Existir Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Existir (to exist, to be real) is a very common Spanish verb and it is completely regular: it follows the -ir verb pattern in every tense. In practice it is used mostly in the third person (existe, existen), although the full conjugation is valid.

Indicative Tenses of Existir

Existir in the Present (Presente)

Current facts and general truths: Existe una solución para este problema (There is a solution to this problem).

Present tense rules →

Existir in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Finished facts at a specific moment in the past: Aquella ciudad existió hace miles de años (That city existed thousands of years ago).

Preterite rules →

Existir in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Siempre han existido dudas sobre ese tema (There have always been doubts about that topic).

Present perfect rules →

Existir in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Ongoing or lasting situations in the past: En aquella época existían pocas escuelas (At that time there were few schools).

Imperfect rules →

Existir in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

A fact before another moment in the past: Antes de la guerra ya había existido aquel pueblo (Before the war that village had already existed).

Past perfect rules →

Existir in the Future (Futuro simple)

Predictions and future facts: Siempre existirán personas curiosas (There will always be curious people).

Future tense rules →

Existir in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

A fact that will be completed in the future: Para entonces ya habrá existido otra civilización (By then another civilization will have existed).

Future perfect rules →

Existir in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Hypotheses and imaginary situations: Sin agua no existiría la vida (Without water, life would not exist).

Conditional rules →

Existir in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Sin aquel hallazgo no habría existido la teoría (Without that discovery the theory would not have existed).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Existir

Present Subjunctive of Existir (Presente de subjuntivo)

Doubts, wishes and possibility: No creo que exista una respuesta perfecta (I don't think a perfect answer exists).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Existir (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past fact: Es posible que haya existido un error (It is possible that there has been an error).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Existir (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si existiera otra vía, la tomaríamos (If another way existed, we would take it).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Existir (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubiera existido un plan, todo habría sido distinto (If a plan had existed, everything would have been different).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Existir

Affirmative Commands of Existir (Imperativo afirmativo)

Rare forms, typical of philosophical or poetic register: ¡Existe plenamente cada día! (Live (exist) fully every day!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Existir (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibition, equally uncommon: No existas solo para los demás (Don't exist only for others).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Existir

• Existir un problema - there is a problem to solve
• Dejar de existir - to cease to exist, to die or disappear
• No existir para alguien - to be completely ignored by someone
• Existir desde siempre - to have always been there