Ella Verbsobedecer to obey Irregular Verb
At a glance: Obedecer (to obey) is a irregular verb in Spanish. In the present tense: obedezco, obedeces, obedece, obedecemos, obedecéis, obedecen. Yo adds a z (obedezco); the other forms are regular. It is also irregular in the present subjunctive (obedezca).

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The Indicative Present of obedecer 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, “obedezco”, meaning “I obey”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | obedezco | I obey |
| Tú | obedeces | you obey |
| Ella / Él / Usted | obedece | s/he obeys |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | obedecemos | we obey |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | obedecéis | you (plural) obey |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | obedecen | they obey |
How it’s built: Yo adds a z (obedezco); the other forms are regular.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Indicative Preterite of obedecer is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “obedecí”, meaning “I obeyed”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | obedecí | I obeyed |
| Tú | obedeciste | you obeyed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | obedeció | s/he obeyed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | obedecimos | we obeyed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | obedecisteis | you (plural) obeyed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | obedecieron | they obeyed |
How it’s built: Regular: stem obedec- plus the -er endings.
The Indicative Imperfect of obedecer is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “obedecía”, meaning “I used to obey”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | obedecía | I used to obey |
| Tú | obedecías | you used to obey |
| Ella / Él / Usted | obedecía | s/he used to obey |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | obedecíamos | we used to obey |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | obedecíais | you (plural) used to obey |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | obedecían | they used to obey |
How it’s built: Regular: stem obedec- plus the -er endings.
The Indicative Present Continuous of obedecer is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “estoy obedeciendo”, meaning “I am obeying”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy obedeciendo | I am obeying |
| Tú | estás obedeciendo | you are obeying |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está obedeciendo | s/he is obeying |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos obedeciendo | we are obeying |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis obedeciendo | you (plural) are obeying |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están obedeciendo | they are obeying |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund obedeciendo.
The Indicative Informal Future of obedecer is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “voy a obedecer”, meaning “I am going to obey”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a obedecer | I am going to obey |
| Tú | vas a obedecer | you are going to obey |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a obedecer | s/he is going to obey |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a obedecer | we are going to obey |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a obedecer | you (plural) are going to obey |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a obedecer | they are going to obey |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive obedecer.
The Indicative Future of obedecer is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “obedeceré”, meaning “I will obey”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | obedeceré | I will obey |
| Tú | obedecerás | you will obey |
| Ella / Él / Usted | obedecerá | s/he will obey |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | obedeceremos | we will obey |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | obedeceréis | you (plural) will obey |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | obedecerán | they will obey |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive obedecer plus the future endings.
The Indicative Conditional of obedecer is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “obedecería”, meaning “I would obey”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | obedecería | I would obey |
| Tú | obedecerías | you would obey |
| Ella / Él / Usted | obedecería | s/he would obey |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | obedeceríamos | we would obey |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | obedeceríais | you (plural) would obey |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | obedecerían | they would obey |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive obedecer plus the conditional endings.
The Indicative Present Perfect of obedecer 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 obedecido”, meaning “I have obeyed”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he obedecido | I have obeyed |
| Tú | has obedecido | you have obeyed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha obedecido | s/he has obeyed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos obedecido | we have obeyed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis obedecido | you (plural) have obeyed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han obedecido | they have obeyed |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle obedecido.
The Indicative Past Perfect of obedecer is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “había obedecido”, meaning “I had obeyed”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había obedecido | I had obeyed |
| Tú | habías obedecido | you had obeyed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había obedecido | s/he had obeyed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos obedecido | we had obeyed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais obedecido | you (plural) had obeyed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían obedecido | they had obeyed |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle obedecido.
The Indicative Future Perfect of obedecer is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “habré obedecido”, meaning “I will have obeyed”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré obedecido | I will have obeyed |
| Tú | habrás obedecido | you will have obeyed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá obedecido | s/he will have obeyed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos obedecido | we will have obeyed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis obedecido | you (plural) will have obeyed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán obedecido | they will have obeyed |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle obedecido.
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of obedecer is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “habría obedecido”, meaning “I would have obeyed”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría obedecido | I would have obeyed |
| Tú | habrías obedecido | you would have obeyed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría obedecido | s/he would have obeyed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos obedecido | we would have obeyed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais obedecido | you (plural) would have obeyed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían obedecido | they would have obeyed |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle obedecido.
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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, “obedezca”, meaning “I obey”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | obedezca | I obey |
| Tú | obedezcas | you obey |
| Ella / Él / Usted | obedezca | s/he obeys |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | obedezcamos | we obey |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | obedezcáis | you (plural) obey |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | obedezcan | they obey |
How it’s built: Every form follows the yo present, obedezco (obedezca, obedezcas, obedezca, obedezcamos, obedezcáis, obedezcan).
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
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, “obedeciera”, meaning “I obeyed”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | obedeciera | I obeyed |
| Tú | obedecieras | you obeyed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | obedeciera | s/he obeyed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | obedeciéramos | we obeyed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | obedecierais | you (plural) obeyed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | obedecieran | they obeyed |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, obedecieron, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (obedeciéramos).
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “obedeciere”, meaning “I will obey”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | obedeciere | I will obey |
| Tú | obedecieres | you will obey |
| Ella / Él / Usted | obedeciere | s/he will obey |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | obedeciéremos | we will obey |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | obedeciereis | you (plural) will obey |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | obedecieren | they will obey |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, obedecieron, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (obedeciéremos).
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 obedecido”, meaning “I have obeyed”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya obedecido | I have obeyed |
| Tú | hayas obedecido | you have obeyed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya obedecido | s/he has obeyed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos obedecido | we have obeyed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis obedecido | you (plural) have obeyed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan obedecido | they have obeyed |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle obedecido.
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 obedecido”, meaning “I had obeyed”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera obedecido | I had obeyed |
| Tú | hubieras obedecido | you had obeyed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera obedecido | s/he had obeyed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos obedecido | we had obeyed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais obedecido | you (plural) had obeyed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran obedecido | they had obeyed |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle obedecido.
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 obedecido”, meaning “I will have obeyed”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere obedecido | I will have obeyed |
| Tú | hubieres obedecido | you will have obeyed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere obedecido | s/he will have obeyed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos obedecido | we will have obeyed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis obedecido | you (plural) will have obeyed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren obedecido | they will have obeyed |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle obedecido.
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “obedezca”, meaning “(to you formal) obey!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | obedece | (to you) obey! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | obedezca | (to you formal) obey! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | obedezcamos | let's obey! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | obedeced | (to you plural) obey! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | obedezcan | (to you plural formal) obey! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present (obedece); usted, nosotros and ustedes take the subjunctive present (obedezca, obedezcamos, obedezcan); vosotros swaps the final r of the infinitive for a d (obedeced).
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no obedezca”, meaning “(to you formal) don't obey!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no obedezcas | (to you) don't obey! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no obedezca | (to you formal) don't obey! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no obedezcamos | let's not obey! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no obedezcáis | (to you plural) don't obey! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no obedezcan | (to you plural formal) don't obey! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no obedezcas, no obedezca, no obedezcamos, no obedezcáis, no obedezcan.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
Obedecer is an irregular Spanish verb. In the present tense: yo adds a z (obedezco); the other forms are regular. It is also irregular in the present subjunctive (obedezca).
In the present tense (presente), obedecer is conjugated as: yo obedezco, tú obedeces, él/ella/usted obedece, nosotros obedecemos, vosotros obedecéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes obedecen. 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.
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), obedecer is conjugated as: yo obedecí, tú obedeciste, él/ella/usted obedeció, nosotros obedecimos, vosotros obedecisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes obedecieron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), obedecer is conjugated as: yo obedecía, tú obedecías, él/ella/usted obedecía, nosotros obedecíamos, vosotros obedecíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes obedecían. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
In the future tense (futuro simple), obedecer is conjugated as: yo obedeceré, tú obedecerás, él/ella/usted obedecerá, nosotros obedeceremos, vosotros obedeceréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes obedecerán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), obedecer is conjugated as: yo obedezca, tú obedezcas, él/ella/usted obedezca, nosotros obedezcamos, vosotros obedezcáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes obedezcan. 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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