Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Definir in Spanish
definir to define Regular IR Verb
At a glance: Definir (to define) is a regular -IR verb in Spanish. In the present tense: defino, defines, define, definimos, definís, definen. Because it is fully regular, its endings apply directly to hundreds of other -IR verbs.
- Past participle
- definido defined
- Gerund
- definiendo defining
Table of contents
- Indicative tenses of Definir
- Definir in the Indicative Present
- Definir in the Indicative Preterite
- Definir in the Indicative Imperfect
- Definir in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Definir in the Indicative Informal Future
- Definir in the Indicative Future
- Definir in the Indicative Conditional
- Definir in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Definir in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Definir in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Definir in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Definir
- Imperative tenses of Definir
- Verbs that follow the same patterns
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practise Definir conjugations (free mobile app)
Definir conjugation tables as a PDF
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Indicative tenses of Definir
Definir in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of definir 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, “defino”, meaning “I define”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | defino | I define |
| Tú | defines | you define |
| Ella / Él / Usted | define | s/he defines |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | definimos | we define |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | definís | you (plural) define |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | definen | they define |
How it’s built: Regular: stem defin- plus the -ir endings.
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Definir in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of definir is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “definí”, meaning “I defined”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | definí | I defined |
| Tú | definiste | you defined |
| Ella / Él / Usted | definió | s/he defined |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | definimos | we defined |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | definisteis | you (plural) defined |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | definieron | they defined |
How it’s built: Regular: stem defin- plus the -ir endings.
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Definir in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of definir is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “definía”, meaning “I used to define”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | definía | I used to define |
| Tú | definías | you used to define |
| Ella / Él / Usted | definía | s/he used to define |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | definíamos | we used to define |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | definíais | you (plural) used to define |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | definían | they used to define |
How it’s built: Regular: stem defin- plus the -ir endings.
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Definir in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of definir is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “estoy definiendo”, meaning “I am defining”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy definiendo | I am defining |
| Tú | estás definiendo | you are defining |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está definiendo | s/he is defining |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos definiendo | we are defining |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis definiendo | you (plural) are defining |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están definiendo | they are defining |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund definiendo.
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Definir in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of definir is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “voy a definir”, meaning “I am going to define”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a definir | I am going to define |
| Tú | vas a definir | you are going to define |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a definir | s/he is going to define |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a definir | we are going to define |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a definir | you (plural) are going to define |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a definir | they are going to define |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive definir.
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Definir in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of definir is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “definiré”, meaning “I will define”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | definiré | I will define |
| Tú | definirás | you will define |
| Ella / Él / Usted | definirá | s/he will define |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | definiremos | we will define |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | definiréis | you (plural) will define |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | definirán | they will define |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive definir plus the future endings.
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Definir in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of definir is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “definiría”, meaning “I would define”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | definiría | I would define |
| Tú | definirías | you would define |
| Ella / Él / Usted | definiría | s/he would define |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | definiríamos | we would define |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | definiríais | you (plural) would define |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | definirían | they would define |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive definir plus the conditional endings.
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Definir in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of definir 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 definido”, meaning “I have defined”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he definido | I have defined |
| Tú | has definido | you have defined |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha definido | s/he has defined |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos definido | we have defined |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis definido | you (plural) have defined |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han definido | they have defined |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle definido.
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Definir in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of definir is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “había definido”, meaning “I had defined”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había definido | I had defined |
| Tú | habías definido | you had defined |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había definido | s/he had defined |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos definido | we had defined |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais definido | you (plural) had defined |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían definido | they had defined |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle definido.
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Definir in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of definir is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “habré definido”, meaning “I will have defined”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré definido | I will have defined |
| Tú | habrás definido | you will have defined |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá definido | s/he will have defined |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos definido | we will have defined |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis definido | you (plural) will have defined |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán definido | they will have defined |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle definido.
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Definir in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of definir is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “habría definido”, meaning “I would have defined”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría definido | I would have defined |
| Tú | habrías definido | you would have defined |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría definido | s/he would have defined |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos definido | we would have defined |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais definido | you (plural) would have defined |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían definido | they would have defined |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle definido.
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Subjunctive tenses of Definir
Definir 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, “defina”, meaning “I define”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | defina | I define |
| Tú | definas | you define |
| Ella / Él / Usted | defina | s/he defines |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | definamos | we define |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | defináis | you (plural) define |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | definan | they define |
How it’s built: Regular: stem defin- plus the -ir subjunctive endings.
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Definir 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, “definiera”, meaning “I defined”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | definiera | I defined |
| Tú | definieras | you defined |
| Ella / Él / Usted | definiera | s/he defined |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | definiéramos | we defined |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | definierais | you (plural) defined |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | definieran | they defined |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, definieron, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (definiéramos).
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Definir 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, “definiere”, meaning “I will define”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | definiere | I will define |
| Tú | definieres | you will define |
| Ella / Él / Usted | definiere | s/he will define |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | definiéremos | we will define |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | definiereis | you (plural) will define |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | definieren | they will define |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, definieron, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (definiéremos).
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Definir 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 definido”, meaning “I have defined”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya definido | I have defined |
| Tú | hayas definido | you have defined |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya definido | s/he has defined |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos definido | we have defined |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis definido | you (plural) have defined |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan definido | they have defined |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle definido.
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Definir 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 definido”, meaning “I had defined”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera definido | I had defined |
| Tú | hubieras definido | you had defined |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera definido | s/he had defined |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos definido | we had defined |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais definido | you (plural) had defined |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran definido | they had defined |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle definido.
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Definir 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 definido”, meaning “I will have defined”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere definido | I will have defined |
| Tú | hubieres definido | you will have defined |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere definido | s/he will have defined |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos definido | we will have defined |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis definido | you (plural) will have defined |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren definido | they will have defined |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle definido.
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Imperative tenses of Definir
Definir in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “defina”, meaning “(to you formal) define!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | define | (to you) define! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | defina | (to you formal) define! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | definamos | let's define! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | definid | (to you plural) define! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | definan | (to you plural formal) define! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present (define); usted, nosotros and ustedes take the subjunctive present (defina, definamos, definan); vosotros swaps the final r of the infinitive for a d (definid).
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Definir in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no defina”, meaning “(to you formal) don't define!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no definas | (to you) don't define! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no defina | (to you formal) don't define! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no definamos | let's not define! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no defináis | (to you plural) don't define! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no definan | (to you plural formal) don't define! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no definas, no defina, no definamos, no defináis, no definan.
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Frequently asked questions about Definir
Is definir a regular or irregular verb?
Definir is a fully regular -IR verb. It follows the standard -IR 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 -IR conjugation system.
How do you conjugate definir in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), definir is conjugated as: yo defino, tú defines, él/ella/usted define, nosotros definimos, vosotros definís, ellos/ellas/ustedes definen. 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 definir in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), definir is conjugated as: yo definí, tú definiste, él/ella/usted definió, nosotros definimos, vosotros definisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes definieron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate definir in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), definir is conjugated as: yo definía, tú definías, él/ella/usted definía, nosotros definíamos, vosotros definíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes definían. 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 definir in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), definir is conjugated as: yo definiré, tú definirás, él/ella/usted definirá, nosotros definiremos, vosotros definiréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes definirán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate definir in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), definir is conjugated as: yo defina, tú definas, él/ella/usted defina, nosotros definamos, vosotros defináis, ellos/ellas/ustedes definan. 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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Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Dejar – to leave, to put, to let, to allow, to cease or see the complete list of verbs here.
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