Present
Presente · now, habits and facts
- yo I kill
- tú you kill
- usted, él, ella he/she kills
- nosotros we kill
- vosotros Spain you all kill
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they kill
SPANISH VERB
matar
to kill, figuratively to wear someone out
- #159 most used
- Regular -ar verb
- Gerund: matando
- Past participle: matado
Conjugation
Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.
Past
Pretérito indefinido · finished actions
- yo I killed
- tú you killed
- usted, él, ella he/she killed
- nosotros we killed
- vosotros Spain you all killed
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they killed
Imperfect
Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”
- yo I used to kill
- tú you used to kill
- usted, él, ella he/she used to kill
- nosotros we used to kill
- vosotros Spain you all used to kill
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to kill
Future
Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common
- yo I will kill
- tú you will kill
- usted, él, ella he/she will kill
- nosotros we will kill
- vosotros Spain you all will kill
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they will kill
Conditional
Condicional · “would”
- yo I would kill
- tú you would kill
- usted, él, ella he/she would kill
- nosotros we would kill
- vosotros Spain you all would kill
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they would kill
Present subjunctive
Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”
- yo (that) I kill
- tú (that) you kill
- usted, él, ella (that) he/she kill
- nosotros (that) we kill
- vosotros Spain (that) you all kill
- ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they kill
Past subjunctive
Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”
- yo (if) I killed
- tú (if) you killed
- usted, él, ella (if) he/she killed
- nosotros (if) we killed
- vosotros Spain (if) you all killed
- ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they killed
Imperative
Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)
- tú kill!
- usted kill! (formal)
- nosotros kill! (let’s)
- vosotros Spain kill! (all of you)
- ustedes kill! (all of you)
How to use matar
One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.
-
Present
Este calor me mata, ya no aguanto.
This heat is killing me, I can't take it anymore.
-
Past
Maté una cucaracha enorme en la cocina.
I killed a huge cockroach in the kitchen.
-
Imperfect
Las subidas de Guanajuato nos mataban.
Guanajuato's hills were killing us.
-
Future
Mi mamá me matará si llego tarde otra vez.
My mom will kill me if I'm late again.
-
Conditional
Yo mataría por un helado ahorita.
I'd kill for an ice cream right now.
-
Present subjunctive
Cuida la planta para que el sol no la mate.
Look after the plant so the sun doesn't kill it.
-
Past subjunctive
Si el frío matara las plantas, las metería.
If the cold killed the plants, I'd bring them in.
-
Imperative
¡Mata ese mosquito antes de que me pique!
Kill that mosquito before it bites me!
Good to know
- "Me mata" also means it wears me out or it cracks me up: este calor me mata.
Where you hear matar
The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.
Spanish · Intermediate Level 1
- Doce horas de trabajo me matan. Twelve hours of work wear me out.
- La espera en la terminal me mató. The wait at the station wore me out.
- Otro día sin dormir me va a matar. Another day without sleep is going to wear me out.
Spanish · Advanced Level 2
- Si me dices que respire, te mato. If you tell me to breathe, I'll kill you.
- Mi abuela mataba los guajolotes ella sola. My grandmother used to kill the turkeys on her own.
- Esta salsa os va a matar de gusto. This sauce is going to kill you with pleasure.
Verbs like this one
The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -ar verb.