Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Cuidar in Spanish
cuidar to look after, to care Regular AR Verb
At a glance: Cuidar (to look after, to care) is a widely used regular -AR verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: cuido, cuidas, cuida, cuidamos, cuidáis, cuidan. Because it is fully regular, its endings apply directly to hundreds of other -AR verbs.
- Past participle
- cuidado looked after
- Gerund
- cuidando looking after
Table of contents
- Indicative tenses of Cuidar
- Cuidar in the Indicative Present
- Cuidar in the Indicative Preterite
- Cuidar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Cuidar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Cuidar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Cuidar in the Indicative Future
- Cuidar in the Indicative Conditional
- Cuidar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Cuidar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Cuidar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Cuidar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Cuidar
- Imperative tenses of Cuidar
- Verbs that follow the same patterns
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practise Cuidar conjugations (free mobile app)
Cuidar conjugation tables as a PDF
A printable two-page cheat sheet, sent to your inbox.
Indicative tenses of Cuidar
Cuidar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of cuidar 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, “cuido”, meaning “I look after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuido | I look after |
| Tú | cuidas | you look after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuida | s/he looks after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cuidamos | we look after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cuidáis | you (plural) look after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuidan | they look after |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cuid- plus the -ar endings.
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Cuidar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of cuidar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “cuidé”, meaning “I looked after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuidé | I looked after |
| Tú | cuidaste | you looked after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuidó | s/he looked after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cuidamos | we looked after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cuidasteis | you (plural) looked after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuidaron | they looked after |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cuid- plus the -ar endings.
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Cuidar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of cuidar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “cuidaba”, meaning “I used to look after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuidaba | I used to look after |
| Tú | cuidabas | you used to look after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuidaba | s/he used to look after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cuidábamos | we used to look after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cuidabais | you (plural) used to look after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuidaban | they used to look after |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cuid- plus the -ar endings.
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Cuidar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of cuidar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “estoy cuidando”, meaning “I am looking after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy cuidando | I am looking after |
| Tú | estás cuidando | you are looking after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está cuidando | s/he is looking after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos cuidando | we are looking after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis cuidando | you (plural) are looking after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están cuidando | they are looking after |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund cuidando.
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Cuidar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of cuidar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “voy a cuidar”, meaning “I am going to look after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a cuidar | I am going to look after |
| Tú | vas a cuidar | you are going to look after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a cuidar | s/he is going to look after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a cuidar | we are going to look after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a cuidar | you (plural) are going to look after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a cuidar | they are going to look after |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive cuidar.
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Cuidar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of cuidar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “cuidaré”, meaning “I will look after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuidaré | I will look after |
| Tú | cuidarás | you will look after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuidará | s/he will look after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cuidaremos | we will look after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cuidaréis | you (plural) will look after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuidarán | they will look after |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive cuidar plus the future endings.
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Cuidar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of cuidar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “cuidaría”, meaning “I would look after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuidaría | I would look after |
| Tú | cuidarías | you would look after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuidaría | s/he would look after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cuidaríamos | we would look after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cuidaríais | you (plural) would look after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuidarían | they would look after |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive cuidar plus the conditional endings.
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Cuidar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of cuidar 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 cuidado”, meaning “I have looked after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he cuidado | I have looked after |
| Tú | has cuidado | you have looked after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha cuidado | s/he has looked after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos cuidado | we have looked after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis cuidado | you (plural) have looked after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han cuidado | they have looked after |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle cuidado.
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Cuidar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of cuidar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “había cuidado”, meaning “I had looked after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había cuidado | I had looked after |
| Tú | habías cuidado | you had looked after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había cuidado | s/he had looked after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos cuidado | we had looked after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais cuidado | you (plural) had looked after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían cuidado | they had looked after |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle cuidado.
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Cuidar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of cuidar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “habré cuidado”, meaning “I will have looked after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré cuidado | I will have looked after |
| Tú | habrás cuidado | you will have looked after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá cuidado | s/he will have looked after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos cuidado | we will have looked after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis cuidado | you (plural) will have looked after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán cuidado | they will have looked after |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle cuidado.
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Cuidar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of cuidar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “habría cuidado”, meaning “I would have looked after”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría cuidado | I would have looked after |
| Tú | habrías cuidado | you would have looked after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría cuidado | s/he would have looked after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos cuidado | we would have looked after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais cuidado | you (plural) would have looked after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían cuidado | they would have looked after |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle cuidado.
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Subjunctive tenses of Cuidar
Cuidar 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, “cuide”, meaning “I look after”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuide | I look after |
| Tú | cuides | you look after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuide | s/he looks after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cuidemos | we look after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cuidéis | you (plural) look after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuiden | they look after |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cuid- plus the -ar subjunctive endings.
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Cuidar 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, “cuidara”, meaning “I looked after”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuidara | I looked after |
| Tú | cuidaras | you looked after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuidara | s/he looked after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cuidáramos | we looked after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cuidarais | you (plural) looked after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuidaran | they looked after |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, cuidaron, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (cuidáramos).
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Cuidar 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, “cuidare”, meaning “I will look after”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuidare | I will look after |
| Tú | cuidares | you will look after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuidare | s/he will look after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cuidáremos | we will look after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cuidareis | you (plural) will look after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuidaren | they will look after |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, cuidaron, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (cuidáremos).
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Cuidar 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 cuidado”, meaning “I have looked after”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya cuidado | I have looked after |
| Tú | hayas cuidado | you have looked after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya cuidado | s/he has looked after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos cuidado | we have looked after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis cuidado | you (plural) have looked after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan cuidado | they have looked after |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle cuidado.
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Cuidar 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 cuidado”, meaning “I had looked after”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera cuidado | I had looked after |
| Tú | hubieras cuidado | you had looked after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera cuidado | s/he had looked after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos cuidado | we had looked after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais cuidado | you (plural) had looked after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran cuidado | they had looked after |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle cuidado.
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Cuidar 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 cuidado”, meaning “I will have looked after”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere cuidado | I will have looked after |
| Tú | hubieres cuidado | you will have looked after |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere cuidado | s/he will have looked after |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos cuidado | we will have looked after |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis cuidado | you (plural) will have looked after |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren cuidado | they will have looked after |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle cuidado.
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Imperative tenses of Cuidar
Cuidar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “cuide”, meaning “(to you formal) look after!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | cuida | (to you) look after! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuide | (to you formal) look after! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cuidemos | let's look after! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cuidad | (to you plural) look after! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuiden | (to you plural formal) look after! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present (cuida); usted, nosotros and ustedes take the subjunctive present (cuide, cuidemos, cuiden); vosotros swaps the final r of the infinitive for a d (cuidad).
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Cuidar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no cuide”, meaning “(to you formal) don't look after!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no cuides | (to you) don't look after! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no cuide | (to you formal) don't look after! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no cuidemos | let's not look after! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no cuidéis | (to you plural) don't look after! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no cuiden | (to you plural formal) don't look after! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no cuides, no cuide, no cuidemos, no cuidéis, no cuiden.
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Frequently asked questions about Cuidar
Is cuidar a regular or irregular verb?
Cuidar 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 cuidar in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), cuidar is conjugated as: yo cuido, tú cuidas, él/ella/usted cuida, nosotros cuidamos, vosotros cuidáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cuidan. 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 cuidar in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), cuidar is conjugated as: yo cuidé, tú cuidaste, él/ella/usted cuidó, nosotros cuidamos, vosotros cuidasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cuidaron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate cuidar in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), cuidar is conjugated as: yo cuidaba, tú cuidabas, él/ella/usted cuidaba, nosotros cuidábamos, vosotros cuidabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes cuidaban. 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 cuidar in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), cuidar is conjugated as: yo cuidaré, tú cuidarás, él/ella/usted cuidará, nosotros cuidaremos, vosotros cuidaréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cuidarán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate cuidar in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), cuidar is conjugated as: yo cuide, tú cuides, él/ella/usted cuide, nosotros cuidemos, vosotros cuidéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cuiden. 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.
What’s the difference between cuidar and cuidarse?
Cuidar means ‘to look after, to care’ and cuidarse means ‘to look after (oneself)’. Cuidarse is the reflexive form of cuidar, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun – me, te, se, nos, os or se – that matches the subject. The verb itself is conjugated the same way: in the present tense, yo cuido becomes me cuido. In the affirmative tú imperative the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb, so cuida becomes cuídate.
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Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Cuidar Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
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Practise Cuidar conjugations (free mobile & web app)
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About Ella Verbs
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Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Cuidarse – to look after (oneself) or see the complete list of verbs here.
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