Present
Presente · now, habits and facts
- yo I cost
- tú you cost
- usted, él, ella he/she costs
- nosotros we cost
- vosotros Spain you all cost
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they cost
SPANISH VERB
costar
to cost
- #182 most used
- Irregular -ar verb
- Gerund: costando
- Past participle: costado
Conjugation
Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.
Past
Pretérito indefinido · finished actions
- yo I cost
- tú you cost
- usted, él, ella he/she cost
- nosotros we cost
- vosotros Spain you all cost
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they cost
Imperfect
Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”
- yo I used to cost
- tú you used to cost
- usted, él, ella he/she used to cost
- nosotros we used to cost
- vosotros Spain you all used to cost
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to cost
Future
Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common
- yo I will cost
- tú you will cost
- usted, él, ella he/she will cost
- nosotros we will cost
- vosotros Spain you all will cost
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they will cost
Conditional
Condicional · “would”
- yo I would cost
- tú you would cost
- usted, él, ella he/she would cost
- nosotros we would cost
- vosotros Spain you all would cost
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they would cost
Present subjunctive
Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”
- yo (that) I cost
- tú (that) you cost
- usted, él, ella (that) he/she cost
- nosotros (that) we cost
- vosotros Spain (that) you all cost
- ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they cost
Past subjunctive
Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”
- yo (if) I cost
- tú (if) you cost
- usted, él, ella (if) he/she cost
- nosotros (if) we cost
- vosotros Spain (if) you all cost
- ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they cost
Imperative
Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)
- tú cost!
- usted cost! (formal)
- nosotros cost! (let’s)
- vosotros Spain cost! (all of you)
- ustedes cost! (all of you)
How to use costar
One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.
-
Present
¿Cuánto cuesta el kilo de aguacate?
How much is a kilo of avocados?
-
Past
El boleto de avión costó más de lo que pensaba.
The plane ticket cost more than I expected.
-
Imperfect
Antes el pan costaba dos pesos.
Bread used to cost two pesos.
-
Future
La reparación del coche costará unos mil pesos.
The car repair will cost about a thousand pesos.
-
Conditional
Una casa así costaría una fortuna en la ciudad.
A house like that would cost a fortune in the city.
-
Present subjunctive
No creo que cueste tanto arreglar la puerta.
I don't think fixing the door costs that much.
-
Past subjunctive
Si costara menos, compraría dos.
If it cost less, I'd buy two.
-
Imperative
¡Cueste lo que cueste, vamos a ese concierto!
Whatever it costs, we're going to that concert!
Good to know
- "Me cuesta trabajo" means I find it hard: "me cuesta trabajo levantarme".
Where you hear costar
The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.
Spanish · Beginner Level 2
- Las velas cuestan sesenta pesos cada una. The candles cost sixty pesos each.
- Los tres manojos costaron ciento veinte pesos. The three bunches cost one hundred and twenty pesos.
- ¿Cuánto va a costar un manojo mañana? How much will a bunch cost tomorrow?
Spanish · Beginner Level 3
- ¿Cuánto cuesta el seguro? How much does the insurance cost?
- ¿Cuánto costó el carro? How much did the car cost?
- El carro costará seiscientos pesos por día. The car will cost six hundred pesos per day.
22
What Do You Think?
Needs a subscription
11
Beginner Level 2 · cuestan
Renting a Car
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29
Beginner Level 3 · costó
Whatever Happens
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7
Intermediate Level 1 · cueste lo que cueste
The Interview
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5
Intermediate Level 2 · Me cuesta.
Don't Touch Anything
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7
Advanced Level 1 · Me va a costar.
Peaches, Not Peaches
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Advanced Level 1 · costaba
Verbs like this one
The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ar verb.