Preparar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Preparar in Spanish

Preparar means “to prepare,” “to make ready,” “to make,” or “to arrange for a purpose.” You will learn its fully regular -AR conjugation and its main object and purpose patterns.

Preparar conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Regular AR. RAE gives preparo, preparas / preparás, prepara, preparamos, preparáis, preparan, with regular gerund preparando and participle preparado.

Preparar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

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

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	preparar	to prepare / make / ready
Gerund	preparando	preparing / making / readying
Past participle	preparado	prepared / made / readied

Preparar meaning and essential uses

RAE defines preparar as arranging, making, or readying something for a purpose and as preparing someone for a future action.

It also covers carrying out the necessary operations to produce something, studying for a test, and teaching or training someone before an examination.

Preparar regular conjugation pattern

The stem prepar- remains unchanged throughout the core paradigm: preparo, preparé, preparaba, prepararé, prepare.

There are no stem changes, spelling alternations, irregular tense stems, irregular gerunds, or irregular participles.

Preparar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Preparar 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	preparo	I prepare / make / ready
Tú — you, singular informal	preparas	you prepare / make / ready
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	prepara	he / she prepares / makes / readies; you prepare / make / ready (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preparamos	we prepare / make / ready
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preparáis	you prepare / make / ready (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preparan	they prepare / make / ready; you prepare / make / ready (plural)

• Preparo la cena a las siete. — I prepare dinner at seven.

Preparar 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	preparé	I prepared / made / readied
Tú — you, singular informal	preparaste	you prepared / made / readied
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preparó	he / she prepared / made / readied; you prepared / made / readied (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preparamos	we prepared / made / readied
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preparasteis	you prepared / made / readied (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	prepararon	they prepared / made / readied; you prepared / made / readied (plural)

• Ayer preparé los documentos. — Yesterday I prepared the documents.

Preparar 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 preparado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	preparaba	I used to prepare / make / ready / was preparing / making / readying
Tú — you, singular informal	preparabas	you used to prepare / make / ready / were preparing / making / readying
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preparaba	he / she used to prepare / make / ready / was preparing / making / readying; you used to prepare / make / ready / were preparing / making / readying (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preparábamos	we used to prepare / make / ready / were preparing / making / readying
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preparabais	you used to prepare / make / ready / were preparing / making / readying (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preparaban	they used to prepare / make / ready / were preparing / making / readying; you used to prepare / make / ready / were preparing / making / readying (plural)

• Antes preparábamos todo con un día de antelación. — We used to prepare everything one day in advance.

Preparar present progressive

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

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

• Estoy preparando una presentación. — I am preparing a presentation.

Preparar near future conjugation

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

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

• Voy a preparar el informe esta tarde. — I am going to prepare the report this afternoon.

Preparar 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	prepararé	I will prepare / make / ready
Tú — you, singular informal	prepararás	you will prepare / make / ready
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preparará	he / she will prepare / make / ready; you will prepare / make / ready (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	prepararemos	we will prepare / make / ready
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	prepararéis	you will prepare / make / ready (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	prepararán	they will prepare / make / ready; you will prepare / make / ready (plural)

• Prepararemos la sala mañana. — We will prepare the room tomorrow.

Preparar 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	prepararía	I would prepare / make / ready
Tú — you, singular informal	prepararías	you would prepare / make / ready
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	prepararía	he / she would prepare / make / ready; you would prepare / make / ready (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	prepararíamos	we would prepare / make / ready
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	prepararíais	you would prepare / make / ready (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	prepararían	they would prepare / make / ready; you would prepare / make / ready (plural)

• Prepararía otra versión para comparar. — I would prepare another version for comparison.

Preparar 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 preparado.

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

• He preparado todo lo necesario. — I have prepared everything necessary.

Preparar 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 preparado.

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

• Ya habíamos preparado la comida. — We had already prepared the food.

Preparar 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 preparado.

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

• Para entonces habrán preparado todos los materiales. — By then they will have prepared all the materials.

Preparar 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 preparado.

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

• Habría preparado una copia adicional. — I would have prepared an additional copy.

Preparar subjunctive conjugations

Preparar 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	prepare	that I prepare / make / ready
Tú — you, singular informal	prepares	that you prepare / make / ready
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	prepare	that he / she prepare / make / ready; that you prepare / make / ready (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preparemos	that we prepare / make / ready
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preparéis	that you prepare / make / ready (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preparen	that they prepare / make / ready; that you prepare / make / ready (plural)

• Quiero que prepares la cena. — I want you to prepare dinner.

Preparar 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 preparado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	preparara	that I prepared / made / readied
Tú — you, singular informal	prepararas	that you prepared / made / readied
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preparara	that he / she prepared / made / readied; that you prepared / made / readied (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preparáramos	that we prepared / made / readied
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	prepararais	that you prepared / made / readied (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	prepararan	that they prepared / made / readied; that you prepared / made / readied (plural)

• Preferían que preparáramos la presentación juntos. — They preferred that we prepare the presentation together.
• Era mejor que preparases los documentos antes. — It was better for you to prepare the documents earlier.

Preparar 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	preparare	if / when I should prepare / make / ready
Tú — you, singular informal	preparares	if / when you should prepare / make / ready
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preparare	if / when he / she should prepare / make / ready; if / when you should prepare / make / ready (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preparáremos	if / when we should prepare / make / ready
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preparareis	if / when you should prepare / make / ready (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	prepararen	if / when they should prepare / make / ready; if / when you should prepare / make / ready (plural)

• Quien preparare el informe deberá citar las fuentes. — Whoever should prepare the report must cite the sources.

Preparar 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 preparado.

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

• Me alegra que hayas preparado todo. — I am glad that you prepared everything.

Preparar 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 preparado.

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

• Si hubiera preparado la maleta antes, no habría tenido prisa. — If I had packed the suitcase earlier, I would not have been rushed.
• Si hubieses preparado la presentación, habría salido mejor. — If you had prepared the presentation, it would have gone better.

Preparar 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 preparado.

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

• Si hubieren preparado materiales adicionales, deberán entregarlos. — If they should have prepared additional materials, they must submit them.

Preparar imperative and commands

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

Preparar 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	prepara	prepare
Usted — you, singular formal	prepare	prepare (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	preparemos	let’s prepare
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preparad	prepare (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	preparen	prepare (plural)

• Prepara los documentos antes de la reunión. — Prepare the documents before the meeting.

Preparar 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 prepares	do not prepare
Usted — you, singular formal	no prepare	do not prepare (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no preparemos	let’s not prepare
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no preparéis	do not prepare (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no preparen	do not prepare (plural)

• No prepares demasiada comida. — Do not prepare too much food.

Common constructions with Preparar

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

• preparar algo para + purpose/person. — to prepare something for a purpose or person.
• preparar a alguien para + noun/infinitive. — to prepare someone for something / to do something.
• preparar comida / una bebida / un producto. — to prepare food, a drink, or a product.
• preparar un examen / una presentación. — to study/prepare for an exam or prepare a presentation, depending on context.

Example sentences with Preparar

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

• Voy a preparar café. — I am going to make coffee.
• Prepara la sala para la reunión. — Prepare the room for the meeting.
• Estamos preparando un viaje. — We are preparing a trip.
• Espero que prepares todo con tiempo. — I hope you prepare everything in advance.
• Han preparado una nueva propuesta. — They have prepared a new proposal.
• Prepara una copia de seguridad. — Prepare a backup copy.

Regional and usage notes for Preparar

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

• Vos preparás la cena hoy. — You are preparing dinner today. (voseo)
• Prepará los documentos ahora. — Prepare the documents now. (affirmative vos command)

Preparar is fully regular and semantically broad. Learn it for readying objects, people, food, documents, plans, and study materials, then keep pronominal prepararse separate.