Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Preparar in Spanish
preparar to prepare, to make Regular AR Verb
At a glance: Preparar (to prepare, to make) is a widely used regular -AR verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: preparo, preparas, prepara, preparamos, preparáis, preparan. Because it is fully regular, its endings apply directly to hundreds of other -AR verbs.
- Past participle
- preparado prepared
- Gerund
- preparando preparing
- Similar
- acondicionar, capacitar, confeccionar, disponer, efectuar, fabricar, formar, hacer, producir
Table of contents
- Indicative tenses of Preparar
- Preparar in the Indicative Present
- Preparar in the Indicative Preterite
- Preparar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Preparar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Preparar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Preparar in the Indicative Future
- Preparar in the Indicative Conditional
- Preparar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Preparar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Preparar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Preparar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Preparar
- Imperative tenses of Preparar
- Verbs that follow the same patterns
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practise Preparar conjugations (free mobile app)
Preparar conjugation tables as a PDF
A printable two-page cheat sheet, sent to your inbox.
Indicative tenses of Preparar
Preparar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of preparar 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, “preparo”, meaning “I prepare”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | preparo | I prepare |
| Tú | preparas | you prepare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | prepara | s/he prepares |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | preparamos | we prepare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | preparáis | you (plural) prepare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | preparan | they prepare |
How it’s built: Regular: stem prepar- plus the -ar endings.
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Preparar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of preparar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “preparé”, meaning “I prepared”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | preparé | I prepared |
| Tú | preparaste | you prepared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | preparó | s/he prepared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | preparamos | we prepared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | preparasteis | you (plural) prepared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | prepararon | they prepared |
How it’s built: Regular: stem prepar- plus the -ar endings.
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Preparar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of preparar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “preparaba”, meaning “I used to prepare”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | preparaba | I used to prepare |
| Tú | preparabas | you used to prepare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | preparaba | s/he used to prepare |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | preparábamos | we used to prepare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | preparabais | you (plural) used to prepare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | preparaban | they used to prepare |
How it’s built: Regular: stem prepar- plus the -ar endings.
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Preparar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of preparar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “estoy preparando”, meaning “I am preparing”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy preparando | I am preparing |
| Tú | estás preparando | you are preparing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está preparando | s/he is preparing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos preparando | we are preparing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis preparando | you (plural) are preparing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están preparando | they are preparing |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund preparando.
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Preparar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of preparar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “voy a preparar”, meaning “I am going to prepare”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a preparar | I am going to prepare |
| Tú | vas a preparar | you are going to prepare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a preparar | s/he is going to prepare |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a preparar | we are going to prepare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a preparar | you (plural) are going to prepare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a preparar | they are going to prepare |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive preparar.
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Preparar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of preparar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “prepararé”, meaning “I will prepare”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | prepararé | I will prepare |
| Tú | prepararás | you will prepare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | preparará | s/he will prepare |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | prepararemos | we will prepare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | prepararéis | you (plural) will prepare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | prepararán | they will prepare |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive preparar plus the future endings.
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Preparar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of preparar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “prepararía”, meaning “I would prepare”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | prepararía | I would prepare |
| Tú | prepararías | you would prepare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | prepararía | s/he would prepare |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | prepararíamos | we would prepare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | prepararíais | you (plural) would prepare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | prepararían | they would prepare |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive preparar plus the conditional endings.
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Preparar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of preparar 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 preparado”, meaning “I have prepared”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he preparado | I have prepared |
| Tú | has preparado | you have prepared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha preparado | s/he has prepared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos preparado | we have prepared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis preparado | you (plural) have prepared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han preparado | they have prepared |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle preparado.
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Preparar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of preparar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “había preparado”, meaning “I had prepared”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había preparado | I had prepared |
| Tú | habías preparado | you had prepared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había preparado | s/he had prepared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos preparado | we had prepared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais preparado | you (plural) had prepared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían preparado | they had prepared |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle preparado.
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Preparar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of preparar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “habré preparado”, meaning “I will have prepared”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré preparado | I will have prepared |
| Tú | habrás preparado | you will have prepared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá preparado | s/he will have prepared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos preparado | we will have prepared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis preparado | you (plural) will have prepared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán preparado | they will have prepared |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle preparado.
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Preparar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of preparar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “habría preparado”, meaning “I would have prepared”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría preparado | I would have prepared |
| Tú | habrías preparado | you would have prepared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría preparado | s/he would have prepared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos preparado | we would have prepared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais preparado | you (plural) would have prepared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían preparado | they would have prepared |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle preparado.
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Subjunctive tenses of Preparar
Preparar 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, “prepare”, meaning “I prepare”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | prepare | I prepare |
| Tú | prepares | you prepare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | prepare | s/he prepares |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | preparemos | we prepare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | preparéis | you (plural) prepare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | preparen | they prepare |
How it’s built: Regular: stem prepar- plus the -ar subjunctive endings.
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Preparar 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, “preparara”, meaning “I prepared”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | preparara | I prepared |
| Tú | prepararas | you prepared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | preparara | s/he prepared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | preparáramos | we prepared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | prepararais | you (plural) prepared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | prepararan | they prepared |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, prepararon, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (preparáramos).
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Preparar 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, “preparare”, meaning “I will prepare”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | preparare | I will prepare |
| Tú | preparares | you will prepare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | preparare | s/he will prepare |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | preparáremos | we will prepare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | preparareis | you (plural) will prepare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | prepararen | they will prepare |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, prepararon, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (preparáremos).
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Preparar 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 preparado”, meaning “I have prepared”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya preparado | I have prepared |
| Tú | hayas preparado | you have prepared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya preparado | s/he has prepared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos preparado | we have prepared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis preparado | you (plural) have prepared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan preparado | they have prepared |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle preparado.
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Preparar 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 preparado”, meaning “I had prepared”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera preparado | I had prepared |
| Tú | hubieras preparado | you had prepared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera preparado | s/he had prepared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos preparado | we had prepared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais preparado | you (plural) had prepared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran preparado | they had prepared |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle preparado.
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Preparar 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 preparado”, meaning “I will have prepared”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere preparado | I will have prepared |
| Tú | hubieres preparado | you will have prepared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere preparado | s/he will have prepared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos preparado | we will have prepared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis preparado | you (plural) will have prepared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren preparado | they will have prepared |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle preparado.
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Imperative tenses of Preparar
Preparar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “prepare”, meaning “(to you formal) prepare!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | prepara | (to you) prepare! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | prepare | (to you formal) prepare! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | preparemos | let's prepare! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | preparad | (to you plural) prepare! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | preparen | (to you plural formal) prepare! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present (prepara); usted, nosotros and ustedes take the subjunctive present (prepare, preparemos, preparen); vosotros swaps the final r of the infinitive for a d (preparad).
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Preparar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no prepare”, meaning “(to you formal) don't prepare!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no prepares | (to you) don't prepare! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no prepare | (to you formal) don't prepare! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no preparemos | let's not prepare! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no preparéis | (to you plural) don't prepare! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no preparen | (to you plural formal) don't prepare! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no prepares, no prepare, no preparemos, no preparéis, no preparen.
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Frequently asked questions about Preparar
Is preparar a regular or irregular verb?
Preparar 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 preparar in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), preparar is conjugated as: yo preparo, tú preparas, él/ella/usted prepara, nosotros preparamos, vosotros preparáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes preparan. 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 preparar in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), preparar is conjugated as: yo preparé, tú preparaste, él/ella/usted preparó, nosotros preparamos, vosotros preparasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes prepararon. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate preparar in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), preparar is conjugated as: yo preparaba, tú preparabas, él/ella/usted preparaba, nosotros preparábamos, vosotros preparabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes preparaban. 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 preparar in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), preparar is conjugated as: yo prepararé, tú prepararás, él/ella/usted preparará, nosotros prepararemos, vosotros prepararéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes prepararán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate preparar in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), preparar is conjugated as: yo prepare, tú prepares, él/ella/usted prepare, nosotros preparemos, vosotros preparéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes preparen. 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 preparar and prepararse?
Preparar means ‘to prepare, to make’ and prepararse means ‘to prepare (oneself), to ready (oneself)’. Prepararse is the reflexive form of preparar, 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 preparo becomes me preparo. In the affirmative tú imperative the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb, so prepara becomes prepárate.
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Downloadable cheat sheets
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Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Prepararse – to prepare (oneself), to ready (oneself) or see the complete list of verbs here.
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