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SPANISH VERB

cubrir

to cover

  • #185 most used
  • Irregular -ir verb
  • Gerund: cubriendo
  • Past participle: cubierto

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I cover
  2. tú you cover
  3. usted, él, ella he/she covers
  4. nosotros we cover
  5. vosotros Spain you all cover
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they cover

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I covered
  2. tú you covered
  3. usted, él, ella he/she covered
  4. nosotros we covered
  5. vosotros Spain you all covered
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they covered

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to cover
  2. tú you used to cover
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to cover
  4. nosotros we used to cover
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to cover
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to cover

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will cover
  2. tú you will cover
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will cover
  4. nosotros we will cover
  5. vosotros Spain you all will cover
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will cover

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would cover
  2. tú you would cover
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would cover
  4. nosotros we would cover
  5. vosotros Spain you all would cover
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would cover

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I cover
  2. tú (that) you cover
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she cover
  4. nosotros (that) we cover
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all cover
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they cover

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I covered
  2. tú (if) you covered
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she covered
  4. nosotros (if) we covered
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all covered
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they covered

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú cover!
  2. usted cover! (formal)
  3. nosotros cover! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain cover! (all of you)
  5. ustedes cover! (all of you)

How to use cubrir

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    El seguro cubre los gastos del hospital.

    The insurance covers the hospital costs.

  2. Past

    Cubrí la olla para que no se enfriara la sopa.

    I covered the pot so the soup wouldn't get cold.

  3. Imperfect

    La nieve cubría toda la calle por la mañana.

    Snow covered the whole street in the morning.

  4. Future

    Esta manta te cubrirá bien los pies.

    This blanket will cover your feet well.

  5. Conditional

    Yo cubriría los muebles antes de pintar.

    I'd cover the furniture before painting.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Ponte un sombrero que te cubra bien la cara.

    Put on a hat that covers your face well.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Mamá me pidió que cubriera el pastel con un trapo.

    Mom asked me to cover the cake with a cloth.

  8. Imperative

    ¡Cúbrete bien, hace mucho frío afuera!

    Cover up well, it's very cold outside!

Good to know

  • "Cubrirse" is to cover up: "cúbrete, hace frío". "Cubrir los gastos" is to cover the costs. The participle is "cubierto".

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ir verb.