Present
| preparo | |
| preparas | |
| preparás | |
| prepara | |
| preparamos | |
| preparáis | |
| preparan |
Spanish -ar verb
Preparar: a fully regular -ar verb, every tense
preparar: to prepare
Preparar follows the regular -ar pattern in every tense, so its table doubles as a map of where -ar verbs put their written accents.
At a glance
Where preparar breaks the pattern
Preparar is fully regular: every form follows the -ar pattern.
Quick facts
- preparado · regular
- preparando · regular
- Only three affirmative commands have their own forms: tú prepara, vos prepará and vosotros preparad. Every other command, and every negative one, is the present subjunctive: prepare, preparemos, preparen; no prepares.
Focused practice
Practise preparar now
Type the forms from memory, irregular ones first.
Conjugation tables for preparar
Marked letters break the regular -ar pattern. Vosotros: Spain. Vos: voseo regions such as Argentina.
Indicative
Preterite
| preparé | |
| preparaste | |
| preparaste | |
| preparó | |
| preparamos | |
| preparasteis | |
| prepararon |
Imperfect
| preparaba | |
| preparabas | |
| preparabas | |
| preparaba | |
| preparábamos | |
| preparabais | |
| preparaban |
Future
| prepararé | |
| prepararás | |
| prepararás | |
| preparará | |
| prepararemos | |
| prepararéis | |
| prepararán |
Present Perfect
| he preparado | |
| has preparado | |
| has preparado | |
| ha preparado | |
| hemos preparado | |
| habéis preparado | |
| han preparado |
- haber + preparado
Past Perfect
| había preparado | |
| habías preparado | |
| habías preparado | |
| había preparado | |
| habíamos preparado | |
| habíais preparado | |
| habían preparado |
- haber + preparado
Future Perfect
| habré preparado | |
| habrás preparado | |
| habrás preparado | |
| habrá preparado | |
| habremos preparado | |
| habréis preparado | |
| habrán preparado |
- haber + preparado
Conditional
Conditional
| prepararía | |
| prepararías | |
| prepararías | |
| prepararía | |
| prepararíamos | |
| prepararíais | |
| prepararían |
Conditional Perfect
| habría preparado | |
| habrías preparado | |
| habrías preparado | |
| habría preparado | |
| habríamos preparado | |
| habríais preparado | |
| habrían preparado |
- haber + preparado
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
| prepare | |
| prepares | |
| prepares | |
| prepare | |
| preparemos | |
| preparéis | |
| preparen |
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)
| preparara | |
| prepararas | |
| prepararas | |
| preparara | |
| preparáramos | |
| prepararais | |
| prepararan |
Imperfect Subjunctive (-se)
| preparase | |
| preparases | |
| preparases | |
| preparase | |
| preparásemos | |
| preparaseis | |
| preparasen |
Future Subjunctive
| preparare | |
| preparares | |
| preparares | |
| preparare | |
| preparáremos | |
| preparareis | |
| prepararen |
Present Perfect Subjunctive
| haya preparado | |
| hayas preparado | |
| hayas preparado | |
| haya preparado | |
| hayamos preparado | |
| hayáis preparado | |
| hayan preparado |
- haber + preparado
Past Perfect Subjunctive
| hubiera preparado | |
| hubieras preparado | |
| hubieras preparado | |
| hubiera preparado | |
| hubiéramos preparado | |
| hubierais preparado | |
| hubieran preparado |
- haber + preparado
Future Perfect Subjunctive
| hubiere preparado | |
| hubieres preparado | |
| hubieres preparado | |
| hubiere preparado | |
| hubiéremos preparado | |
| hubiereis preparado | |
| hubieren preparado |
- haber + preparado
Imperative
Affirmative Imperative
| prepara | |
| prepará | |
| prepare | |
| preparemos | |
| preparad | |
| preparen |
Negative Imperative
| no prepares | |
| no prepares | |
| no prepare | |
| no preparemos | |
| no preparéis | |
| no preparen |
Usage
Accents, preparado and prepararse
With a regular verb, the forms themselves are rarely the problem; the written accents are. Preparo (I prepare) and preparó (he prepared) differ only by the accent, and so do prepare (present subjunctive) and preparé (I prepared). In these pairs, the accent on the final vowel marks the preterite.
The past participle is regular, preparado, and it often works as an adjective: la cena está preparada. For “ready” in the sense of finished and waiting, listo is more common: la cena está lista. Estar preparado leans towards “prepared” or “trained”: no estaba preparado para el examen.
The reflexive prepararse means to get yourself ready, and it takes para: me preparo para la entrevista, se preparaba para salir.
In the kitchen, English “make” often becomes preparar or hacer: preparar la comida is slightly more formal than hacer la comida.
Easy to confuse
- preparo (present yo) and preparó (preterite él) differ only by the written accent.
- preparé (preterite yo) and prepare (present subjunctive yo/él and usted command) differ only by the written accent.
- preparamos is both the present and preterite nosotros form; only context tells them apart.
Check yourself
Try before revealing
Yo ___. (preparar · preterite)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Try before revealing
Yo ___. (preparar · future)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Practise the pattern in context
- Preterite practice
- Present subjunctive practice
- Past participles as adjectives : using preparado as an adjective