Saludar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Saludar in Spanish

Saludar means “to greet.” You will learn its fully regular -AR conjugation across common and reference systems, how to use it with people in natural sentences, and how to form affirmative and negative commands.

Saludar conjugation at a glance

Saludar means “to greet.” Verb type: Regular AR. Linguistically, it follows a fully regular -AR pattern.

• saludar — to greet
• saludando — gerund form used to build progressive constructions
• saludado — past participle used with haber in compound forms

Saludar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund helps form progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber in compound forms. With haber, the participle remains unchanged for gender and number.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	saludar	to greet
Gerund	saludando	greeting
Past participle	saludado	greeted
Compound infinitive	haber saludado	to have greeted
Compound gerund	habiendo saludado	having greeted

Saludar meaning and essential uses

Saludar is used in the sense of “to greet.” The examples below show central everyday uses of this target verb.

• Saludo a mis vecinos cada mañana. — I greet my neighbors every morning.
• Ella saludó a todos al entrar. — She greeted everyone when she came in.

Saludar conjugation pattern

Saludar is fully regular. Remove -ar to get the stem salud- and add the standard -AR endings. The gerund saludando and past participle saludado are regular as well.

Saludar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Saludar present tense conjugation

Use the present indicative for current situations, routines, repeated actions, and general facts involving the target verb. The Spanish label is el presente de indicativo — present indicative.

Use the standard present endings for saludar.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	saludo	I greet
Tú — you, singular informal	saludas	you greet
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	saluda	he / she greets; you greet (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	saludamos	we greet
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	saludáis	you (plural) greet
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	saludan	they / you (plural) greet

• Saludo a mis compañeros al llegar. — I greet my colleagues when I arrive.

Saludar preterite conjugation

Use the preterite for completed or bounded past events. It presents the action as a finished event rather than background or habit. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido — preterite.

Use the regular preterite endings for this conjugation class.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	saludé	I greeted
Tú — you, singular informal	saludaste	you greeted
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	saludó	he / she greeted; you greeted (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	saludamos	we greeted
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	saludasteis	you (plural, informal) greeted
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	saludaron	they / you (plural) greeted

• Ayer saludé a la nueva profesora. — Yesterday I greeted the new teacher.

Saludar imperfect conjugation

Use the imperfect for habitual, repeated, descriptive, or ongoing past situations when the action is viewed without a completed boundary. The Spanish label is el pretérito imperfecto — imperfect.

Use the regular imperfect endings for this conjugation class.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	saludaba	I used to greet
Tú — you, singular informal	saludabas	you used to greet
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	saludaba	he / she used to greet; you used to greet (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	saludábamos	we used to greet
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	saludabais	you (plural, informal) used to greet
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	saludaban	they / you (plural) used to greet

• Siempre saludábamos a los vecinos. — We always used to greet the neighbors.

Saludar present progressive

Use the present progressive when the action is in progress around the present moment. It is a verbal periphrasis, not a simple tense. The Spanish label is la perífrasis estar + gerundio — estar + gerund periphrasis.

Build this periphrasis with estar plus saludando — the gerund of saludar.

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

• Estoy saludando a los invitados en la entrada. — I am greeting the guests at the entrance.

Saludar near future conjugation

Use the near future for plans or events viewed as approaching or already intended. It is a verbal periphrasis, not a simple tense. The Spanish label is la perífrasis ir a + infinitivo — ir a + infinitive periphrasis.

Build the near future with ir a plus saludar — the infinitive.

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

• Voy a saludar al director antes de irme. — I am going to greet the director before leaving.

Saludar future tense conjugation

Use the simple future for future events and, in suitable contexts, probability or conjecture. The Spanish label is el futuro simple — simple future.

Add the future endings directly to saludar — the infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	saludaré	I will greet
Tú — you, singular informal	saludarás	you will greet
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	saludará	he / she will greet; you will greet (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	saludaremos	we will greet
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	saludaréis	you (plural, informal) will greet
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	saludarán	they / you (plural) will greet

• Mañana saludaré a todos personalmente. — Tomorrow I will greet everyone personally.

Saludar conditional conjugation

Use the conditional for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or future-in-the-past meanings when context supports them. The Spanish label is el condicional simple — conditional.

Add the conditional endings directly to saludar — the infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	saludaría	I would greet
Tú — you, singular informal	saludarías	you would greet
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	saludaría	he / she would greet; you would greet (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	saludaríamos	we would greet
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	saludaríais	you (plural, informal) would greet
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	saludarían	they / you (plural) would greet

• Yo saludaría primero al anfitrión. — I would greet the host first.

Saludar present perfect conjugation

Use the present perfect for past actions connected to the present. Its frequency and distribution vary across Spanish-speaking regions. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto compuesto — present perfect.

Combine the present of haber with saludado — the past participle.

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

• Ya hemos saludado a todos los invitados. — We have already greeted all the guests.

Saludar past perfect conjugation

Use the past perfect for an action completed before another past reference point. The Spanish label is el pretérito pluscuamperfecto — past perfect / pluperfect.

Combine the imperfect of haber with saludado — the past participle.

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

• Ella ya había saludado al equipo. — She had already greeted the team.

Saludar future perfect conjugation

Use the future perfect for an action expected to be completed before a future reference point. The Spanish label is el futuro compuesto — future perfect.

Combine the future of haber with saludado — the past participle.

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

• Para el mediodía, habremos saludado a todos. — By noon, we will have greeted everyone.

Saludar conditional perfect conjugation

Use the conditional perfect for a hypothetical past result or an outcome that would have occurred under different circumstances. The Spanish label is el condicional compuesto — conditional perfect.

Combine the conditional of haber with saludado — the past participle.

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

• Habría saludado a Marta, pero no la vi. — I would have greeted Marta, but I did not see her.

Saludar subjunctive conjugations

Saludar present subjunctive conjugation

Use the present subjunctive in subordinate clauses triggered by wishes, influence, emotion, evaluation, doubt, necessity, possibility, or similar contexts. The Spanish label is el presente de subjuntivo — present subjunctive.

Use the regular present subjunctive endings for this conjugation class.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	salude	that I greet
Tú — you, singular informal	saludes	that you greet
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	salude	that he / she greets; that you greet (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	saludemos	that we greet
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	saludéis	that you (plural, informal) greet
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	saluden	that they / you (plural) greet

• Quiero que saludes a tus abuelos. — I want you to greet your grandparents.

Saludar imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the imperfect subjunctive in past or hypothetical subordinate contexts, including reported wishes, requests, evaluations, and conditions. The Spanish label is el imperfecto de subjuntivo — imperfect subjunctive.

The main table uses the accepted -ra series derived from the third-person plural preterite. The -se series is also standard and is acknowledged below.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	saludara	that I greeted / were to greet
Tú — you, singular informal	saludaras	that you greeted / were to greet
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	saludara	that he / she greeted / were to greet; that you greeted / were to greet (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	saludáramos	that we greeted / were to greet
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	saludarais	that you (plural, informal) greeted / were to greet
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	saludaran	that they / you (plural) greeted / were to greet

• Esperaban que saludáramos al público. — They expected us to greet the audience.

The accepted -se series is also available in many contexts; it should not be substituted mechanically where a construction has a documented preference or restriction.

• saludase — that I greeted / were to greet
• saludases — that you greeted / were to greet
• saludase — that he / she / you (formal) greeted / were to greet
• saludásemos — that we greeted / were to greet
• saludaseis — that you (plural, informal) greeted / were to greet
• saludasen — that they / you (plural) greeted / were to greet

Saludar future subjunctive conjugation

Use the future subjunctive only as a reference form for rare modern uses, especially in formal, legal, literary, proverbial, or historical language. The Spanish label is el futuro de subjuntivo — future subjunctive.

Rare in modern everyday Spanish.

This reference paradigm is formed from the same past stem family used for the imperfect subjunctive. It is rare in modern everyday Spanish and survives mainly in formal, legal, literary, proverbial, or historical contexts.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	saludare	that I should greet (rare/formal)
Tú — you, singular informal	saludares	that you should greet (rare/formal)
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	saludare	that he / she should greet (rare/formal); that you should greet (formal; rare/formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	saludáremos	that we should greet (rare/formal)
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	saludareis	that you (plural, informal) should greet (rare/formal)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	saludaren	that they / you (plural) should greet (rare/formal)

• Quien saludare al embajador deberá seguir el protocolo. — Whoever should greet the ambassador must follow protocol.

Saludar present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the present perfect subjunctive for a completed action viewed through a present subjunctive trigger. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo — present perfect subjunctive.

Combine the present subjunctive of haber with saludado — the past participle.

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

• Me alegra que hayas saludado a todos. — I am glad that you have greeted everyone.

Saludar past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the past perfect subjunctive for an action completed before another past or hypothetical reference point in a subjunctive context. The Spanish label is el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo — past perfect subjunctive.

Combine hubiera with saludado — the past participle; the hubiese series is also accepted.

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

• Si hubiera saludado antes, habría evitado la confusión. — If I had greeted them earlier, I would have avoided the confusion.

The hubiese series is an accepted alternative in many contexts.

• hubiese saludado — that I had greeted
• hubieses saludado — that you had greeted
• hubiese saludado — that he / she / you (formal) had greeted
• hubiésemos saludado — that we had greeted
• hubieseis saludado — that you (plural, informal) had greeted
• hubiesen saludado — that they / you (plural) had greeted

Saludar future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the future perfect subjunctive as a rare reference form for an action completed before another future point in formal or historical-style contexts. The Spanish label is el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo — future perfect subjunctive.

Rare in modern everyday Spanish.

Combine the future subjunctive of haber with saludado — the past participle. This system is rare in modern everyday Spanish and is mainly a reference form.

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

• Quien hubiere saludado a la delegación deberá constar en el registro. — Whoever should have greeted the delegation must be listed in the record.

Saludar imperative and commands

Commands address other people directly. Spanish uses imperative forms and present-subjunctive forms according to person and polarity; there is no ordinary yo command.

Saludar affirmative commands

The singular informal affirmative command uses the third-person singular present form, while the formal and plural command forms use present-subjunctive forms where required. The informal plural command used mainly in Spain follows the regular infinitive-based command pattern.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	saluda	greet!
Usted — you, singular formal	salude	greet! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	saludemos	let’s greet!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	saludad	greet! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	saluden	greet! (plural)

• Saluda a los invitados cuando entren. — Greet the guests when they come in.

Saludar negative commands

Negative commands use present-subjunctive-based forms with no ordinary yo command.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no saludes	do not greet!
Usted — you, singular formal	no salude	do not greet! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	no saludemos	let’s not greet!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no saludéis	do not greet! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no saluden	do not greet! (plural)

• No saludes de manera demasiado informal. — Do not greet people too informally.

Common constructions with Saludar

When the direct object is a specific person, saludar commonly appears with the personal a: saludar a alguien — to greet someone.

• Saludo a Carlos al entrar. — I greet Carlos when I enter.
• Saludaron a la directora después del acto. — They greeted the director after the event.

Example sentences with Saludar

These examples reinforce the target verb across several useful systems and contexts.

• Saludo a la recepcionista al llegar. — I greet the receptionist when I arrive.
• Ayer saludamos a nuestros nuevos vecinos. — Yesterday we greeted our new neighbors.
• De niño, saludaba siempre a los profesores. — As a child, I always greeted the teachers.
• Mañana saludaré al nuevo director. — Tomorrow I will greet the new director.
• Quiero que saludes a todos de mi parte. — I want you to greet everyone for me.
• Ya hemos saludado a los invitados. — We have already greeted the guests.
• Saludad al público antes de comenzar. — Greet the audience before beginning.
• No saludes de forma demasiado informal en esa reunión. — Do not greet people too informally at that meeting.

Rare and reference forms of Saludar

The future subjunctive and future perfect subjunctive above are already marked as rare in modern everyday Spanish. The preterite anterior is another formal or literary reference form and is uncommon in present-day conversation.

• Apenas hube saludado al director, comenzó el acto. — As soon as I had greeted the director, the event began.

Use Saludar by choosing the time frame first, then applying its actual conjugation pattern and any required pronoun or spelling behavior. Keep rare reference systems distinct from the forms used in ordinary modern conversation.