Beber Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Beber (to drink, to have a drink) is one of the most used verbs in Spanish and it is completely regular: it follows the -er verb pattern in every tense, so it is a perfect model verb to learn.

Indicative Tenses of Beber

Beber in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Bebo mucha agua durante el día (I drink a lot of water during the day).

Present tense rules →

Beber in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ayer bebí un café con mi madre (Yesterday I drank a coffee with my mother).

Preterite rules →

Beber in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he bebido dos litros de agua (Today I have drunk two liters of water).

Present perfect rules →

Beber in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De niño bebía leche cada mañana (As a child I used to drink milk every morning).

Imperfect rules →

Beber in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando llegué, ya habían bebido todo el vino (When I arrived, they had already drunk all the wine).

Past perfect rules →

Beber in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Mañana beberé más agua en el gimnasio (Tomorrow I will drink more water at the gym).

Future tense rules →

Beber in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para la cena ya habremos bebido el agua de la botella (By dinner we will have drunk the water from the bottle).

Future perfect rules →

Beber in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo en tu lugar bebería menos café (If I were you, I would drink less coffee).

Conditional rules →

Beber in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Habría bebido más, pero tenía que conducir (I would have drunk more, but I had to drive).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Beber

Present Subjunctive of Beber (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Quiero que bebas más agua (I want you to drink more water).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Beber (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Espero que hayas bebido suficiente agua (I hope you have drunk enough water).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Beber (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si bebieras más agua, te sentirías mejor (If you drank more water, you would feel better).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Beber (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras bebido menos, no te dolería la cabeza (If you had drunk less, your head would not hurt).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Beber

Affirmative Commands of Beber (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Bebe más agua, por favor! (Drink more water, please!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Beber (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No bebas tan rápido (Don't drink so fast).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Beber

• Beber como un cosaco - to drink like a fish (literally: to drink like a Cossack)
• Beber los vientos por alguien - to be madly in love with someone
• Darse a la bebida - to take to drink, to start drinking heavily
• Beber a sorbos - to sip, to drink in small amounts