Skip to content
Spanish · Verb · #400 most common

atar

to tie
to bind

Regular-ar ending

In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.

1.

Presente

Habitual actions, general truths, and what's happening now.

yoato
atas
él/ellaata
nosotrosatamos
vosotrosatáis
ellos/ellasatan

Yo ato los zapatos antes de salir.

I tie my shoes before going out.

Ella ata el perro al árbol.

She ties the dog to the tree.

2.

Pretérito Indefinido

Completed actions at a specific point in the past.

yoaté
ataste
él/ellaató
nosotrosatamos
vosotrosatasteis
ellos/ellasataron

Ayer até las cajas para el mudanza.

Yesterday, I tied the boxes for the move.

Él ató el regalo con una cinta roja.

He tied the gift with a red ribbon.

3.

Imperfecto

Ongoing or repeated actions in the past, descriptions, and background context.

yoataba
atabas
él/ellaataba
nosotrosatábamos
vosotrosatabais
ellos/ellasataban

Cuando era niño, ataba mis juguetes con cuerdas.

When I was a child, I tied my toys with strings.

Ella siempre ataba su cabello antes de hacer ejercicio.

She always tied her hair before exercising.

4.

Futuro Simple

Future actions, predictions, and speculation about the present.

yoataré
atarás
él/ellaatará
nosotrosataremos
vosotrosataréis
ellos/ellasatarán

Mañana ataré los globos para la fiesta.

Tomorrow, I will tie the balloons for the party.

Ellos atarán las sillas para que no se muevan.

They will tie the chairs so that they don't move.

5.

Condicional

Hypothetical situations, polite requests, and future-in-the-past.

yoataría
atarías
él/ellaataría
nosotrosataríamos
vosotrosataríais
ellos/ellasatarían

Yo ataría el perro si tuviera una correa.

I would tie the dog if I had a leash.

Ella ataría los libros si tuviera tiempo.

She would tie the books if she had time.

6.

Subjuntivo Presente

Wishes, doubts, emotions, and subordinate clauses expressing uncertainty.

yoate
ates
él/ellaate
nosotrosatemos
vosotrosatéis
ellos/ellasaten

Es importante que yo ate las cuerdas correctamente.

It's important that I tie the ropes correctly.

Espero que él ate el paquete antes de enviarlo.

I hope he ties the package before sending it.

7.

Subjuntivo Imperfecto

Past subjunctive contexts, hypothetical si-clauses, and polite suggestions.

yoatara
ataras
él/ellaatara
nosotrosataramos
vosotrosatarais
ellos/ellasataran

Si yo atara la cuerda, todo estaría en su lugar.

If I tied the rope, everything would be in its place.

Ojalá que ella atara los libros juntos.

I wish she tied the books together.

"atar" in other languages

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "atar" regular or irregular in Spanish?
"atar" is a regular -ar verb in Spanish. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
How do you conjugate "atar" in the present tense?
In the Presente, "atar" conjugates as: atas, ato, atan, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "atar" in Spanish?
In the Pretérito Indefinido, "atar" conjugates as: ataste, até, ataron, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "atar" in Spanish?
"atar" (to tie, to bind) is one of the most commonly used verbs in Spanish.