Bailar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Bailar in Spanish

Bailar means “to dance.” You will learn its fully regular -AR conjugation, compound and subjunctive forms, commands, and natural patterns for dancing in general or naming a specific dance.

Bailar conjugation at a glance

Bailar is the approved lesson verb for this page. Its project type is Regular AR. Linguistically, its core verbal endings follow the regular -AR pattern; the notes below explain the usage features that matter for this specific verb.

• bailar — to dance
• Verb type: Regular AR
• Key point: the stem remains stable in the core simple paradigms and the non-finite forms are regular.

Bailar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

These non-finite forms support the progressive and compound systems. The infinitive names the verb, the gerund is used in progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber in compound forms.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	bailar	to dance
Gerund	bailando	dancing
Past participle	bailado	danced

Bailar meaning and essential uses

Bailar primarily means to dance. It is often intransitive, but it can also take the name of a dance or piece as a direct object, as in bailar un vals — to dance a waltz.

• Bailamos juntos. — We dance together.
• Ella baila un vals. — She dances a waltz.

Bailar conjugation pattern

Bailar is a model regular -AR verb. The stem bail- remains unchanged and combines with the standard -AR endings. Its gerund bailando and participle bailado are regular.

No stem change, irregular yo form, irregular preterite stem, irregular future stem, irregular gerund, or irregular participle affects this verb. Written accents follow the standard regular -AR paradigm.

Bailar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Bailar present tense conjugation

This system is the present indicative; its Spanish label is El presente de indicativo. Use the present for current actions, routines, general facts, and contextually near-future events. Form it with the regular -AR present endings attached to the verb stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	bailo	I dance
Tú — you, singular informal	bailas	you dance
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	baila	he / she dances; you (formal) dance
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	bailamos	we dance
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	bailáis	you (plural) dance
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	bailan	they / you (plural) dance

• Bailo salsa los viernes. — I dance salsa on Fridays.

Bailar preterite conjugation

This system is the preterite; its Spanish label is El pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido. Use the preterite for completed or bounded past events. Form it with the regular -AR preterite endings. The written accents distinguish several key forms.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	bailé	I danced
Tú — you, singular informal	bailaste	you danced
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	bailó	he / she / you (formal) danced
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	bailamos	we danced
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	bailasteis	you (plural) danced
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	bailaron	they / you (plural) danced

• Bailamos toda la noche. — We danced all night.

Bailar imperfect conjugation

This system is the imperfect; its Spanish label is El pretérito imperfecto. Use the imperfect for habitual, background, descriptive, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the regular -AR imperfect endings built on -aba-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	bailaba	I used to dance
Tú — you, singular informal	bailabas	you used to dance
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	bailaba	he / she / you (formal) used to dance
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	bailábamos	we used to dance
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	bailabais	you (plural) used to dance
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	bailaban	they / you (plural) used to dance

• Cuando era joven, bailaba cada fin de semana. — When I was young, I used to dance every weekend.

Bailar present progressive

This system is the present progressive; its Spanish label is El presente progresivo. Use the present progressive for an action genuinely in progress around the moment of speaking. This is a verbal periphrasis formed with the present of estar plus the gerund of the target verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy bailando	I am dancing
Tú — you, singular informal	estás bailando	you are dancing
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está bailando	he / she is dancing; you (formal) are dancing
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos bailando	we are dancing
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis bailando	you (plural) are dancing
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están bailando	they / you (plural) are dancing

• Están bailando en la plaza. — They are dancing in the square.

Bailar near future conjugation

This system is the near future; its Spanish label is Ir a + infinitive. Use the near future for plans, intentions, or events presented as about to happen. This is a verbal periphrasis formed with the present of ir, a, and the infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a bailar	I am going to dance
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a bailar	you are going to dance
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a bailar	he / she is going to dance; you (formal) are going to dance
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a bailar	we are going to dance
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a bailar	you (plural) are going to dance
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a bailar	they / you (plural) are going to dance

• Voy a bailar esta noche. — I am going to dance tonight.

Bailar future tense conjugation

This system is the simple future; its Spanish label is El futuro simple. Use the simple future for future events and, in suitable contexts, probability or conjecture. Form it by adding the future endings directly to the complete infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	bailaré	I will dance
Tú — you, singular informal	bailarás	you will dance
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	bailará	he / she / you (formal) will dance
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	bailaremos	we will dance
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	bailaréis	you (plural) will dance
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	bailarán	they / you (plural) will dance

• Bailaremos después de cenar. — We will dance after dinner.

Bailar conditional conjugation

This system is the conditional; its Spanish label is El condicional simple. Use the conditional for hypothetical results, polite softening, and other context-dependent possibilities. Form it by adding the conditional endings directly to the complete infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	bailaría	I would dance
Tú — you, singular informal	bailarías	you would dance
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	bailaría	he / she / you (formal) would dance
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	bailaríamos	we would dance
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	bailaríais	you (plural) would dance
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	bailarían	they / you (plural) would dance

• Bailaría contigo. — I would dance with you.

Bailar present perfect conjugation

This system is the present perfect; its Spanish label is El pretérito perfecto compuesto. Use the present perfect for a past event connected to the present. Its frequency and distribution vary across Spanish-speaking regions. Form it with the present of haber plus the invariant past participle.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he bailado	I have danced
Tú — you, singular informal	has bailado	you have danced
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha bailado	he / she has danced; you (formal) have danced
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos bailado	we have danced
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis bailado	you (plural) have danced
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han bailado	they / you (plural) have danced

• He bailado muchas veces aquí. — I have danced here many times.

Bailar past perfect conjugation

This system is the past perfect / pluperfect; its Spanish label is El pretérito pluscuamperfecto. Use the past perfect for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the imperfect of haber plus the invariant past participle.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había bailado	I had danced
Tú — you, singular informal	habías bailado	you had danced
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había bailado	he / she / you (formal) had danced
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos bailado	we had danced
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais bailado	you (plural) had danced
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían bailado	they / you (plural) had danced

• Ya habían bailado esa canción. — They had already danced to that song.

Bailar future perfect conjugation

This system is the future perfect; its Spanish label is El futuro compuesto / antefuturo. Use the future perfect for an event expected to be completed before a later future point, and sometimes for conjecture about a completed event. Form it with the future of haber plus the invariant past participle.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré bailado	I will have danced
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás bailado	you will have danced
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá bailado	he / she / you (formal) will have danced
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos bailado	we will have danced
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis bailado	you (plural) will have danced
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán bailado	they / you (plural) will have danced

• Al final de la fiesta, habremos bailado durante horas. — By the end of the party, we will have danced for hours.

Bailar conditional perfect conjugation

This system is the conditional perfect; its Spanish label is El condicional compuesto / antepospretérito. Use the conditional perfect for a hypothetical past result or an unrealized past possibility. Form it with the conditional of haber plus the invariant past participle.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría bailado	I would have danced
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías bailado	you would have danced
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría bailado	he / she / you (formal) would have danced
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos bailado	we would have danced
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais bailado	you (plural) would have danced
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían bailado	they / you (plural) would have danced

• Habría bailado más si no estuviera cansado. — I would have danced more if I were not tired.

Bailar subjunctive conjugations

Bailar present subjunctive conjugation

This system is the present subjunctive; its Spanish label is El presente de subjuntivo. Use the present subjunctive in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. For a regular -AR verb, use the stem plus the present-subjunctive endings in -e.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	baile	that I dance
Tú — you, singular informal	bailes	that you dance
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	baile	that he / she / you (formal) dance
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	bailemos	that we dance
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	bailéis	that you (plural) dance
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	bailen	that they / you (plural) dance

• Quiero que bailes conmigo. — I want you to dance with me.

Bailar imperfect subjunctive conjugation

This system is the imperfect subjunctive; its Spanish label is El imperfecto de subjuntivo. Use the imperfect subjunctive in past or hypothetical subordinate contexts that require the subjunctive. The main learner table uses the regular -ra series. The accepted -se series follows the same person pattern and is not mechanically interchangeable in every construction. For example, bailase — that I danced is an accepted -se alternative to the main -ra series.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	bailara	that I danced
Tú — you, singular informal	bailaras	that you danced
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	bailara	that he / she / you (formal) danced
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	bailáramos	that we danced
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	bailarais	that you (plural) danced
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	bailaran	that they / you (plural) danced

• Ella quería que bailáramos juntos. — She wanted us to dance together.

Bailar future subjunctive conjugation

This system is the future subjunctive; its Spanish label is El futuro de subjuntivo. Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, and historical contexts. For a regular -AR verb, the future subjunctive uses the historical -re series built from the preterite stem pattern.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	bailare	if / when I dance
Tú — you, singular informal	bailares	if / when you dance
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	bailare	if / when he / she / you (formal) dance
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	bailáremos	if / when we dance
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	bailareis	if / when you (plural) dance
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	bailaren	if / when they / you (plural) dance

• Quien bailare en la ceremonia seguirá el protocolo establecido. — Whoever dances in the ceremony shall follow the established protocol.

Bailar present perfect subjunctive conjugation

This system is the present perfect subjunctive; its Spanish label is El pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo. Use the present perfect subjunctive for a completed action viewed through a present subjunctive environment. Form it with the present subjunctive of haber plus the invariant past participle.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya bailado	that I have danced
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas bailado	that you have danced
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya bailado	that he / she has danced; that you (formal) have danced
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos bailado	that we have danced
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis bailado	that you (plural) have danced
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan bailado	that they / you (plural) have danced

• Me alegra que hayas bailado con nosotros. — I am glad that you have danced with us.

Bailar past perfect subjunctive conjugation

This system is the past perfect subjunctive; its Spanish label is El pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo. Use the past perfect subjunctive for a completed action prior to a past or counterfactual reference point. The main table uses hubiera plus the past participle. Hubiese plus the participle is an accepted alternative whose distribution must be interpreted in context. For example, hubiese bailado — that I had danced is an accepted alternative form.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera bailado	that I had danced
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras bailado	that you had danced
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera bailado	that he / she / you (formal) had danced
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos bailado	that we had danced
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais bailado	that you (plural) had danced
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran bailado	that they / you (plural) had danced

• Ojalá hubiéramos bailado otra canción. — I wish we had danced one more song.

Bailar future perfect subjunctive conjugation

This system is the future perfect subjunctive; its Spanish label is El futuro perfecto de subjuntivo. Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It is primarily a reference form for restricted formal, legal, literary, and historical contexts. Form it with the future subjunctive of haber plus the invariant past participle.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere bailado	if / when I have danced
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres bailado	if / when you have danced
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere bailado	if / when he / she / you (formal) have danced
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos bailado	if / when we have danced
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis bailado	if / when you (plural) have danced
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren bailado	if / when they / you (plural) have danced

• Quien hubiere bailado en la función quedará registrado como participante. — Whoever has danced in the performance shall be recorded as a participant.

Bailar imperative and commands

Spanish commands use different morphological sources according to person and polarity. There is no ordinary yo command row. The nosotros / nosotras row is an exhortative use meaning “let's…”.

Bailar affirmative commands

Use these forms to give a positive instruction or invitation. The tú form matches the regular affirmative -AR command pattern, while the usted, nosotros, and ustedes forms are subjunctive-based; vosotros uses the regular -ad ending.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	baila	dance!
Usted — you, singular formal	baile	dance!
Nosotros / Nosotras — we, exhortative “let's…”	bailemos	let's dance!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	bailad	dance!
Ustedes — you, plural	bailen	dance!

• Baila conmigo. — Dance with me.

Bailar negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms. Place no before the verb to make the command negative.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no bailes	do not dance!
Usted — you, singular formal	no baile	do not dance!
Nosotros / Nosotras — we, exhortative “let's…”	no bailemos	let's not dance!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no bailéis	do not dance!
Ustedes — you, plural	no bailen	do not dance!

• No bailes tan cerca de la mesa. — Do not dance so close to the table.

Common constructions with Bailar

These patterns are common enough to affect how the conjugated verb is used in complete sentences.

bailar + dance — to dance a particular dance. A dance name can function as the direct object.

• Bailamos un vals. — We dance a waltz.

bailar con + person — to dance with someone. Use con to identify the person someone dances with.

• Bailo con Ana. — I dance with Ana.

Example sentences with Bailar

These examples reinforce the verb across several useful forms and contexts without replacing the system-specific examples above.

• Mis amigos bailan muy bien. — My friends dance very well.
• Ayer bailé un tango por primera vez. — Yesterday I danced a tango for the first time.
• Estamos bailando una canción lenta. — We are dancing to a slow song.
• ¿Bailarías conmigo? — Would you dance with me?
• Espero que bailen en la fiesta. — I hope they dance at the party.
• Nunca había bailado frente a tanta gente. — I had never danced in front of so many people.

Because bailar is morphologically regular, the main challenge is not memorizing exceptions but choosing the tense or mood that fits the situation and using the verb naturally in context.