Pedir Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Pedir (to ask for, to order) is a very common Spanish verb and it is irregular: it belongs to the group of -ir verbs with an e→i stem change (not e→ie). The stem e turns into i in the present (pido), throughout the subjunctive (pida), in the 3rd person of the preterite (pidió, pidieron) and in the gerund (pidiendo). The participle, however, is regular (pedido).

Indicative Tenses of Pedir

Pedir in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Siempre pido café con leche (I always ask for coffee with milk).

Present tense rules →

Pedir in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ayer pidió un préstamo al banco (Yesterday he asked the bank for a loan).

Preterite rules →

Pedir in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he pedido cita con el médico (Today I have asked for a doctor's appointment).

Present perfect rules →

Pedir in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De niño siempre pedía postre (As a child I always asked for dessert).

Imperfect rules →

Pedir in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando llegó el camarero, ya habíamos pedido (When the waiter arrived, we had already ordered).

Past perfect rules →

Pedir in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Mañana pediré el día libre (Tomorrow I will ask for the day off).

Future tense rules →

Pedir in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para las nueve ya habremos pedido la cena (By nine we will have ordered dinner).

Future perfect rules →

Pedir in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo en tu lugar pediría ayuda (If I were you, I would ask for help).

Conditional rules →

Pedir in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Habría pedido otra cosa, pero no había nada más (I would have ordered something else, but there was nothing left).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Pedir

Present Subjunctive of Pedir (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Quiero que pidas la cuenta (I want you to ask for the bill).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Pedir (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Espero que hayas pedido permiso (I hope you have asked for permission).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Pedir (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si pidieras ayuda, te la darían (If you asked for help, they would give it to you).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Pedir (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras pedido antes, habría sitio (If you had asked earlier, there would be room).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Pedir

Affirmative Commands of Pedir (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Pide lo que quieras! (Ask for whatever you want!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Pedir (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No pidas más, ya es suficiente (Don't ask for more, that's enough).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Pedir

• Pedir la mano - to propose marriage (literally: to ask for the hand)
• Pedir perdón - to apologize
• Pedir cuentas - to call someone to account
• A pedir de boca - to go perfectly, just as wished
• Pedir peras al olmo - to expect the impossible (literally: to ask the elm tree for pears)