Preguntar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Preguntar in Spanish

Preguntar means “to ask” or “to question.” You will learn its fully regular -AR conjugation and the essential patterns preguntar algo, preguntar a alguien, preguntar por, and indirect questions.

Preguntar conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Regular AR. Preguntar keeps the stable stem pregunt- and takes ordinary -AR endings. Its gerund preguntando — “asking” — and participle preguntado — “asked” — are regular.

Preguntar 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 preguntado remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	preguntar	to ask / question
Gerund	preguntando	asking / questioning
Past participle	preguntado	asked / questioned

Preguntar meaning and essential uses

Preguntar is transitive when asking a question or questioning someone: Pregunto la hora. — “I ask the time.” Pregunto a Marta. — “I ask Marta.”

Use preguntar por to ask about or ask for someone/something: Pregunto por Ana. — “I ask for / about Ana.” It also introduces indirect questions with si, qué, cuándo, dónde, and similar interrogative words.

Preguntar regular conjugation pattern

The stem pregunt- remains unchanged throughout the core paradigm. Forms such as pregunto — “I ask,” pregunté — “I asked,” and pregunte — “that I ask” — use normal -AR endings.

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

Preguntar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Preguntar 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	pregunto	I ask / question
Tú — you, singular informal	preguntas	you ask / question
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pregunta	he / she asks / questions; you ask / question (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preguntamos	we ask / question
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preguntáis	you ask / question (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preguntan	they ask / question; you ask / question (plural)

• Pregunto cuando no entiendo algo. — I ask when I do not understand something.

Preguntar 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	pregunté	I asked / questioned
Tú — you, singular informal	preguntaste	you asked / questioned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preguntó	he / she asked / questioned; you asked / questioned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preguntamos	we asked / questioned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preguntasteis	you asked / questioned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preguntaron	they asked / questioned; you asked / questioned (plural)

• Ayer pregunté la dirección. — Yesterday I asked for the address.

Preguntar 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 preguntado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	preguntaba	I used to ask / question / was asking / questioning
Tú — you, singular informal	preguntabas	you used to ask / question / were asking / questioning
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preguntaba	he / she used to ask / question / was asking / questioning; you used to ask / question / were asking / questioning (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preguntábamos	we used to ask / question / were asking / questioning
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preguntabais	you used to ask / question / were asking / questioning (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preguntaban	they used to ask / question / were asking / questioning; you used to ask / question / were asking / questioning (plural)

• De niño preguntaba muchas cosas. — As a child, I used to ask many things.

Preguntar present progressive

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

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

• Estoy preguntando por la reserva. — I am asking about the reservation.

Preguntar 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 preguntar.

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

• Voy a preguntar si hay plazas disponibles. — I am going to ask whether places are available.

Preguntar 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	preguntaré	I will ask / question
Tú — you, singular informal	preguntarás	you will ask / question
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preguntará	he / she will ask / question; you will ask / question (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preguntaremos	we will ask / question
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preguntaréis	you will ask / question (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preguntarán	they will ask / question; you will ask / question (plural)

• Preguntaré a Marta mañana. — I will ask Marta tomorrow.

Preguntar 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	preguntaría	I would ask / question
Tú — you, singular informal	preguntarías	you would ask / question
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preguntaría	he / she would ask / question; you would ask / question (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preguntaríamos	we would ask / question
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preguntaríais	you would ask / question (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preguntarían	they would ask / question; you would ask / question (plural)

• Preguntaría antes de cambiar el plan. — I would ask before changing the plan.

Preguntar 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 preguntado.

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

• He preguntado varias veces. — I have asked several times.

Preguntar 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 preguntado.

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

• Ya habíamos preguntado por ese servicio. — We had already asked about that service.

Preguntar 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 preguntado.

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

• Para entonces habrán preguntado a todos. — By then they will have asked everyone.

Preguntar 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 preguntado.

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

• Habría preguntado antes si lo hubiera sabido. — I would have asked earlier if I had known.

Preguntar subjunctive conjugations

Preguntar 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	pregunte	that I ask / question
Tú — you, singular informal	preguntes	that you ask / question
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pregunte	that he / she ask / question; that you ask / question (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preguntemos	that we ask / question
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preguntéis	that you ask / question (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pregunten	that they ask / question; that you ask / question (plural)

• Quiero que preguntes si tienes dudas. — I want you to ask if you have questions.

Preguntar 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 preguntado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	preguntara	that I asked / questioned
Tú — you, singular informal	preguntaras	that you asked / questioned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preguntara	that he / she asked / questioned; that you asked / questioned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preguntáramos	that we asked / questioned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preguntarais	that you asked / questioned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preguntaran	that they asked / questioned; that you asked / questioned (plural)

• Preferían que preguntáramos directamente. — They preferred that we ask directly.
• Era mejor que preguntases primero el precio. — It was better for you to ask the price first.

Preguntar 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	preguntare	if / when I should ask / question
Tú — you, singular informal	preguntares	if / when you should ask / question
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preguntare	if / when he / she should ask / question; if / when you should ask / question (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preguntáremos	if / when we should ask / question
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preguntareis	if / when you should ask / question (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preguntaren	if / when they should ask / question; if / when you should ask / question (plural)

• Quien preguntare por el expediente deberá identificarse. — Whoever should ask about the file must identify themselves.

Preguntar 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 preguntado.

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

• Me alegra que hayas preguntado. — I am glad that you asked.

Preguntar 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 preguntado.

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

• Si hubiera preguntado antes, habría evitado el error. — If I had asked earlier, I would have avoided the error.
• Si hubieses preguntado el horario, no habrías llegado tarde. — If you had asked the schedule, you would not have arrived late.

Preguntar 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 preguntado.

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

• Si hubieren preguntado por la solicitud, deberá registrarse. — If they should have asked about the application, it must be recorded.

Preguntar imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The project includes an exhortative nosotros/nosotras row, built from the present subjunctive, alongside the standard imperative persons.

Preguntar 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	pregunta	ask
Usted — you, singular formal	pregunte	ask (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	preguntemos	let’s ask
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preguntad	ask (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	pregunten	ask (plural)

• Pregunta si no entiendes. — Ask if you do not understand.

Preguntar 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 preguntes	do not ask
Usted — you, singular formal	no pregunte	do not ask (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no preguntemos	let’s not ask
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no preguntéis	do not ask (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no pregunten	do not ask (plural)

• No preguntes datos privados sin una razón válida. — Do not ask for private information without a valid reason.

Common constructions with Preguntar

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

• preguntar algo. — to ask something / ask a question.
• preguntar a alguien. — to ask / question someone.
• preguntar por alguien o algo. — to ask for / about someone or something.
• preguntar si / qué / cuándo / dónde + clause. — to ask whether / what / when / where.

Example sentences with Preguntar

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

• Quiero preguntarte algo. — I want to ask you something.
• Pregunté por el director. — I asked for the director.
• ¿Has preguntado cuánto cuesta? — Have you asked how much it costs?
• Voy a preguntar si está abierto. — I am going to ask whether it is open.
• Espero que preguntes cuando tengas dudas. — I hope you ask when you have questions.
• Pregunta dónde está la estación. — Ask where the station is.

Regional and usage notes for Preguntar

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

• Vos preguntás muchas cosas. — You ask many things. (voseo)
• Preguntá si tenés dudas. — Ask if you have questions. (affirmative vos command)

Preguntar is fully regular. The main learner challenge is choosing the complement: ask a question directly, ask a person, use por for someone or something being inquired about, or introduce an indirect question.