  8. hemos variado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos variado.
  9. varíes — The negative imperative form is varíes.
  10. variando — The gerund of variar is variando: estoy variando. The participle variado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does variar mean in English?

variar means to vary. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo varío el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is variar regular?

Yes. variar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as variáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of variar?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo varié de opinión según el día — "Yesterday, I varied his opinion depending on the day". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo variaba los precios en invierno — "As a child, I used to vary prices in winter". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he variado de opinión según el día — "Today, I have varied his opinion depending on the day".

What is the difference between variar and cambiar?

Cambiar is the general verb for changing something. Variar suggests variation — changing from one version to another, again and again. Variar means to vary or to change: variar el menú, variar de opinión. It is used for menus, prices, weather and opinions that change from time to time.

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