Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Citar in Spanish
citar to cite, to quote, to arrange a meeting Regular AR Verb
At a glance: Citar (to cite, to quote, to arrange a meeting) is a regular -AR verb in Spanish. In the present tense: cito, citas, cita, citamos, citáis, citan. Because it is fully regular, its endings apply directly to hundreds of other -AR verbs.
- Past participle
- citado cited
- Gerund
- citando citing
Table of contents
- Indicative tenses of Citar
- Citar in the Indicative Present
- Citar in the Indicative Preterite
- Citar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Citar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Citar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Citar in the Indicative Future
- Citar in the Indicative Conditional
- Citar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Citar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Citar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Citar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Citar
- Imperative tenses of Citar
- Verbs that follow the same patterns
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practise Citar conjugations (free mobile app)
Citar conjugation tables as a PDF
A printable two-page cheat sheet, sent to your inbox.
Indicative tenses of Citar
Citar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of citar 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, “cito”, meaning “I cite”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cito | I cite |
| Tú | citas | you cite |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cita | s/he cites |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | citamos | we cite |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | citáis | you (plural) cite |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | citan | they cite |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cit- plus the -ar endings.
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Citar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of citar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “cité”, meaning “I cited”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cité | I cited |
| Tú | citaste | you cited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | citó | s/he cited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | citamos | we cited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | citasteis | you (plural) cited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | citaron | they cited |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cit- plus the -ar endings.
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Citar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of citar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “citaba”, meaning “I used to cite”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | citaba | I used to cite |
| Tú | citabas | you used to cite |
| Ella / Él / Usted | citaba | s/he used to cite |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | citábamos | we used to cite |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | citabais | you (plural) used to cite |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | citaban | they used to cite |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cit- plus the -ar endings.
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Citar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of citar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “estoy citando”, meaning “I am citing”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy citando | I am citing |
| Tú | estás citando | you are citing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está citando | s/he is citing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos citando | we are citing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis citando | you (plural) are citing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están citando | they are citing |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund citando.
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Citar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of citar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “voy a citar”, meaning “I am going to cite”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a citar | I am going to cite |
| Tú | vas a citar | you are going to cite |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a citar | s/he is going to cite |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a citar | we are going to cite |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a citar | you (plural) are going to cite |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a citar | they are going to cite |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive citar.
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Citar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of citar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “citaré”, meaning “I will cite”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | citaré | I will cite |
| Tú | citarás | you will cite |
| Ella / Él / Usted | citará | s/he will cite |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | citaremos | we will cite |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | citaréis | you (plural) will cite |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | citarán | they will cite |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive citar plus the future endings.
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Citar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of citar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “citaría”, meaning “I would cite”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | citaría | I would cite |
| Tú | citarías | you would cite |
| Ella / Él / Usted | citaría | s/he would cite |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | citaríamos | we would cite |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | citaríais | you (plural) would cite |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | citarían | they would cite |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive citar plus the conditional endings.
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Citar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of citar 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 citado”, meaning “I have cited”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he citado | I have cited |
| Tú | has citado | you have cited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha citado | s/he has cited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos citado | we have cited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis citado | you (plural) have cited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han citado | they have cited |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle citado.
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Citar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of citar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “había citado”, meaning “I had cited”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había citado | I had cited |
| Tú | habías citado | you had cited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había citado | s/he had cited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos citado | we had cited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais citado | you (plural) had cited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían citado | they had cited |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle citado.
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Citar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of citar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “habré citado”, meaning “I will have cited”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré citado | I will have cited |
| Tú | habrás citado | you will have cited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá citado | s/he will have cited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos citado | we will have cited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis citado | you (plural) will have cited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán citado | they will have cited |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle citado.
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Citar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of citar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “habría citado”, meaning “I would have cited”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría citado | I would have cited |
| Tú | habrías citado | you would have cited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría citado | s/he would have cited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos citado | we would have cited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais citado | you (plural) would have cited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían citado | they would have cited |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle citado.
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Subjunctive tenses of Citar
Citar 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, “cite”, meaning “I cite”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cite | I cite |
| Tú | cites | you cite |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cite | s/he cites |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | citemos | we cite |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | citéis | you (plural) cite |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | citen | they cite |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cit- plus the -ar subjunctive endings.
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Citar 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, “citara”, meaning “I cited”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | citara | I cited |
| Tú | citaras | you cited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | citara | s/he cited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | citáramos | we cited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | citarais | you (plural) cited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | citaran | they cited |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, citaron, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (citáramos).
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Citar 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, “citare”, meaning “I will cite”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | citare | I will cite |
| Tú | citares | you will cite |
| Ella / Él / Usted | citare | s/he will cite |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | citáremos | we will cite |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | citareis | you (plural) will cite |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | citaren | they will cite |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, citaron, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (citáremos).
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Citar 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 citado”, meaning “I have cited”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya citado | I have cited |
| Tú | hayas citado | you have cited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya citado | s/he has cited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos citado | we have cited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis citado | you (plural) have cited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan citado | they have cited |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle citado.
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Citar 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 citado”, meaning “I had cited”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera citado | I had cited |
| Tú | hubieras citado | you had cited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera citado | s/he had cited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos citado | we had cited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais citado | you (plural) had cited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran citado | they had cited |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle citado.
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Citar 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 citado”, meaning “I will have cited”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere citado | I will have cited |
| Tú | hubieres citado | you will have cited |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere citado | s/he will have cited |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos citado | we will have cited |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis citado | you (plural) will have cited |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren citado | they will have cited |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle citado.
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Imperative tenses of Citar
Citar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “cite”, meaning “(to you formal) cite!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | cita | (to you) cite! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cite | (to you formal) cite! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | citemos | let's cite! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | citad | (to you plural) cite! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | citen | (to you plural formal) cite! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present (cita); usted, nosotros and ustedes take the subjunctive present (cite, citemos, citen); vosotros swaps the final r of the infinitive for a d (citad).
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Citar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no cite”, meaning “(to you formal) don't cite!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no cites | (to you) don't cite! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no cite | (to you formal) don't cite! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no citemos | let's not cite! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no citéis | (to you plural) don't cite! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no citen | (to you plural formal) don't cite! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no cites, no cite, no citemos, no citéis, no citen.
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Frequently asked questions about Citar
Is citar a regular or irregular verb?
Citar is a fully regular -AR verb. It follows the standard -AR conjugation pattern in every tense and mood without any stem changes, spelling changes, or irregular forms. This makes it a model verb for learning the -AR conjugation system.
How do you conjugate citar in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), citar is conjugated as: yo cito, tú citas, él/ella/usted cita, nosotros citamos, vosotros citáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes citan. The present tense 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.
How do you conjugate citar in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), citar is conjugated as: yo cité, tú citaste, él/ella/usted citó, nosotros citamos, vosotros citasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes citaron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate citar in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), citar is conjugated as: yo citaba, tú citabas, él/ella/usted citaba, nosotros citábamos, vosotros citabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes citaban. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
How do you conjugate citar in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), citar is conjugated as: yo citaré, tú citarás, él/ella/usted citará, nosotros citaremos, vosotros citaréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes citarán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate citar in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), citar is conjugated as: yo cite, tú cites, él/ella/usted cite, nosotros citemos, vosotros citéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes citen. The present subjunctive 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.
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Downloadable cheat sheets
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Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Clarificar – to clarify or see the complete list of verbs here.
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