Cantar Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Cantar (to sing, to perform with the voice) is one of the most used verbs in Spanish and it is completely regular: it follows the -ar verb pattern in every tense, so it is a perfect model verb to learn first.

Indicative Tenses of Cantar

Cantar in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Canto en el coro de la iglesia (I sing in the church choir).

Present tense rules →

Cantar in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Anoche canté en el concierto (Last night I sang at the concert).

Preterite rules →

Cantar in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he cantado tres canciones (Today I have sung three songs).

Present perfect rules →

Cantar in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De niño cantaba en todas las fiestas (As a child I used to sing at every party).

Imperfect rules →

Cantar in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando llegué, ya habían cantado el himno (When I arrived, they had already sung the anthem).

Past perfect rules →

Cantar in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Mañana cantaré en la boda de mi prima (Tomorrow I will sing at my cousin's wedding).

Future tense rules →

Cantar in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para esta noche ya habremos cantado todo el repertorio (By tonight we will have sung the whole repertoire).

Future perfect rules →

Cantar in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo en tu lugar cantaría esa canción (If I were you, I would sing that song).

Conditional rules →

Cantar in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Habría cantado en la fiesta, pero estaba afónico (I would have sung at the party, but I had lost my voice).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Cantar

Present Subjunctive of Cantar (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Quiero que cantes en mi cumpleaños (I want you to sing at my birthday).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Cantar (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Espero que hayas cantado bien en la audición (I hope you have sung well at the audition).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Cantar (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si cantaras en público, ganarías confianza (If you sang in public, you would gain confidence).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Cantar (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras cantado antes, te habrían contratado (If you had sung earlier, they would have hired you).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Cantar

Affirmative Commands of Cantar (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Canta esa canción otra vez! (Sing that song again!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Cantar (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No cantes tan fuerte (Don't sing so loud).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Cantar

• En menos que canta un gallo - in a flash, in no time (literally: in less than a rooster crows)
• Cantar victoria - to celebrate success too soon
• Cantarle las cuarenta a alguien - to give someone a piece of your mind
• Otro gallo cantaría - things would be quite different