Limpiar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Limpiar in Spanish

Limpiar means “to clean” or “to clean up.” You will learn its regular -AR conjugation, gerund limpiando, participle limpiado, compound tenses, subjunctive forms, commands, and common object patterns.

Limpiar conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Regular AR. Limpiar keeps the stable stem limpi- and takes ordinary -AR endings. Its gerund limpiando — “cleaning” — and participle limpiado — “cleaned” — are regular.

Limpiar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. The participle limpiado remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	limpiar	to clean
Gerund	limpiando	cleaning
Past participle	limpiado	cleaned

Limpiar meaning and essential uses

Limpiar — “to clean” — is commonly transitive: Limpio la cocina. — “I clean the kitchen.” RAE also records pronominal use, but the core lesson identity here is the non-pronominal verb.

It can also mean removing unwanted material from something: Limpia el pescado. — “Clean the fish.” In everyday contexts, the direct object is typically the place, surface, object, or material being cleaned.

Limpiar regular conjugation pattern

The stem limpi- remains unchanged throughout the core paradigm. Forms such as limpio — “I clean,” limpié — “I cleaned,” and limpie — “that I clean” — use normal -AR endings.

There is no stem change, spelling alternation, irregular preterite stem, irregular future stem, irregular gerund, or irregular participle.

Limpiar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Limpiar present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	limpio	I clean
Tú — you, singular informal	limpias	you clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	limpia	he / she cleans; you clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	limpiamos	we clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	limpiáis	you clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	limpian	they clean; you clean (plural)

• Limpio la cocina después de cenar. — I clean the kitchen after dinner.

Limpiar 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	limpié	I cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	limpiaste	you cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	limpió	he / she cleaned; you cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	limpiamos	we cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	limpiasteis	you cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	limpiaron	they cleaned; you cleaned (plural)

• Ayer limpié todas las ventanas. — Yesterday I cleaned all the windows.

Limpiar imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle limpiado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	limpiaba	I used to clean / was cleaning
Tú — you, singular informal	limpiabas	you used to clean / were cleaning
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	limpiaba	he / she used to clean / was cleaning; you used to clean / were cleaning (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	limpiábamos	we used to clean / were cleaning
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	limpiabais	you used to clean / were cleaning (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	limpiaban	they used to clean / were cleaning; you used to clean / were cleaning (plural)

• Antes limpiaba la casa los sábados. — I used to clean the house on Saturdays.

Limpiar present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar — “to be” — plus limpiando — “cleaning.”

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

• Estoy limpiando el escritorio. — I am cleaning the desk.

Limpiar near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and limpiar.

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

• Voy a limpiar el baño esta tarde. — I am going to clean the bathroom this afternoon.

Limpiar future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The endings attach to the full infinitive; there is no separate irregular future or conditional stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	limpiaré	I will clean
Tú — you, singular informal	limpiarás	you will clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	limpiará	he / she will clean; you will clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	limpiaremos	we will clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	limpiaréis	you will clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	limpiarán	they will clean; you will clean (plural)

• Limpiaré el coche mañana. — I will clean the car tomorrow.

Limpiar conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The endings attach to the full infinitive; there is no separate irregular future or conditional stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	limpiaría	I would clean
Tú — you, singular informal	limpiarías	you would clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	limpiaría	he / she would clean; you would clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	limpiaríamos	we would clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	limpiaríais	you would clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	limpiarían	they would clean; you would clean (plural)

• Limpiaría primero la superficie. — I would clean the surface first.

Limpiar 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 — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle limpiado.

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

• Ya he limpiado la habitación. — I have already cleaned the room.

Limpiar 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 — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle limpiado.

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

• Habíamos limpiado todo antes de que llegaran. — We had cleaned everything before they arrived.

Limpiar 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 — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle limpiado.

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

• Para entonces habrán limpiado todo el edificio. — By then they will have cleaned the whole building.

Limpiar conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle limpiado.

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

• Habría limpiado antes si hubiera tenido tiempo. — I would have cleaned earlier if I had had time.

Limpiar subjunctive conjugations

Limpiar 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. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	limpie	that I clean
Tú — you, singular informal	limpies	that you clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	limpie	that he / she clean; that you clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	limpiemos	that we clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	limpiéis	that you clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	limpien	that they clean; that you clean (plural)

• Quiero que limpies la mesa. — I want you to clean the table.

Limpiar 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 — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle limpiado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	limpiara	that I cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	limpiaras	that you cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	limpiara	that he / she cleaned; that you cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	limpiáramos	that we cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	limpiarais	that you cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	limpiaran	that they cleaned; that you cleaned (plural)

• Preferían que limpiáramos la sala primero. — They preferred that we clean the room first.
• Era mejor que limpiases el equipo después de usarlo. — It was better for you to clean the equipment after using it.

Limpiar 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 share the same historical family as the imperfect subjunctive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	limpiare	if / when I should clean
Tú — you, singular informal	limpiares	if / when you should clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	limpiare	if / when he / she should clean; if / when you should clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	limpiáremos	if / when we should clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	limpiareis	if / when you should clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	limpiaren	if / when they should clean; if / when you should clean (plural)

• Quien limpiare la zona deberá retirar los residuos. — Whoever should clean the area must remove the waste.

Limpiar 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 — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle limpiado.

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

• Me alegra que hayas limpiado la cocina. — I am glad that you cleaned the kitchen.

Limpiar 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 — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle limpiado.

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

• Si hubiéramos limpiado antes, ya estaría todo listo. — If we had cleaned earlier, everything would already be ready.
• Si hubieses limpiado la mesa, podríamos usarla. — If you had cleaned the table, we could use it.

Limpiar 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 — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle limpiado.

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

• Si hubieren limpiado el equipo, deberán registrarlo. — If they should have cleaned the equipment, they must record it.

Limpiar imperative and commands

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

Limpiar 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	limpia	clean
Usted — you, singular formal	limpie	clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	limpiemos	let’s clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	limpiad	clean (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	limpien	clean (plural)

• Limpia la mesa antes de comer. — Clean the table before eating.

Limpiar negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no limpies	do not clean
Usted — you, singular formal	no limpie	do not clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no limpiemos	let’s not clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no limpiéis	do not clean (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no limpien	do not clean (plural)

• No limpies esa pantalla con agua. — Do not clean that screen with water.

Common constructions with Limpiar

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

• limpiar algo. — to clean something.
• limpiar una superficie o un lugar. — to clean a surface or place.
• limpiar de + unwanted material. — to clear / clean something of unwanted material.

Example sentences with Limpiar

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

• Necesito limpiar mi habitación. — I need to clean my room.
• Ya limpiamos la cocina. — We already cleaned the kitchen.
• Está limpiando las ventanas. — He / she is cleaning the windows.
• Espero que limpies el escritorio. — I hope you clean the desk.
• Han limpiado toda la oficina. — They have cleaned the whole office.
• Limpia cada herramienta después de usarla. — Clean each tool after using it.

Regional and usage notes for Limpiar

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

• Vos limpiás la cocina por la noche. — You clean the kitchen at night. (voseo)
• Limpiá la mesa primero. — Clean the table first. (affirmative vos command)

Limpiar is a model regular -AR verb. Once the endings are secure, focus on the object being cleaned and the context that specifies what dirt, material, or residue is being removed.