How to conjugate Cantar in Spanish
To sing Regular AR Verb
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Cantar
- Cantar in the Indicative Present
- Cantar in the Indicative Preterite
- Cantar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Cantar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Cantar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Cantar in the Indicative Future
- Cantar in the Indicative Conditional
- Cantar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Cantar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Cantar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Cantar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Cantar
- Imperative tenses of Cantar
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Cantar conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Cantar is the Spanish verb for "to sing". It is a regular AR verb. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | cantar | to sing |
| Past participle | cantado | sung |
| Gerund | cantando | singing |
Indicative Tenses of Cantar
Cantar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of cantar is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "canto", meaning "I sing".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | canto | I sing |
| Tú | cantas | you sing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | canta | s/he sings, you (formal) sing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cantamos | we sing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cantáis | you (plural) sing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cantan | they sing, you (plural formal) sing |
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Cantar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of cantar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "canté", meaning "I sang".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | canté | I sang |
| Tú | cantaste | you sang |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cantó | s/he sang, you (formal) sang |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cantamos | we sang |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cantasteis | you (plural) sang |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cantaron | they sang, you (plural formal) sang |
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Cantar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of cantar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "cantaba", meaning "I used to sing".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cantaba | I used to sing |
| Tú | cantabas | you used to sing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cantaba | s/he used to sing, you (formal) used to sing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cantábamos | we used to sing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cantabais | you (plural) used to sing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cantaban | they used to sing, you (plural formal) used to sing |
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Cantar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of cantar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy cantando", meaning "I am singing".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy cantando | I am singing |
| Tú | estás cantando | you are singing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está cantando | s/he is singing, you (formal) are singing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos cantando | we are singing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis cantando | you (plural) are singing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están cantando | they are singing, you (plural formal) are singing |
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Cantar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of cantar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a cantar", meaning "I am going to sing".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a cantar | I am going to sing |
| Tú | vas a cantar | you are going to sing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a cantar | s/he is going to sing, you (formal) are going to sing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a cantar | we are going to sing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a cantar | you (plural) are going to sing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a cantar | they are going to sing, you (plural formal) are going to sing |
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Cantar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of cantar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "cantaré", meaning "I will sing".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cantaré | I will sing |
| Tú | cantarás | you will sing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cantará | s/he will sing, you (formal) will sing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cantaremos | we will sing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cantaréis | you (plural) will sing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cantarán | they will sing, you (plural formal) will sing |
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Cantar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of cantar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "cantaría", meaning "I would sing".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cantaría | I would sing |
| Tú | cantarías | you would sing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cantaría | s/he would sing, you (formal) would sing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cantaríamos | we would sing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cantaríais | you (plural) would sing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cantarían | they would sing, you (plural formal) would sing |
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Cantar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of cantar is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he cantado", meaning "I have sung".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he cantado | I have sung |
| Tú | has cantado | you have sung |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha cantado | s/he has sung, you (formal) have sung |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos cantado | we have sung |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis cantado | you (plural) have sung |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han cantado | they have sung, you (plural formal) have sung |
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Cantar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of cantar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había cantado", meaning "I had sung".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había cantado | I had sung |
| Tú | habías cantado | you had sung |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había cantado | s/he had sung, you (formal) had sung |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos cantado | we had sung |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais cantado | you (plural) had sung |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían cantado | they had sung, you (plural formal) had sung |
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Cantar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of cantar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré cantado", meaning "I will have sung".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré cantado | I will have sung |
| Tú | habrás cantado | you will have sung |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá cantado | s/he will have sung, you (formal) will have sung |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos cantado | we will have sung |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis cantado | you (plural) will have sung |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán cantado | they will have sung, you (plural formal) will have sung |
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Cantar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of cantar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría cantado", meaning "I would have sung".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría cantado | I would have sung |
| Tú | habrías cantado | you would have sung |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría cantado | s/he would have sung, you (formal) would have sung |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos cantado | we would have sung |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais cantado | you (plural) would have sung |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían cantado | they would have sung, you (plural formal) would have sung |
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Subjunctive Tenses of Cantar
Cantar in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "cante", meaning "I sing".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cante | I sing |
| Tú | cantes | you sing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cante | s/he sings, you (formal) sing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cantemos | we sing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cantéis | you (plural) sing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | canten | they sing, you (plural formal) sing |
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Cantar in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "cantara", meaning "I sang".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cantara | I sang |
| Tú | cantaras | you sang |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cantara | s/he sang, you (formal) sang |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cantáramos | we sang |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cantarais | you (plural) sang |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cantaran | they sang, you (plural formal) sang |
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Cantar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "cantare", meaning "I will sing".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cantare | I will sing |
| Tú | cantares | you will sing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cantare | s/he will sing, you (formal) will sing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cantáremos | we will sing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cantareis | you (plural) will sing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cantaren | they will sing, you (plural formal) will sing |
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Cantar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya cantado", meaning "I have sung".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya cantado | I have sung |
| Tú | hayas cantado | you have sung |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya cantado | s/he has sung, you (formal) have sung |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos cantado | we have sung |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis cantado | you (plural) have sung |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan cantado | they have sung, you (plural formal) have sung |
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Cantar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera cantado", meaning "I had sung".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera cantado | I had sung |
| Tú | hubieras cantado | you had sung |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera cantado | s/he had sung, you (formal) had sung |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos cantado | we had sung |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais cantado | you (plural) had sung |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran cantado | they had sung, you (plural formal) had sung |
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Cantar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, "hubiere cantado", meaning "I will have sung".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere cantado | I will have sung |
| Tú | hubieres cantado | you will have sung |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere cantado | s/he will have sung, you (formal) will have sung |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos cantado | we will have sung |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis cantado | you (plural) will have sung |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren cantado | they will have sung, you (plural formal) will have sung |
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Imperative Tenses of Cantar
Cantar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "cante", meaning "(to you formal) sing!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | canta | (to you) sing! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cante | (to you formal) sing! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cantemos | let's sing! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cantad | (to you plural) sing! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | canten | (to you plural formal) sing! |
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Cantar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no cante", meaning "(to you formal) don't sing!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no cantes | (to you) don't sing! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no cante | (to you formal) don't sing! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no cantemos | let's not sing! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no cantéis | (to you plural) don't sing! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no canten | (to you plural formal) don't sing! |
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Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Cantar Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
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Practice Cantar conjugations (free mobile & web app)
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Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Capacitar – to prepare, to qualify or see the complete list of verbs here.
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Cantar: to sing
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