Skip to content
Spanish · Verb · #242 most common

encender

to turn on
to light

Irregular-er 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.

yoenciendo
enciendes
él/ellaenciende
nosotrosencendemos
vosotrosencendéis
ellos/ellasencienden

Yo enciendo la luz cuando llego a casa.

I turn on the light when I get home.

Ella enciende la chimenea en invierno.

She lights the fireplace in winter.

2.

Pretérito Indefinido

Completed actions at a specific point in the past.

yoencendí
encendiste
él/ellaencend
nosotrosencendimos
vosotrosencendisteis
ellos/ellasencendieron

Ayer encendí la estufa porque hacía frío.

Yesterday I turned on the heater because it was cold.

Él encendió las velas para la cena.

He lit the candles for dinner.

3.

Imperfecto

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

yoencendía
encendías
él/ellaencendía
nosotrosencendíamos
vosotrosencendíais
ellos/ellasencendían

Cuando era niño, siempre encendía la televisión después de la escuela.

When I was a child, I always turned on the TV after school.

Ella encendía las luces cada vez que llegaba a casa.

She used to turn on the lights every time she got home.

4.

Futuro Simple

Future actions, predictions, and speculation about the present.

yoencenderé
encenderás
él/ellaencenderá
nosotrosencenderemos
vosotrosencenderéis
ellos/ellasencenderán

Mañana encenderé la computadora para trabajar.

Tomorrow I will turn on the computer to work.

Ellos encenderán las luces para la fiesta.

They will turn on the lights for the party.

5.

Condicional

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

yoencendería
encenderías
él/ellaencendería
nosotrosencenderíamos
vosotrosencenderíais
ellos/ellasencenderían

Si tuviera una lámpara, encendería la luz.

If I had a lamp, I would turn on the light.

Ella encendería el fuego si no estuviera lloviendo.

She would light the fire if it weren't raining.

6.

Subjuntivo Presente

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

yoencienda
enciendas
él/ellaencienda
nosotrosencendamos
vosotrosencendáis
ellos/ellasenciendan

Es importante que enciendas las luces antes de salir.

It's important that you turn on the lights before leaving.

Espero que él encienda la fogata esta noche.

I hope he lights the campfire tonight.

7.

Subjuntivo Imperfecto

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

yoencendiera
encendieras
él/ellaencendiera
nosotrosencendiéramos
vosotrosencendierais
ellos/ellasencendieran

Si yo encendiera la lámpara, podríamos ver mejor.

If I turned on the lamp, we could see better.

Ojalá que ellos encendieran el fuego antes de que oscurezca.

I wish they would light the fire before it gets dark.

"encender" in other languages

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "encender" regular or irregular in Spanish?
"encender" is an irregular Spanish verb. It does not follow the standard -er conjugation pattern and must be memorized.
How do you conjugate "encender" in the present tense?
In the Presente, "encender" conjugates as: enciendes, enciendo, encienden, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "encender" in Spanish?
In the Pretérito Indefinido, "encender" conjugates as: encendiste, encendí, encendieron, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "encender" in Spanish?
"encender" (to turn on, to light) is one of the most commonly used verbs in Spanish.