Significar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Significar in Spanish

Significar means “to mean” or “to signify.” You will learn its regular -AR framework, the spelling change c → qu before e, and how its forms express meaning, indication, and importance.

Significar conjugation at a glance

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

• significar — to mean / to signify
• significando — meaning
• significado — meant

Significar 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	significar	to mean / to signify
Gerund	significando	meaning
Past participle	significado	meant
Compound infinitive	haber significado	to have meant
Compound gerund	habiendo significado	having meant

Significar meaning and essential uses

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

• ¿Qué significa esta palabra? — What does this word mean?
• Ese gesto significa mucho para mí. — That gesture means a lot to me.
• La señal significó un cambio importante. — The signal indicated an important change.

Significar conjugation pattern

Significar uses regular -AR endings, but c changes to qu before e to preserve the /k/ sound. This produces signifiqué — I meant and present-subjunctive forms such as signifique — that I / he / she / you (formal) mean.

Significar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Significar 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.

Use the regular signific- stem with the standard -AR present endings.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	significo	I mean
Tú — you, singular informal	significas	you mean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	significa	he / she means; you mean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	significamos	we mean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	significáis	you (plural, informal) mean
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	significan	they / you (plural) mean

• Esta expresión significa algo muy concreto. — This expression means something very specific.

Significar 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 -AR preterite endings, but change c to qu before the first-person singular ending -é: signifiqué — I meant.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	signifiqué	I meant
Tú — you, singular informal	significaste	you meant
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	significó	he / she meant; you meant (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	significamos	we meant
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	significasteis	you (plural, informal) meant
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	significaron	they / you (plural) meant

• La luz roja significó que debíamos detenernos. — The red light meant that we had to stop.

Significar 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	significaba	I used to mean
Tú — you, singular informal	significabas	you used to mean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	significaba	he / she used to mean; you used to mean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	significábamos	we used to mean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	significabais	you (plural, informal) used to mean
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	significaban	they / you (plural) used to mean

• Antes esa palabra significaba otra cosa. — That word used to mean something else.

Significar 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 significando — meaning. With the stative sense “to mean,” progressive forms are less common; they are most useful when emphasizing an unfolding consequence or developing effect.

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

• Este cambio está significando más trabajo para el equipo. — This change is meaning more work for the team.

Significar 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 significar — to mean / to signify.

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

• Ese acuerdo va a significar un cambio importante. — That agreement is going to mean an important change.

Significar 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 significar — to mean / to signify.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	significaré	I will mean
Tú — you, singular informal	significarás	you will mean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	significará	he / she will mean; you will mean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	significaremos	we will mean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	significaréis	you (plural, informal) will mean
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	significarán	they / you (plural) will mean

• La decisión significará más responsabilidad. — The decision will mean more responsibility.

Significar 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 significar — to mean / to signify.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	significaría	I would mean
Tú — you, singular informal	significarías	you would mean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	significaría	he / she would mean; you would mean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	significaríamos	we would mean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	significaríais	you (plural, informal) would mean
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	significarían	they / you (plural) would mean

• Ese retraso significaría perder el tren. — That delay would mean missing the train.

Significar 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 significado — meant. The participle remains invariant with haber.

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

• La noticia ha significado mucho para nosotros. — The news has meant a lot to us.

Significar 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 significado — meant. The participle remains invariant with haber.

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

• Ese símbolo había significado otra cosa durante siglos. — That symbol had meant something else for centuries.

Significar 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 significado — meant. The participle remains invariant with haber.

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

• Para entonces, el cambio habrá significado una mejora real. — By then, the change will have meant a real improvement.

Significar 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 significado — meant. The participle remains invariant with haber.

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

• La demora habría significado un coste mayor. — The delay would have meant a higher cost.

Significar subjunctive conjugations

Significar 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 the paradigm: signifique — that I / he / she / you (formal) mean, signifiquemos — that we mean, and signifiquéis — that you (plural, informal) mean.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	signifique	that I mean
Tú — you, singular informal	signifiques	that you mean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	signifique	that he / she mean; that you mean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	signifiquemos	that we mean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	signifiquéis	that you (plural, informal) mean
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	signifiquen	that they / you (plural) mean

• No creo que este gesto signifique rechazo. — I do not think this gesture means rejection.

Significar 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	significara	that I meant / were to mean
Tú — you, singular informal	significaras	that you meant / were to mean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	significara	that he / she meant / were to mean; that you meant / were to mean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	significáramos	that we meant / were to mean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	significarais	that you (plural, informal) meant / were to mean
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	significaran	that they / you (plural) meant / were to mean

• No esperaba que el resultado significara tanto. — I did not expect the result to mean so much.

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.

• significase — that I meant / were to mean
• significases — that you meant / were to mean
• significase — that he / she / you (formal) meant / were to mean
• significásemos — that we meant / were to mean
• significaseis — that you (plural, informal) meant / were to mean
• significasen — that they / you (plural) meant / were to mean

Significar 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	significare	that I should mean (rare/formal)
Tú — you, singular informal	significares	that you should mean (rare/formal)
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	significare	that he / she should mean (rare/formal); that you should mean (formal; rare/formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	significáremos	that we should mean (rare/formal)
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	significareis	that you (plural, informal) should mean (rare/formal)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	significaren	that they / you (plural) should mean (rare/formal)

• Si la señal significare peligro, se evacuará la zona. — If the signal should indicate danger, the area will be evacuated.

Significar 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 significado — meant.

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

• Me alegra que el acuerdo haya significado una mejora. — I am glad that the agreement has meant an improvement.

Significar 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 significado — meant. The hubiese series is also accepted and is shown below.

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

• Ojalá el cambio hubiera significado menos problemas. — I wish the change had meant fewer problems.

The hubiese series is an accepted alternative in many contexts.

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

Significar 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 significado — meant. This system is rare in modern everyday Spanish.

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

• Si el aviso hubiere significado una emergencia, quedará registrado. — If the notice should have indicated an emergency, it will be recorded.

Significar 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.

Significar affirmative commands

Affirmative commands are grammatically available, but they are less common in ordinary conversation. They are most natural when significar has the formal sense “to indicate / state.” The spelling change c → qu appears in subjunctive-based command forms before e.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	significa	indicate / state!
Usted — you, singular formal	signifique	indicate / state! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	signifiquemos	let’s indicate / state!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	significad	indicate / state! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	signifiquen	indicate / state! (plural)

• Signifique su decisión con una marca clara. — Indicate your decision with a clear mark.

Significar 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 signifiques	do not indicate / state!
Usted — you, singular formal	no signifique	do not indicate / state! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	no signifiquemos	let’s not indicate / state!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no signifiquéis	do not indicate / state! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no signifiquen	do not indicate / state! (plural)

• No signifique su aprobación hasta leer el informe. — Do not indicate your approval until you read the report.

Common constructions with Significar

Significar commonly links a sign, word, event, or action to what it means or indicates. Significar para + person — to mean something to someone — is also common when expressing importance.

• ¿Qué significa este símbolo? — What does this symbol mean?
• Este logro significa mucho para ella. — This achievement means a lot to her.

Example sentences with Significar

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

• Esta palabra significa algo distinto aquí. — This word means something different here.
• Ayer la señal significó el final de la prueba. — Yesterday the signal indicated the end of the test.
• Antes ese color significaba otra cosa. — That color used to mean something else.
• Voy a explicar qué significa cada símbolo. — I am going to explain what each symbol means.
• Quiero que la marca signifique una sola opción. — I want the mark to indicate only one option.
• Ese resultado ha significado mucho para el equipo. — That result has meant a lot to the team.
• Signifique su decisión por escrito. — State your decision in writing.
• No signifique su aprobación hasta revisar el documento. — Do not indicate your approval until you review the document.

Regional and usage notes for Significar

RAE records voseo forms such as vos significás — you mean and the affirmative command significá — indicate / state. The core tables retain tú and vosotros for project comparability.

Rare and reference forms of Significar

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 la palabra hubo significado una cosa, empezó a usarse con otra. — As soon as the word had meant one thing, it began to be used with another.

Use Significar by choosing the intended meaning and time frame first, then applying its verified morphology. Keep rare reference systems distinct from the forms used in ordinary modern conversation.