Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Leer in Spanish
To read Irregular Verb Top 100
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Leer
- Leer in the Indicative Present
- Leer in the Indicative Preterite
- Leer in the Indicative Imperfect
- Leer in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Leer in the Indicative Informal Future
- Leer in the Indicative Future
- Leer in the Indicative Conditional
- Leer in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Leer in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Leer in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Leer in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Leer
- Imperative tenses of Leer
- Example sentences and usage
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Leer conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Leer is the Spanish verb for "to read". It is an irregular verb, and one of the most popular 100 Spanish verbs. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | leer | to read |
| Past participle | leído | read |
| Gerund | leyendo | reading |
Indicative Tenses of Leer
Leer in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of leer 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, "leo un libro", meaning "I read a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | leo | I read |
| Tú | lees | you read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | lee | s/he reads, you (formal) read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | leemos | we read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | leéis | you (plural) read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | leen | they read, |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of leer is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "leí un libro", meaning "I read a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | leí | I read |
| Tú | leíste | you read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | leyó | s/he read, you (formal) read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | leímos | we read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | leísteis | you (plural) read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | leyeron | they read, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of leer is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "leía un libro", meaning "I used to read a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | leía | I used to read |
| Tú | leías | you used to read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | leía | s/he used to read, you (formal) used to read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | leíamos | we used to read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | leíais | you (plural) used to read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | leían | they used to read, |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of leer is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy leyendo un libro", meaning "I am reading a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy leyendo | I am reading |
| Tú | estás leyendo | you are reading |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está leyendo | s/he is reading, you (formal) are reading |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos leyendo | we are reading |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis leyendo | you (plural) are reading |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están leyendo | they are reading, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of leer is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a leer un libro", meaning "I am going to read a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a leer | I am going to read |
| Tú | vas a leer | you are going to read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a leer | s/he is going to read, you (formal) are going to read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a leer | we are going to read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a leer | you (plural) are going to read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a leer | they are going to read, |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of leer is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "leeré un libro", meaning "I will read a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | leeré | I will read |
| Tú | leerás | you will read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | leerá | s/he will read, you (formal) will read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | leeremos | we will read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | leeréis | you (plural) will read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | leerán | they will read, |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of leer is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "leería un libro", meaning "I would read a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | leería | I would read |
| Tú | leerías | you would read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | leería | s/he would read, you (formal) would read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | leeríamos | we would read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | leeríais | you (plural) would read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | leerían | they would read, |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of leer 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 leído un libro", meaning "I have read a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he leído | I have read |
| Tú | has leído | you have read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha leído | s/he has read, you (formal) have read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos leído | we have read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis leído | you (plural) have read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han leído | they have read, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of leer is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había leído un libro", meaning "I had read a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había leído | I had read |
| Tú | habías leído | you had read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había leído | s/he had read, you (formal) had read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos leído | we had read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais leído | you (plural) had read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían leído | they had read, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of leer is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré leído un libro", meaning "I will have read a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré leído | I will have read |
| Tú | habrás leído | you will have read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá leído | s/he will have read, you (formal) will have read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos leído | we will have read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis leído | you (plural) will have read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán leído | they will have read, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of leer is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría leído un libro", meaning "I would have read a book".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría leído | I would have read |
| Tú | habrías leído | you would have read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría leído | s/he would have read, you (formal) would have read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos leído | we would have read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais leído | you (plural) would have read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían leído | they would have read, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Subjunctive Tenses of Leer
Leer 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, "lea", meaning "I read".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | lea | I read |
| Tú | leas | you read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | lea | s/he reads, you (formal) read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | leamos | we read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | leáis | you (plural) read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | lean | they read, |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer 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, "leyera", meaning "I read".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | leyera | I read |
| Tú | leyeras | you read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | leyera | s/he read, you (formal) read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | leyéramos | we read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | leyerais | you (plural) read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | leyeran | they read, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer 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, "leyere", meaning "I will read".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | leyere | I will read |
| Tú | leyeres | you will read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | leyere | s/he will read, you (formal) will read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | leyéremos | we will read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | leyereis | you (plural) will read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | leyeren | they will read, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer 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 leído", meaning "I have read".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya leído | I have read |
| Tú | hayas leído | you have read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya leído | s/he has read, you (formal) have read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos leído | we have read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis leído | you (plural) have read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan leído | they have read, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer 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 leído", meaning "I had read".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera leído | I had read |
| Tú | hubieras leído | you had read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera leído | s/he had read, you (formal) had read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos leído | we had read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais leído | you (plural) had read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran leído | they had read, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer 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 leído", meaning "I will have read".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere leído | I will have read |
| Tú | hubieres leído | you will have read |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere leído | s/he will have read, you (formal) will have read |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos leído | we will have read |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis leído | you (plural) will have read |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren leído | they will have read, |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Imperative Tenses of Leer
Leer in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "lea", meaning "(to you formal) read!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | lee | (to you) read! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | lea | (to you formal) read! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | leamos | let's read! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | leed | (to you plural) read! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | lean | (to you plural formal) read! |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Leer in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no lea", meaning "(to you formal) don't read!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no leas | (to you) don't read! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no lea | (to you formal) don't read! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no leamos | let's not read! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no leáis | (to you plural) don't read! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no lean | (to you plural formal) don't read! |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Example sentences and usage
- Leí un libro mientras comía. I read a book while eating.
- Quiero que usted lea este libro. I want you to read this book.
Back to top
Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Leer Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
Back to top
Practice Leer conjugations (free mobile & web app)
Get full conjugation tables for Leer and 2,300+ other verbs on-the-go with Ella Verbs for iOS, Android, and web.
We also guide you through learning all Spanish tenses and test your knowledge with conjugation quizzes. Download it for free!
Back to top
About Ella Verbs
👋 Hola! We built Ella Verbs to help people (and ourselves!) master one of the hardest parts of Spanish – verb conjugation. It guides you through learning all tenses in an easy-to-follow way, giving you levels of bite-sized lessons and fun quizzes. Here is a 6 minute overview of all of the app's features:
It has changed a lot over the 6+ years we have been working on it, but the goal remains the same – to help you master Spanish conjugation! You can download and try it for free, and, if you do, please send any and all feedback our way!
- Jane & Brian
Back to top
Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Levantar – to lift (up), to raise, to pick up or see the complete list of verbs here.
Back to top
Leer: to read
Remove the mystery behind Spanish conjugation with Ella Verbs
- Learn how to conjugate (not just memorize)
- Discover & focus on your weaknesses
- Interactive quizzes that you actually learn from
- Free to try, and free forever for those who cannot afford it.
