Calentar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Calentar in Spanish

Calentar means “to heat,” “to warm,” or in sports “to warm up.” You will learn its e → ie present change, regular past/future families, subjunctive forms, and commands.

Calentar conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. RAE gives caliento, calientas, calienta, calentamos, calentáis, calientan. Stressed present-family forms use calient-; unstressed nosotros/vosotros forms retain calent-.

Calentar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber in compound forms. The participle calentado remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	calentar	to heat / warm
Gerund	calentando	heating / warming
Past participle	calentado	heated / warmed

Calentar meaning and essential uses

Calentar is commonly transitive: raising the temperature of something or making it warm, as in Caliento la sopa. — “I heat the soup.”

RAE also records intransitive and pronominal uses, including becoming hot or warming up. In sports, calentar can mean doing preparatory exercises before activity.

Calentar irregular conjugation patterns

Stressed present indicative forms use calient-: caliento, calientas, calienta, calientan. Nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use calent-: calentamos / calentáis.

Present subjunctive follows the same stress split: caliente, calientes, caliente, calentemos, calentéis, calienten. The remaining major tense families, gerund calentando, and participle calentado are regular.

Calentar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Calentar present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. Stressed forms use calient-; nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras retain calent-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	caliento	I heat / warm
Tú — you, singular informal	calientas	you heat / warm
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	calienta	he / she heats / warms; you heat / warm (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	calentamos	we heat / warm
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	calentáis	you heat / warm (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	calientan	they heat / warm; you heat / warm (plural)

• Caliento la sopa en una olla. — I heat the soup in a pot.

Calentar preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	calenté	I heated / warmed
Tú — you, singular informal	calentaste	you heated / warmed
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	calentó	he / she heated / warmed; you heated / warmed (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	calentamos	we heated / warmed
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	calentasteis	you heated / warmed (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	calentaron	they heated / warmed; you heated / warmed (plural)

• Ayer calenté la comida. — Yesterday I heated the food.

Calentar imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant calentado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	calentaba	I used to heat / warm / was heating / warming
Tú — you, singular informal	calentabas	you used to heat / warm / were heating / warming
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	calentaba	he / she used to heat / warm / was heating / warming; you used to heat / warm / were heating / warming (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	calentábamos	we used to heat / warm / were heating / warming
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	calentabais	you used to heat / warm / were heating / warming (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	calentaban	they used to heat / warm / were heating / warming; you used to heat / warm / were heating / warming (plural)

• Antes calentábamos la casa con leña. — We used to heat the house with wood.

Calentar present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar plus calentando.

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

• Estoy calentando agua. — I am heating water.

Calentar near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir + a + calentar.

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

• Voy a calentar la cena. — I am going to heat dinner.

Calentar future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	calentaré	I will heat / warm
Tú — you, singular informal	calentarás	you will heat / warm
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	calentará	he / she will heat / warm; you will heat / warm (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	calentaremos	we will heat / warm
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	calentaréis	you will heat / warm (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	calentarán	they will heat / warm; you will heat / warm (plural)

• Calentaremos la habitación antes de dormir. — We will warm the room before sleeping.

Calentar conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	calentaría	I would heat / warm
Tú — you, singular informal	calentarías	you would heat / warm
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	calentaría	he / she would heat / warm; you would heat / warm (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	calentaríamos	we would heat / warm
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	calentaríais	you would heat / warm (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	calentarían	they would heat / warm; you would heat / warm (plural)

• Calentaría la sopa un poco más. — I would heat the soup a little more.

Calentar present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant calentado.

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

• He calentado el café. — I have heated the coffee.

Calentar past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant calentado.

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

• Ya habíamos calentado el horno. — We had already heated the oven.

Calentar future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant calentado.

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

• Para entonces habrán calentado toda la sala. — By then they will have warmed the whole room.

Calentar conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant calentado.

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

• Habría calentado la comida antes. — I would have heated the food earlier.

Calentar subjunctive conjugations

Calentar present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. Stressed forms use calient-; nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use calent-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	caliente	that I heat / warm
Tú — you, singular informal	calientes	that you heat / warm
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	caliente	that he / she heat / warm; that you heat / warm (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	calentemos	that we heat / warm
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	calentéis	that you heat / warm (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	calienten	that they heat / warm; that you heat / warm (plural)

• Quiero que calientes la sopa. — I want you to heat the soup.

Calentar imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant calentado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	calentara	that I heated / warmed
Tú — you, singular informal	calentaras	that you heated / warmed
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	calentara	that he / she heated / warmed; that you heated / warmed (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	calentáramos	that we heated / warmed
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	calentarais	that you heated / warmed (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	calentaran	that they heated / warmed; that you heated / warmed (plural)

• Preferían que calentáramos el horno primero. — They preferred that we heat the oven first.
• Era mejor que calentases la comida lentamente. — It was better for you to heat the food slowly.

Calentar future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms belong mainly to formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical registers.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	calentare	if / when I should heat / warm
Tú — you, singular informal	calentares	if / when you should heat / warm
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	calentare	if / when he / she should heat / warm; if / when you should heat / warm (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	calentáremos	if / when we should heat / warm
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	calentareis	if / when you should heat / warm (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	calentaren	if / when they should heat / warm; if / when you should heat / warm (plural)

• Quien calentare el material deberá controlar la temperatura. — Whoever should heat the material must monitor the temperature.

Calentar present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant calentado.

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

• Me alegra que hayas calentado la cena. — I am glad that you heated dinner.

Calentar past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant calentado.

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

• Si hubiera calentado la sopa, estaría mejor. — If I had heated the soup, it would be better.
• Si hubieses calentado el motor antes, habría funcionado mejor. — If you had warmed the engine first, it would have worked better.

Calentar future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant calentado.

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

• Si hubieren calentado sustancias adicionales, deberán registrarlo. — If they should have heated additional substances, they must record it.

Calentar imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Calentar affirmative commands

Use the verified affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the target meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	calienta	heat
Usted — you, singular formal	caliente	heat (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	calentemos	let’s heat
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	calentad	heat (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	calienten	heat (plural)

• Calienta la sopa cinco minutos. — Heat the soup for five minutes.

Calentar negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no calientes	do not heat
Usted — you, singular formal	no caliente	do not heat (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no calentemos	let’s not heat
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no calentéis	do not heat (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no calienten	do not heat (plural)

• No calientes el recipiente vacío. — Do not heat the empty container.

Common constructions with Calentar

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• calentar algo. — to heat / warm something.
• calentar antes de hacer deporte. — to warm up before exercising.
• calentarse. — to become warm / heat up.

Example sentences with Calentar

These examples reinforce useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• El sol calienta la habitación. — The sun warms the room.
• Necesito calentar la comida. — I need to heat the food.
• Los jugadores están calentando. — The players are warming up.
• Espero que calientes el horno primero. — I hope you heat the oven first.
• La habitación se ha calentado rápido. — The room has warmed up quickly.
• Calienta primero el agua. — Heat the water first.

Regional and usage notes for Calentar

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms where vos is used.

• Vos calentás la comida ahora. — You heat the food now. (voseo)
• Calentá el horno antes. — Heat the oven first. (affirmative vos command)

For calentar, track stressed e → ie: caliento / caliente versus unstressed calentamos / calentemos. The preterite, future, gerund, and participle remain regular.