How to conjugate Criar in Spanish
To raise, to bring up Irregular Verb
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Criar
- Criar in the Indicative Present
- Criar in the Indicative Preterite
- Criar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Criar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Criar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Criar in the Indicative Future
- Criar in the Indicative Conditional
- Criar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Criar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Criar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Criar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Criar
- Imperative tenses of Criar
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Criar conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Criar is the Spanish verb for "to raise, to bring up". It is an irregular verb. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
Similar verbs to criar include: alzar, criarse, elevar, levantar.
Spanish | English | |
---|---|---|
Infinitive | criar | to raise, to bring up |
Past participle | criado | raised |
Gerund | criando | raising |

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Indicative Tenses of Criar
Criar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of criar 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, "crío", meaning "I raise".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | crío | I raise |
Tú | crías | you raise |
Ella / Él / Usted | cría | s/he raises, you (formal) raises |
Nosotras / Nosotros | criamos | we raise |
Vosotras / Vosotros | criáis | you (plural) raise |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | crían | they raise, you (plural formal) raise |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Criar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of criar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "crie", meaning "I raised".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | crie | I raised |
Tú | criaste | you raised |
Ella / Él / Usted | crio | s/he raised, you (formal) raised |
Nosotras / Nosotros | criamos | we raised |
Vosotras / Vosotros | criasteis | you (plural) raised |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | criaron | they raised, you (plural formal) raised |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Criar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of criar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "criaba", meaning "I used to raise".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | criaba | I used to raise |
Tú | criabas | you used to raise |
Ella / Él / Usted | criaba | s/he used to raise, you (formal) used to raise |
Nosotras / Nosotros | criábamos | we used to raise |
Vosotras / Vosotros | criabais | you (plural) used to raise |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | criaban | they used to raise, you (plural formal) used to raise |
Criar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of criar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy criando", meaning "I am raising".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | estoy criando | I am raising |
Tú | estás criando | you are raising |
Ella / Él / Usted | está criando | s/he is raising, you (formal) are raising |
Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos criando | we are raising |
Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis criando | you (plural) are raising |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están criando | they are raising, you (plural formal) are raising |
Criar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of criar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a criar", meaning "I am going to raise".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | voy a criar | I am going to raise |
Tú | vas a criar | you are going to raise |
Ella / Él / Usted | va a criar | s/he is going to raise, you (formal) are going to raise |
Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a criar | we are going to raise |
Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a criar | you (plural) are going to raise |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a criar | they are going to raise, you (plural formal) are going to raise |
Criar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of criar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "criaré", meaning "I will raise".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | criaré | I will raise |
Tú | criarás | you will raise |
Ella / Él / Usted | criará | s/he will raise, you (formal) will raise |
Nosotras / Nosotros | criaremos | we will raise |
Vosotras / Vosotros | criaréis | you (plural) will raise |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | criarán | they will raise, you (plural formal) will raise |
Criar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of criar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "criaría", meaning "I would raise".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | criaría | I would raise |
Tú | criarías | you would raise |
Ella / Él / Usted | criaría | s/he would raise, you (formal) would raise |
Nosotras / Nosotros | criaríamos | we would raise |
Vosotras / Vosotros | criaríais | you (plural) would raise |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | criarían | they would raise, you (plural formal) would raise |
Criar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of criar 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 criado", meaning "I have raised".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | he criado | I have raised |
Tú | has criado | you have raised |
Ella / Él / Usted | ha criado | s/he has raised, you (formal) have raised |
Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos criado | we have raised |
Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis criado | you (plural) have raised |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han criado | they have raised, you (plural formal) have raised |
Criar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of criar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había criado", meaning "I had raised".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | había criado | I had raised |
Tú | habías criado | you had raised |
Ella / Él / Usted | había criado | s/he had raised, you (formal) had raised |
Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos criado | we had raised |
Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais criado | you (plural) had raised |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían criado | they had raised, you (plural formal) had raised |
Criar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of criar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré criado", meaning "I will have raised".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | habré criado | I will have raised |
Tú | habrás criado | you will have raised |
Ella / Él / Usted | habrá criado | s/he will have raised, you (formal) will have raised |
Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos criado | we will have raised |
Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis criado | you (plural) will have raised |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán criado | they will have raised, you (plural formal) will have raised |
Criar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of criar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría criado", meaning "I would have raised".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | habría criado | I would have raised |
Tú | habrías criado | you would have raised |
Ella / Él / Usted | habría criado | s/he would have raised, you (formal) would have raised |
Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos criado | we would have raised |
Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais criado | you (plural) would have raised |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían criado | they would have raised, you (plural formal) would have raised |

Get the most comprehensive verb tables for Criar and 1,900+ other verbs. Plus lessons & quizzes to help you master Spanish conjugation.
Subjunctive Tenses of Criar
Criar 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, "críe", meaning "I raise".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | críe | I raise |
Tú | críes | you raise |
Ella / Él / Usted | críe | s/he raises, you (formal) raises |
Nosotras / Nosotros | criemos | we raise |
Vosotras / Vosotros | criéis | you (plural) raise |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | críen | they raise, you (plural formal) raise |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Criar 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, "criara", meaning "I raised".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | criara | I raised |
Tú | criaras | you raised |
Ella / Él / Usted | criara | s/he raised, you (formal) raised |
Nosotras / Nosotros | criáramos | we raised |
Vosotras / Vosotros | criarais | you (plural) raised |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | criaran | they raised, you (plural formal) raised |
Criar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. Note that this is very rarely used in Spanish. For example, "criare", meaning "I will raise".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | criare | I will raise |
Tú | criares | you will raise |
Ella / Él / Usted | criare | s/he will raise, you (formal) will raise |
Nosotras / Nosotros | criáremos | we will raise |
Vosotras / Vosotros | criareis | you (plural) will raise |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | criaren | they will raise, you (plural formal) will raise |
Criar 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 criado", meaning "I have raised".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | haya criado | I have raised |
Tú | hayas criado | you have raised |
Ella / Él / Usted | haya criado | s/he has raised, you (formal) have raised |
Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos criado | we have raised |
Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis criado | you (plural) have raised |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan criado | they have raised, you (plural formal) have raised |
Criar 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 criado", meaning "I had raised".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | hubiera criado | I had raised |
Tú | hubieras criado | you had raised |
Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera criado | s/he had raised, you (formal) had raised |
Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos criado | we had raised |
Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais criado | you (plural) had raised |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran criado | they had raised, you (plural formal) had raised |
Criar 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. Note that this is very rarely used in Spanish. For example, "hubiere criado", meaning "I will have raised".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | hubiere criado | I will have raised |
Tú | hubieres criado | you will have raised |
Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere criado | s/he will have raised, you (formal) will have raised |
Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos criado | we will have raised |
Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis criado | you (plural) will have raised |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren criado | they will have raised, you (plural formal) will have raised |

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Imperative Tenses of Criar
Criar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "críe", meaning "(to you formal) raise!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | - | - |
Tú | cría | (to you) raise! |
Ella / Él / Usted | críe | (to you formal) raise! |
Nosotras / Nosotros | criemos | let's raise! |
Vosotras / Vosotros | criad | (to you plural) raise! |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | críen | (to you plural formal) raise! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Criar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no críe", meaning "(to you formal) don't raise!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
Pronoun | Spanish | English |
---|---|---|
Yo | - | - |
Tú | no críes | (to you) don't raise! |
Ella / Él / Usted | no críe | (to you formal) don't raise! |
Nosotras / Nosotros | no criemos | let's not raise! |
Vosotras / Vosotros | no criéis | (to you plural) don't raise! |
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no críen | (to you plural formal) don't raise! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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