Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Desafiar in Spanish
To challenge, to defy Irregular Verb
At a glance: Desafiar (to challenge, to defy) is a irregular verb in Spanish. In the present tense: desafío, desafías, desafía, desafiamos, desafiáis, desafían. Its irregularities include: I changes to í for all but nosotras and vosotras in the indicative present (which therefore affects the subjunctive present and imperatives).
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Desafiar
- Desafiar in the Indicative Present
- Desafiar in the Indicative Preterite
- Desafiar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Desafiar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Desafiar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Desafiar in the Indicative Future
- Desafiar in the Indicative Conditional
- Desafiar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Desafiar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Desafiar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Desafiar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Desafiar
- Imperative tenses of Desafiar
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Desafiar conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Desafiar is the Spanish verb for "to challenge, to defy". It is an irregular verb. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
Similar verbs to desafiar include: recusar.
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | desafiar | to challenge, to defy |
| Past participle | desafiado | challenged |
| Gerund | desafiando | challenging |
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Play nowIndicative Tenses of Desafiar
Desafiar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of desafiar 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, "desafío", meaning "I challenge".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | desafío | I challenge |
| Tú | desafías | you challenge |
| Ella / Él / Usted | desafía | s/he challenges |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | desafiamos | we challenge |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | desafiáis | you (plural) challenge |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | desafían | they challenge |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Desafiar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of desafiar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "desafié", meaning "I challenged".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | desafié | I challenged |
| Tú | desafiaste | you challenged |
| Ella / Él / Usted | desafió | s/he challenged |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | desafiamos | we challenged |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | desafiasteis | you (plural) challenged |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | desafiaron | they challenged |
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Desafiar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of desafiar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "desafiaba", meaning "I used to challenge".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | desafiaba | I used to challenge |
| Tú | desafiabas | you used to challenge |
| Ella / Él / Usted | desafiaba | s/he used to challenge |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | desafiábamos | we used to challenge |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | desafiabais | you (plural) used to challenge |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | desafiaban | they used to challenge |
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Desafiar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of desafiar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy desafiando", meaning "I am challenging".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy desafiando | I am challenging |
| Tú | estás desafiando | you are challenging |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está desafiando | s/he is challenging |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos desafiando | we are challenging |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis desafiando | you (plural) are challenging |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están desafiando | they are challenging |
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Desafiar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of desafiar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a desafiar", meaning "I am going to challenge".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a desafiar | I am going to challenge |
| Tú | vas a desafiar | you are going to challenge |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a desafiar | s/he is going to challenge |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a desafiar | we are going to challenge |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a desafiar | you (plural) are going to challenge |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a desafiar | they are going to challenge |
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Desafiar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of desafiar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "desafiaré", meaning "I will challenge".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | desafiaré | I will challenge |
| Tú | desafiarás | you will challenge |
| Ella / Él / Usted | desafiará | s/he will challenge |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | desafiaremos | we will challenge |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | desafiaréis | you (plural) will challenge |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | desafiarán | they will challenge |
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Desafiar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of desafiar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "desafiaría", meaning "I would challenge".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | desafiaría | I would challenge |
| Tú | desafiarías | you would challenge |
| Ella / Él / Usted | desafiaría | s/he would challenge |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | desafiaríamos | we would challenge |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | desafiaríais | you (plural) would challenge |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | desafiarían | they would challenge |
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Desafiar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of desafiar 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 desafiado", meaning "I have challenged".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he desafiado | I have challenged |
| Tú | has desafiado | you have challenged |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha desafiado | s/he has challenged |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos desafiado | we have challenged |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis desafiado | you (plural) have challenged |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han desafiado | they have challenged |
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Desafiar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of desafiar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había desafiado", meaning "I had challenged".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había desafiado | I had challenged |
| Tú | habías desafiado | you had challenged |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había desafiado | s/he had challenged |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos desafiado | we had challenged |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais desafiado | you (plural) had challenged |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían desafiado | they had challenged |
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Desafiar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of desafiar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré desafiado", meaning "I will have challenged".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré desafiado | I will have challenged |
| Tú | habrás desafiado | you will have challenged |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá desafiado | s/he will have challenged |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos desafiado | we will have challenged |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis desafiado | you (plural) will have challenged |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán desafiado | they will have challenged |
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Desafiar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of desafiar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría desafiado", meaning "I would have challenged".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría desafiado | I would have challenged |
| Tú | habrías desafiado | you would have challenged |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría desafiado | s/he would have challenged |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos desafiado | we would have challenged |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais desafiado | you (plural) would have challenged |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían desafiado | they would have challenged |
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Play nowSubjunctive Tenses of Desafiar
Desafiar 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, "desafíe", meaning "I challenge".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | desafíe | I challenge |
| Tú | desafíes | you challenge |
| Ella / Él / Usted | desafíe | s/he challenges |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | desafiemos | we challenge |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | desafiéis | you (plural) challenge |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | desafíen | they challenge |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Desafiar 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, "desafiara", meaning "I challenged".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | desafiara | I challenged |
| Tú | desafiaras | you challenged |
| Ella / Él / Usted | desafiara | s/he challenged |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | desafiáramos | we challenged |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | desafiarais | you (plural) challenged |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | desafiaran | they challenged |
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Desafiar 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, "desafiare", meaning "I will challenge".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | desafiare | I will challenge |
| Tú | desafiares | you will challenge |
| Ella / Él / Usted | desafiare | s/he will challenge |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | desafiáremos | we will challenge |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | desafiareis | you (plural) will challenge |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | desafiaren | they will challenge |
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Desafiar 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 desafiado", meaning "I have challenged".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya desafiado | I have challenged |
| Tú | hayas desafiado | you have challenged |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya desafiado | s/he has challenged |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos desafiado | we have challenged |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis desafiado | you (plural) have challenged |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan desafiado | they have challenged |
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Desafiar 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 desafiado", meaning "I had challenged".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera desafiado | I had challenged |
| Tú | hubieras desafiado | you had challenged |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera desafiado | s/he had challenged |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos desafiado | we had challenged |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais desafiado | you (plural) had challenged |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran desafiado | they had challenged |
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Desafiar 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 desafiado", meaning "I will have challenged".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere desafiado | I will have challenged |
| Tú | hubieres desafiado | you will have challenged |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere desafiado | s/he will have challenged |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos desafiado | we will have challenged |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis desafiado | you (plural) will have challenged |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren desafiado | they will have challenged |
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Play nowImperative Tenses of Desafiar
Desafiar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "desafíe", meaning "(to you formal) challenge!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | desafía | (to you) challenge! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | desafíe | (to you formal) challenge! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | desafiemos | let's challenge! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | desafiad | (to you plural) challenge! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | desafíen | (to you plural formal) challenge! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Desafiar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no desafíe", meaning "(to you formal) don't challenge!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no desafíes | (to you) don't challenge! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no desafíe | (to you formal) don't challenge! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no desafiemos | let's not challenge! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no desafiéis | (to you plural) don't challenge! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no desafíen | (to you plural formal) don't challenge! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Frequently asked questions about Desafiar
Is desafiar a regular or irregular verb?
Desafiar is an irregular Spanish verb. Its irregularities include: I changes to í for all but nosotras and vosotras in the indicative present (which therefore affects the subjunctive present and imperatives).
How do you conjugate desafiar in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), desafiar is conjugated as: yo desafío, tú desafías, él/ella/usted desafía, nosotros desafiamos, vosotros desafiáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes desafían. 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 desafiar in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), desafiar is conjugated as: yo desafié, tú desafiaste, él/ella/usted desafió, nosotros desafiamos, vosotros desafiasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes desafiaron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate desafiar in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), desafiar is conjugated as: yo desafiaba, tú desafiabas, él/ella/usted desafiaba, nosotros desafiábamos, vosotros desafiabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes desafiaban. 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 desafiar in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), desafiar is conjugated as: yo desafiaré, tú desafiarás, él/ella/usted desafiará, nosotros desafiaremos, vosotros desafiaréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes desafiarán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate desafiar in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), desafiar is conjugated as: yo desafíe, tú desafíes, él/ella/usted desafíe, nosotros desafiemos, vosotros desafiéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes desafíen. 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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Practice Desafiar 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 Desaparecer – to disappear, to vanish or see the complete list of verbs here.
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