Introduction
Vender means «to sell». Vender means to sell: a car, fruit, a house, tickets. It is a regular -er verb, and it is the natural partner of comprar in every market, shop and classified advertisement. It is a regular -er verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of vender in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo vendo mi coche todos los días.» — I sell my car every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | vender |
| English | to sell |
| Verb type | Regular -er verb |
| Gerund | vendiendo |
| Past participle | vendido |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: vendiendo · Past participle: vendido
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vendo |
| tú | vendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | vende |
| nosotros/as | vendemos |
| vosotros/as | vendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | venden |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For vender, the yo form is vendo, as in «Yo vendo» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vendí |
| tú | vendiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | vendió |
| nosotros/as | vendimos |
| vosotros/as | vendisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vendieron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo vendí» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vendía |
| tú | vendías |
| él/ella/Ud. | vendía |
| nosotros/as | vendíamos |
| vosotros/as | vendíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vendían |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo vendía» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | venderé |
| tú | venderás |
| él/ella/Ud. | venderá |
| nosotros/as | venderemos |
| vosotros/as | venderéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | venderán |
The future tense states what will happen. For vender the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo venderé». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vendería |
| tú | venderías |
| él/ella/Ud. | vendería |
| nosotros/as | venderíamos |
| vosotros/as | venderíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | venderían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo vendería» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he vendido |
| tú | has vendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha vendido |
| nosotros/as | hemos vendido |
| vosotros/as | habéis vendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han vendido |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he vendido». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había vendido |
| tú | habías vendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había vendido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos vendido |
| vosotros/as | habíais vendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían vendido |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había vendido». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré vendido |
| tú | habrás vendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá vendido |
| nosotros/as | habremos vendido |
| vosotros/as | habréis vendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán vendido |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré vendido» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría vendido |
| tú | habrías vendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría vendido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos vendido |
| vosotros/as | habríais vendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían vendido |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría vendido si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | venda |
| tú | vendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | venda |
| nosotros/as | vendamos |
| vosotros/as | vendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vendan |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él venda». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vendiera |
| tú | vendieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | vendiera |
| nosotros/as | vendiéramos |
| vosotros/as | vendierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vendieran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él vendiera, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | vende |
| él/ella/Ud. | venda |
| nosotros/as | vendamos |
| vosotros/as | vended |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vendan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Vende!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | vendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | venda |
| nosotros/as | vendamos |
| vosotros/as | vendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vendan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No vendas!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo vendo mi coche todos los días. — I sell my car every day.
- Mi hermana vende mi coche mucho. — My sister sells my car a lot.
- Ayer yo vendí mi coche por la tarde. — Yesterday I sold my car in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo vendía mi coche muchas veces. — As a child, I used to sell my car often.
- Mañana yo venderé mi coche sin falta. — Tomorrow I will sell my car without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo vendería mi coche ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would sell my car right now.
- Hoy yo he vendido fruta dos veces. — Today I have sold fruit twice.
- Espero que él venda mi coche pronto. — I hope he sells my car soon.
- ¡No vendas tu coche tan barato! — Don't sell your car so cheaply!
- Ahora mismo estoy vendiendo mi coche. — Right now I am selling my car.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: vendi
Right: vendí
The yo preterite of vender carries a written accent: vendí. Without it, vendi is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo vendía mi coche.
Right: Ayer yo vendí mi coche.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, vendí. The imperfect vendía describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Vendo a mi coche.
Right: Vendo mi coche.
Vender takes a direct object with no preposition: vender mi coche, vender fruta.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú vendes mi coche.
Right: Espero que tú vendas mi coche.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: vendas, not the indicative vendes. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No vende mi coche.
Right: No vendas mi coche.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no vendas. The affirmative vende can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of vender in the present tense?
- (a) vende
- (b) vendemos
- (c) vendes
- (d) vendo
2. What is the él/ella form of vender in the preterite?
- (a) vendimos
- (b) vendiste
- (c) vendió
- (d) vendí
3. What is the nosotros form of vender in the imperfect?
- (a) vendía
- (b) vendíamos
- (c) vendías
4. What is the tú form of vender in the future tense?
- (a) venderemos
- (b) venderá
- (c) venderás
- (d) venderé
5. What is the ellos form of vender in the conditional?
- (a) vendería
- (b) venderían
- (c) venderías
6. What is the yo form of vender in the present perfect?
- (a) ha vendido
- (b) has vendido
- (c) he vendido
- (d) hemos vendido
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of vender?
- (a) venda
- (b) vendamos
- (c) vendas
8. What is the nosotros form of vender in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) vendiera
- (b) vendiéramos
- (c) vendieras
9. What is the gerund of vender?
- (a) vender
- (b) vendido
- (c) vendiendo
- (d) vendo
10. What is the past participle of vender?
- (a) vender
- (b) vendido
- (c) vendiendo
- (d) vendí
Answer key
1. (d) vendo — In the present, the yo form of vender is vendo. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (c) vendió — In the preterite, the el form of vender is vendió. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (b) vendíamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of vender is vendíamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) venderás — In the future, the tu form of vender is venderás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) venderían — In the conditional, the ellos form of vender is venderían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he vendido — In the present perfect, the yo form of vender is he vendido. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) vendas — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of vender is vendas. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) vendiéramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of vender is vendiéramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (c) vendiendo — The gerund of vender is vendiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy vendiendo».
10. (b) vendido — The past participle of vender is vendido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he vendido».
Frequently asked questions
Is vender regular or irregular?
Yes, vender is a regular -er verb. Every tense follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of vender?
The gerund is vendiendo and the past participle is vendido. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy vendiendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he vendido»).
What is the difference between vender and comprar?
Vender and comprar are often confused. Comprar is to buy; vender is to sell.
How do I say «I sell» in Spanish?
Say «Yo vendo». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with vender?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (vendí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (vendía) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: vender-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: vender-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: comprar
- Related verb: pagar
- Related verb: usar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz