Volar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb volar means to fly, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Volar means to fly, and it is used for birds, planes and people travelling by plane, as well as in the idiom el tiempo vuela, time flies. It is a stem-changing verb, o to ue, and it is a favourite in travel and nature contexts. Like every Spanish verb, volar 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 vuelo a Madrid en avión, and in the preterite you say volé a Barcelona mañana por la mañana. 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: volar
- English: to fly
- Verb type: irregular verb, stem-changing (o → ue)
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: volando
- Past participle: volado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + volado)
- Stem change: o → ue in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for volar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. The stem changes o to ue: yo vuelo, tú vuelas, but nosotros volamos keeps the o.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for volar. 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 | vuelo |
| tú | vuelas |
| él/ella/Ud. | vuela |
| nosotros/as | volamos |
| vosotros/as | voláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vuelan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | volé |
| tú | volaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | voló |
| nosotros/as | volamos |
| vosotros/as | volasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | volaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | volaba |
| tú | volabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | volaba |
| nosotros/as | volábamos |
| vosotros/as | volabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | volaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | volaré |
| tú | volarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | volará |
| nosotros/as | volaremos |
| vosotros/as | volaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | volarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | volaría |
| tú | volarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | volaría |
| nosotros/as | volaríamos |
| vosotros/as | volaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | volarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he volado |
| tú | has volado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha volado |
| nosotros/as | hemos volado |
| vosotros/as | habéis volado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han volado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había volado |
| tú | habías volado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había volado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos volado |
| vosotros/as | habíais volado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían volado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré volado |
| tú | habrás volado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá volado |
| nosotros/as | habremos volado |
| vosotros/as | habréis volado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán volado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría volado |
| tú | habrías volado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría volado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos volado |
| vosotros/as | habríais volado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían volado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vuele |
| tú | vueles |
| él/ella/Ud. | vuele |
| nosotros/as | volemos |
| vosotros/as | voléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vuelen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | volara |
| tú | volaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | volara |
| nosotros/as | voláramos |
| vosotros/as | volarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | volaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | vuela |
| él/ella/Ud. | vuele |
| nosotros/as | volemos |
| vosotros/as | volad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vuelen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | vueles |
| él/ella/Ud. | vuele |
| nosotros/as | volemos |
| vosotros/as | voléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | vuelen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | volando | with estar for the progressive: estoy volando |
| Past participle | volado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he volado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For volar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Vuelo a Madrid en avión. 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 volar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, volé muy alto como un pájaro. 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 volar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, volaba a Barcelona mañana por la mañana. 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 volar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, volaré sin escalas hasta Lima. 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 volar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Volaría a Madrid en avión 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 volar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he volado muy alto como un pájaro. 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 volar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había volado a Barcelona mañana por la mañana 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 volar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré volado sin escalas hasta Lima. 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 volar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría volado a Madrid en avión 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For volar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él vuele muy alto como un pájaro. 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 volar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él volara a Barcelona mañana por la mañana, 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For volar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Vuela sin escalas hasta Lima! 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For volar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No vueles a Madrid en avión. 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 volar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Vuelo a Madrid en avión. — I fly to Madrid by plane.
- Vuela muy alto como un pájaro. — He/she flies very high like a bird.
- Ayer, volé a Barcelona mañana por la mañana. — Yesterday, I flew to Barcelona tomorrow morning.
- Antes, nosotros volábamos sin escalas hasta Lima. — Before, we used to fly direct to Lima.
- Mañana, tú volarás a Madrid en avión. — Tomorrow, you will fly to Madrid by plane.
- Yo volaría muy alto como un pájaro si tuviera más tiempo. — I would fly very high like a bird if I had more time.
- Él ha volado a Barcelona mañana por la mañana. — He has flown to Barcelona tomorrow morning.
- Espero que él vuele sin escalas hasta Lima. — I hope he flies direct to Lima.
- Yo ya había volado a Madrid en avión antes de salir. — I had already flown to Madrid by plane before leaving.
- Ellos volaban muy alto como un pájaro cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to fly very high like a bird when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo vuela a Madrid en avión. — Right: Yo vuelo a Madrid en avión. — The person matters: vuela is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is vuelo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo volo muy alto como un pájaro. — Right: Yo vuelo muy alto como un pájaro. — Volar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
- Wrong: Treating volar and viajar as identical in every context. — Right: Volar means to fly, while viajar means to travel in general. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: volar fits sentences such as Vuelo a Madrid en avión, while viajar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy volado muy alto como un pájaro. — Right: Yo he volado muy alto como un pájaro. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he volado, has volado, ha volado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo volé a Barcelona mañana por la mañana todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo volaba a Barcelona mañana por la mañana todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (volaba), not the preterite. The preterite (volé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on volar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a Madrid en avión. (present tense) A. vuelo B. vuelas C. vuela D. volamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ muy alto como un pájaro. (preterite) A. volé B. volaste C. volaron D. voló
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a Barcelona mañana por la mañana. (imperfect) A. volabas B. volaban C. volábamos D. volaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ sin escalas hasta Lima. (future) A. volaremos B. volarás C. volaré D. volará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a Madrid en avión si pudiera. (conditional) A. volaría B. volarías C. volarían D. vuelo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ muy alto como un pájaro. (present subjunctive) A. vueles B. volemos C. vuelo D. vuele
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a Barcelona mañana por la mañana, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. voláramos B. vuelo C. volara D. volaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ sin escalas hasta Lima. (present perfect) A. han volado B. hemos volado C. he volado D. has volado
Complete the command: ¡___ a Madrid en avión! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. vuela B. vuele C. volemos D. volad
Which is the gerund of volar, used with estar for the progressive? A. volado B. vuelo C. volé D. volando
Answer key
- vuelo — The first-person present of volar is vuelo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- voló — The third-person preterite of volar is voló, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- volábamos — The nosotros imperfect of volar is volábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- volarás — The second-person future of volar is volarás.
- volaría — The first-person conditional of volar is volaría, the form for what would happen.
- vuele — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of volar is vuele.
- volara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of volar is volara.
- hemos volado — The nosotros present perfect of volar is hemos volado: hemos + volado.
- vuela — The affirmative tú imperative of volar is vuela.
- volando — The gerund of volar is volando: estoy volando. The participle volado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does volar mean in English?
Volar means to fly. It is used in everyday situations such as Vuelo a Madrid en avión. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is volar regular or irregular?
Volar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue), so it is not fully regular: the stem changes in the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The preterite and the imperfect are regular. Check the tables above for the exact forms in each tense.
What is the difference between volar and viajar?
Volar means to fly, while viajar means to travel in general. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use volar when you mean to fly, as in Vuelo a Madrid en avión, and use viajar for to travel in general. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I fly” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo volé muy alto como un pájaro. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo volaba a Barcelona mañana por la mañana. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he volado muy alto como un pájaro.
How do I practise volar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the volar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Volar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for volar.
- Volar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for volar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Dibujar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with volar.
- Saltar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with volar.
- Andar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with volar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.