Secar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Secar in Spanish

Secar means “to dry.” You will learn its regular -AR endings, the spelling change c → qu before e, and how that change appears in the preterite, subjunctive, and commands.

Secar conjugation at a glance

Secar means “to dry.” Verb type: Irregular. The key linguistic pattern is explained below so the project label does not hide how the verb actually behaves.

• secar — to dry
• secando — drying
• secado — dried

Secar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund helps build progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — the perfect auxiliary — in compound forms. With haber, the participle does not change for gender or number.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	secar	to dry
Gerund	secando	drying
Past participle	secado	dried
Compound infinitive	haber secado	to have dried
Compound gerund	habiendo secado	having dried

Secar meaning and essential uses

The primary meaning here is “to dry.” These examples show the central uses needed to interpret the conjugated forms in this lesson.

• Seco los platos con una toalla. — I dry the dishes with a towel.
• El sol secó la ropa rápidamente. — The sun dried the clothes quickly.

Secar conjugation pattern

Secar uses regular -AR endings, but spelling changes from c to qu before e to preserve the /k/ sound. This affects sequé — I dried, the present subjunctive forms, and commands built from that subjunctive pattern.

Secar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Secar present tense conjugation

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

The present itself uses the regular sec- stem and ordinary -AR endings; the c → qu spelling change appears only before e in other systems.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	seco	I dry
Tú — you, singular informal	secas	you dry
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	seca	he / she dries; you dry (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	secamos	we dry
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	secáis	you (plural, informal) dry
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	secan	they / you (plural) dry

• Seco la mesa con un paño limpio. — I dry the table with a clean cloth.

Secar preterite conjugation

Use the preterite for completed or bounded past events, viewed as finished rather than background or habit. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido — preterite.

Use regular preterite endings, but change c to qu before the first-person singular ending -é: sequé — I dried.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sequé	I dried
Tú — you, singular informal	secaste	you dried
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	secó	he / she dried; you dried (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	secamos	we dried
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	secasteis	you (plural, informal) dried
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	secaron	they / you (plural) dried

• Ayer sequé toda la ropa al sol. — Yesterday I dried all the clothes in the sun.

Secar imperfect conjugation

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

Use the standard imperfect endings for this conjugation class.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	secaba	I used to dry
Tú — you, singular informal	secabas	you used to dry
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	secaba	he / she used to dry; you used to dry (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	secábamos	we used to dry
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	secabais	you (plural, informal) used to dry
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	secaban	they / you (plural) used to dry

• En verano, secábamos las hierbas al aire libre. — In summer, we used to dry the herbs outdoors.

Secar present progressive

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

Build the present progressive with estar — to be as an auxiliary — plus secando — drying.

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

• Estoy secando los vasos ahora. — I am drying the glasses now.

Secar near future conjugation

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

Build the near future with ir a — to be going to — plus secar — dry.

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

• Voy a secar el suelo antes de salir. — I am going to dry the floor before leaving.

Secar future tense conjugation

Use the simple future for future events and, where context supports it, probability or conjecture. The Spanish label is el futuro simple — simple future.

Add the future endings directly to secar — dry.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	secaré	I will dry
Tú — you, singular informal	secarás	you will dry
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	secará	he / she will dry; you will dry (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	secaremos	we will dry
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	secaréis	you (plural, informal) will dry
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	secarán	they / you (plural) will dry

• Mañana secaré las flores para conservarlas. — Tomorrow I will dry the flowers to preserve them.

Secar conditional conjugation

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

Add the conditional endings directly to secar — dry.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	secaría	I would dry
Tú — you, singular informal	secarías	you would dry
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	secaría	he / she would dry; you would dry (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	secaríamos	we would dry
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	secaríais	you (plural, informal) would dry
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	secarían	they / you (plural) would dry

• Secaría la ropa fuera si no lloviera. — I would dry the clothes outside if it were not raining.

Secar present perfect conjugation

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

Combine the present forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with secado — dried.

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

• Ya he secado los platos. — I have already dried the dishes.

Secar 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 forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with secado — dried.

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

• Habíamos secado la madera antes de pintarla. — We had dried the wood before painting it.

Secar 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 forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with secado — dried.

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

• Para mañana, habrán secado todas las muestras. — By tomorrow, they will have dried all the samples.

Secar 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 forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with secado — dried.

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

• Habría secado las botas con más tiempo. — I would have dried the boots with more time.

Secar subjunctive conjugations

Secar present subjunctive conjugation

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

Use the present subjunctive endings and change c to qu before e throughout this paradigm: seque — that I / he / she / you (formal) dry, sequemos — that we dry, and sequéis — that you (plural, informal) dry.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	seque	that I dry
Tú — you, singular informal	seques	that you dry
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	seque	that he / she dry; that you dry (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sequemos	that we dry
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sequéis	that you (plural, informal) dry
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sequen	that they / you (plural) dry

• Quiero que seques bien la superficie. — I want you to dry the surface well.

Secar 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, built from the third-person plural preterite stem. The accepted -se series is shown after the main examples.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	secara	that I dried / were to dry
Tú — you, singular informal	secaras	that you dried / were to dry
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	secara	that he / she dried / were to dry; that you dried / were to dry (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	secáramos	that we dried / were to dry
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	secarais	that you (plural, informal) dried / were to dry
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	secaran	that they / you (plural) dried / were to dry

• Era necesario que secáramos la madera primero. — It was necessary that we dry the wood first.

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

• secase — that I dried / were to dry
• secases — that you dried / were to dry
• secase — that he / she / you (formal) dried / were to dry
• secásemos — that we dried / were to dry
• secaseis — that you (plural, informal) dried / were to dry
• secasen — that they / you (plural) dried / were to dry

Secar future subjunctive conjugation

Use the future subjunctive only as a reference form for rare modern uses, especially 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 comes from the same past-stem family used by 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	secare	that I should dry (rare/formal)
Tú — you, singular informal	secares	that you should dry (rare/formal)
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	secare	that he / she should dry (rare/formal); that you should dry (formal; rare/formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	secáremos	that we should dry (rare/formal)
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	secareis	that you (plural, informal) should dry (rare/formal)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	secaren	that they / you (plural) should dry (rare/formal)

• Si alguien secare el material por calor, deberá vigilarlo. — If anyone should dry the material with heat, they must monitor it.

Secar 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 forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with secado — dried.

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

• Me alegra que hayas secado los platos. — I am glad that you have dried the dishes.

Secar 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 the -ra imperfect subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with secado — dried. The hubiese series is also accepted and is shown below.

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

• Ojalá hubiéramos secado la ropa antes. — I wish we had dried the clothes earlier.

The hubiese series is an accepted alternative in many contexts.

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

Secar 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 forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with secado — dried. This system is rare in modern everyday Spanish.

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

• Si alguien hubiere secado el material, deberá registrarlo. — If anyone should have dried the material, they must record it.

Secar 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.

Secar affirmative commands

The informal singular command is seca — dry. Formal and plural command forms use present-subjunctive morphology where applicable, so c → qu appears before e.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	seca	dry!
Usted — you, singular formal	seque	dry! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	sequemos	let’s dry!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	secad	dry! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	sequen	dry! (plural)

• Seca bien la mesa antes de poner los platos. — Dry the table well before setting the dishes.

Secar negative commands

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

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no seques	do not dry!
Usted — you, singular formal	no seque	do not dry! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	no sequemos	let’s not dry!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no sequéis	do not dry! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no sequen	do not dry! (plural)

• No seques la lana con demasiado calor. — Do not dry the wool with too much heat.

Common constructions with Secar

Secar commonly takes a direct object for the thing made dry, and con — with can introduce the means used to dry it.

• Seco el pelo con una toalla. — I dry my hair with a towel.
• Secamos la superficie con aire caliente. — We dry the surface with hot air.

Example sentences with Secar

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

• Seco el suelo después de limpiarlo. — I dry the floor after cleaning it.
• Ayer sequé los vasos a mano. — Yesterday I dried the glasses by hand.
• Antes secábamos la ropa al aire. — We used to dry the clothes in the open air.
• Voy a secar las hojas antes de guardarlas. — I am going to dry the leaves before storing them.
• Quiero que seques bien la mesa. — I want you to dry the table well.
• Ya hemos secado todas las toallas. — We have already dried all the towels.
• Secad los platos antes de guardarlos. — Dry the dishes before putting them away.
• No seques esta prenda con calor fuerte. — Do not dry this garment with high heat.

Regional and usage notes for Secar

In voseo regions, RAE records vos secás — you dry and the affirmative command secá — dry. The core tables retain tú and vosotros for project comparability.

Rare and reference forms of Secar

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 secado la mesa, empezó a llover. — As soon as I had dried the table, it started to rain.

Use Secar by choosing the time frame first and then applying its verified stem, spelling, or pronoun pattern. Keep rare reference systems distinct from the forms used in ordinary modern conversation.