Dar Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Dar (to give) is one of the most frequent verbs in Spanish and it is irregular: the present yo form is doy, the preterite follows the -er/-ir pattern (di, dio - written without accents, a very common mistake), and the present subjunctive dé carries a diacritic accent to distinguish it from the preposition de.

Indicative Tenses of Dar

Dar in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Cada mañana doy un paseo por el parque (Every morning I take a walk in the park).

Present tense rules →

Dar in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ayer le di las gracias a mi profesor (Yesterday I thanked my teacher).

Preterite rules →

Dar in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Esta semana he dado dos clases de yoga (This week I have given two yoga classes).

Present perfect rules →

Dar in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De pequeño, mi abuela me daba dinero los domingos (As a child, my grandmother used to give me money on Sundays).

Imperfect rules →

Dar in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando llegaste, ya habíamos dado la noticia a todos (When you arrived, we had already given everyone the news).

Past perfect rules →

Dar in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Mañana te daré una respuesta definitiva (Tomorrow I will give you a definite answer).

Future tense rules →

Dar in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para el sábado ya le habremos dado el regalo a Marta (By Saturday we will have already given Marta her present).

Future perfect rules →

Dar in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo le daría otra oportunidad (I would give him another chance).

Conditional rules →

Dar in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Te habría dado las llaves, pero no las encontré (I would have given you the keys, but I didn't find them).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Dar

Present Subjunctive of Dar (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Espero que el médico me dé buenas noticias (I hope the doctor gives me good news).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Dar (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Me alegro de que hayas dado ese paso (I'm glad you have taken that step).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Dar (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si me dieran más tiempo, terminaría el proyecto (If they gave me more time, I would finish the project).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Dar (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si me hubieras dado tu dirección, te habría enviado la invitación (If you had given me your address, I would have sent you the invitation).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Dar

Affirmative Commands of Dar (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Da de comer al perro antes de salir! (Feed the dog before you leave!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Dar (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No le des más caramelos al niño (Don't give the child any more sweets).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Dar

• Dar igual - to make no difference: me da igual (I don't care)
• Darse cuenta de - to realize, to notice something
• Dar la lata - to pester, to be a nuisance
• Dar en el clavo - to hit the nail on the head